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Inspection report - Welsh college gets top marks for clergy training22nd June 2009

Wales' only clergy training college is ‘leading the way’ and building an international reputation, according to an inspection report published today (JUNE 22).

St Michael's College, Llandaff, is described as an ‘impressive institution’ by the inspectors who spent a year monitoring all aspects of its work. Out of the 13 areas judged, they award the college nine ‘gold stars’ (Confidences) and four ‘silver’ (Confidences with Qualifications).

The 115-year-old college, which trains candidates for ministry in the Anglican and Methodist churches in Wales and beyond, wins praise in all four branches of its work - its residential courses, non-residential courses,  chaplaincy centre and ministry development.

The team of inspectors particularly commends the college's unique Centre for Chaplaincy Studies, which was set up last June in partnership with Cardiff University and prepares chaplains for counseling and guiding people in a wide range of situations - from patients in hospital to prisoners in jail to soldiers serving in Afghanistan. The report says the Centre's strong  Master of Theology programme gives St Michael's a ‘national and international reputation’ and  ‘leads the way to exploring the interface between theological thinking and public policy.’

The college's ministry development work, meanwhile, is praised as a ‘commendable example of joined-up thinking and planning’ and more advanced than similar programmes in England. Staff are described as ‘well-motivated and creative under firm but sensitive leadership’ who deliver ‘high quality’ teaching which results in ‘academic achievements out of proportion to the college's size’. Inspectors found that the college's teaching and worship included a breadth of church traditions, saying, ‘the college now claims with some justification to be an all-party college’.

Such a positive report means clergy who train in Wales can be confident they are receiving one of the best preparations for their vocation, said the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan.

‘I am delighted with this report on St Michael's. The College is developing apace and stands comparison with any other theological college in Britain, rightly attracting students from other provinces.  The Church in Wales is investing in its future and, indeed, has such confidence in it that it has asked the Principal to be its Ministry Officer, overseeing training and support for clergy in their early and later years.’

The Principal of St Michael's College, Rev Canon Dr Peter Sedgwick, said the report shows the college has a secure future.

‘This report recognises the enormous changes in the last five years. It is a tremendous and heartening recognition of the staff in transforming the college. It shows that this is a college with a very bright future indeed. I am very proud of the staff in what they have achieved in such a short period. We recognize, too, that there are areas for continued development and these are already being addressed as far as possible.’

The Bishop of Basingstoke, the Rt Rev Trevor Willmott, who is the Church of England representative on the College's Trustee body, said, "This is an excellent report which should give confidence to the whole Church to send candidates for ministry to St Michael's. The work of the Chaplaincy studies is at the cutting edge of mission.’

Rev. Dr. Stephen Wigley, Chair of the Wales Synod of the Methodist Church also welcomed the report, saying; ‘This is a most encouraging report which recognises the significant developments which have taken place in recent years and expresses confidence in the college's future.’

The report was conducted by a team from the Church of England's Ministry Division in partnership with the Church in Wales.

Summing up, it said, ‘St Michael's College is an impressive institution.  We have become aware of a wide and increasing level of trust in the college among church people in Wales, particularly among those who know the college as it now is rather than judging it on the basis of its past history.  We believe that that trust is justified, and that as the college continues its ambitious programme of development its contribution to the life of its sponsoring churches will grow even more significant, chiefly but not only in the preparation of candidates for ordained and Reader ministry who will be well equipped to lead their churches through the changing patterns of church life and ministry in twenty-first century Wales.

‘While our confidence in the college is necessarily expressed at some points with qualifications, some of which are the inevitable consequence of the limited resources available to the college, we have no doubt that the college is fit for the purpose of preparing men and women for ministry in the sponsoring churches.’

The full report will be put online on June 22 at:

http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/pressres/stmichaelllandaff09.pdf

For more information, photographs or interviews, please contact:

Anna Morrell
Archbishop's Media Officer / Swyddog y Cyfryngau i'r Archesgob
Tel: 02920 348208; mobile: 07 91 91 587 94
39 Cathedral Rd, Cardiff / 39 Heol y Gadeirlan, Caerdydd
CF11 9XF
http://www.churchinwales.org.uk

St Michael's College, which was set up in 1892, is the provincial training college for the Church in Wales and trains candidates for ministry in the Anglican and Methodist churches in Wales and beyond. It has 75 students, 28 who are resident and 47 who are on the non-residential course. Its courses are taught in partnership with Cardiff University's Faculty of Religious and Theological Studies. It also runs ministry development and in-service training courses for people who are already ordained, pushing its total number of students to 200.

The College's chaplaincy work was consolidated last June with the setting up of the Centre for Chaplaincy Studies in partnership with Cardiff University. The Centre  runs a Master of Theology in Chaplaincy Studies and, in addition, offers induction courses for health care chaplains.  It is also developing research into chaplaincy and the issues of faith and public life which it raises. The chaplains trained come from a wide range of Christian denominations as well as from different faiths.