Diocese of Chichester

Meet three students studying Public Theology or Christian Ministry at Chichester University

Lesley Hurst has been working for the Diocese of Chichester as assistant director of education since 2016. She enrolled on the MA in public theology to further understand how theology relates to and can inform the issues that face Church of England schools.

Lesley said the structure of the course can be adapted to your own context and encouraged others, whether lay or ordained, to explore the continuing relevance of theology in an everyday context.

She said: “I decided to apply for the MA in public theology as my job role requires me to work with people both lay and ordained from a variety of church backgrounds. I was nervous entering the course as I had convinced myself that everyone else would be ordained clergy with a lot of experience. In fact I am part of a cohort with an even split of both ordained clergy and lay people.

“The course has a good range of modules and is incredibly diverse. In particular, the Christian leadership module was incredibly useful in terms of relating study to my work. The great thing with this course is that you can approach the assessments in a way that is suitable for your own context, meaning that a research project on the use of songs in collective worship in schools is equally relevant as a research project into the opinion of a congregation on the content of Sunday services when completing the Practical Theology Project.

“As I approach the end of the taught part of the MA and come towards my dissertation, there is a level of sadness that I won’t have any further study days with my fellow students. The diversity that comes from our different backgrounds and experiences brings a richness to conversation and an insight into the way in which theology can be explored which I would not have had previously.

“I would highly recommend this course to anyone who feels they would like to explore the continuing relevance of theology in an everyday context and not to be put off if you aren’t an ordained member of clergy. We can all be theologians.”

David Gent - In the 25 years since his ordination, David Gent has served in a range of rural multi-parish benefices. He is now rector of five parishes around Bristol airport. When he enrolled for an MA in Christian ministry at Chichester he initially regretted his hasty decision.

David, who balanced his homelife with studying for an MA and being a full-time minister, said: “It was one of those ‘what the heck have I done’ moments.

“In a fit of excitement at the beginning of the year, I had agreed to put my name down to do an MA in Christian ministry.However, the day before the course started, I was regretting this big time.

“As rector of a busy multi-parish benefice and diocesan and family commitments besides, taking on the commitment of an MA was a crazy thing to do.However, by lunchtime on the first day, with my brain already aching from the work out it was receiving, I realised it was the best thing I’d done for years.

“So why has getting a place on the Christian ministry course been so fulfilling over the last 18 months?The inspiring teaching and the mixed bunch of fellow students have certainly been important ingredients in the mix but the thing I’ve found most important is the flexibility of the essay choice.

"All students attend the same modules during the course.However, when it comes to the actual essays, the world is your oyster.

“Well almost – it’s about reflecting on your own experienced and you soon realise that whether the course has been on the Bible, leadership, ethics or spirituality, you really do have loads to reflect on within your day-to-day experience.

“For me, that’s been the most important thing.The course hasn’t been an add-on extra.It’s given me some extra tools for what I’m doing already.And my ministry feeds directly into the course.It’s a symbiotic relationship which is feeding me academically and spiritually.”

Kirsty Stannard has a busy schedule with church life as well as a hectic family life. She works in strategic development for St Peter’s Brighton which involves project managing the church planting programme. She also supports her husband Neil’s ministry as rector of the 3Bs parish and chaplain at Steyning Grammar School.

As an English undergraduate, Kirsty was on the lookout for a way to engage with theological training to complement the experience she gained supporting her husband in his ministry, but also give her the flexibility that she needed.

She said: “Having both worked for a church and supported my husband in ministry, I felt fairly confident that I knew what I was doing but articulating the theological reasons why I found less easy. Having completed an English degree as an undergraduate I had been exploring some kind of theological training but I didn’t want to take a purely theoretical course and I was also keenly aware of my limited spare time.

“When I came across the MA in Christian ministry in 2021 it seemed perfect. Context-based, rooted in the everyday practical expressions of our faith and open to non-clergy, it was everything I wanted from a course of study. Moreover, I was relieved to see that it was a manageable combination of only three blocks of three teaching days per year so would fit into my busy schedule. It feels bizarre to think that this was two years ago and I’m about to complete my final module before I start my dissertation.

“I have loved the course and been challenged, surprised and stimulated by the content. At each three day ‘school’, I come home exhausted and with my brain fizzing with information I’m keen to share and ideas I’m eager to implement. What I’ve also enjoyed has been the range of people delivering the modules and their wealth of knowledge and experience, much of which is also contextual and so exemplifies the intentions of the course.

“In August 2021, I was prepared to find elements of the modules daunting and to feel some impostor syndrome about being back in education. I expected to enjoy absorbing new material and thinking about theology, the Bible, Christian spirituality and orthopraxy in novel ways.

“These expectations were not confounded. What has taken me by surprise has been the enjoyment of living the experience with the other students – we have asked lots of questions, teased one another (and the module leader), sometimes shared emotional or difficult experiences, supported each other both academically and personally and had a lot of fun. We definitely don’t always agree but we’ve always been honest about our differences and respectful of one another’s views which is a refreshing antidote to the polarising polemics that seem to dominate society at the moment.

“The theologians, philosophers, politicians and Biblical characters we’ve studied have been wide-ranging and have genuinely had a positive effect upon the way I evaluate my Christian work and personal life. I’m looking forward to really engaging with my dissertation this year, although I’ll miss the contact days at Chichester University.”