Bishop of London speaks at St Mellitus residential weekend
The Bishop of London, the Revd Richard Chartres attended the final St Mellitus residential weekend of the year. The Bishop spoke about a Vision for Ordained ministry and the Church with a particular focus on those students who are about to be ordained and will be leaving St Mellitus and moving on to curacies in the next few weeks.
Here is the text of his lecture.
The Bishop of London Richard Chartres
“At a time when fragmentation and partisanship can appear to threaten the credibility and effectiveness of our ministry, St Mellitus represents a bold step of faith and trust. We believe that as we pursue the harder path of unity in diversity, the College will prove to be an instrument of the Spirit in equipping the whole people of God to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Bishop of Chelmsford John Gladwin
“The establishment of St Mellitus College is an exciting development for Chelmsford Diocese. It offers us new opportunities to develop theological and ministerial education to assist us in the mission of the Gospel in our time.”
The Dean Revd Dr Graham Tomlin
“St Mellitus College is a very exciting place to work. It brings together students from across the spectrum of the church to learn about and prepare for mission in the contemporary world, in a way that tries to be open to the Spirit of God and learning from each other. We have a fantastic group of students, a great staff team and it is a privilege to be part of it.”
Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge University, David Ford
"One of the most important experiments to have happened in British theology and church theological education for a long time. The way it is bringing together academy and church, including church at the grass roots - that collaboration is just full of potential for the future and I feel everyone should watch this space. What it can do is something that really no other theological institution in the country can achieve at the moment."