ANGLICAN

Christian and belonging to the world-wide Anglican Church which was founded in England after the reformation. Broadly led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In England means ‘of or pertaining to the Church of England’     

ARCHBISHOP

A bishop who leads a group of dioceses (known as a province). In England there are two archbishops, namely Canterbury and York. Elsewhere in the world Archbishops are sometimes known as presiding bishops.  

ARCHBISHOPS’ COUNCIL

A group of people, usually lay and ordained, who advise the archbishop.

BISHOP

This is the chief minister of a diocese. If he is in charge of the whole diocese, he is called a diocesan bishop; however, in most dioceses the diocesan bishop is assisted by one or more suffragan (area) bishops, and sometimes by assistant bishops—often bishops who have retired into their diocese.

BISHOPS' ADVISORY PANEL

This is a residential conference during which candidates for ordained ministry are selected. Candidates make a presentation about some aspect of ministry; they are interviewed by the bishops’ advisers; and they take part in various discussions. After this the selection secretary writes to the candidate's bishop to inform him of the panel's recommendation.  

CALLING

That which God places on someone’s life drawing them into a fresh step of obedience. This is hard to define, but recognisable when it happens. In this context we are often referring to God calling people into public ministry.  

CHURCH OF ENGLAND

The Church of England is the official national Church in England. It is part of the Anglican Communion, a worldwide group of churches in fellowship with one another and sharing a common heritage. Anglicans make up 16% of Christians across the world, with more than 70 million members across 161 countries on every continent. There is great diversity within the Church of England in both theology and styles of worship.

CLERGY

Ordained ministers in the Anglican church. The term is sometimes used of ministers in other denominations too.   

CURATE

Nowadays, curates are usually assistant priests in a parish. They are doing their practical training for ministry under the supervision of the priest of the parish.  

DDO

Diocesan director of ordinands: the person appointed by the bishop to take overall responsibility for the selection, training and (sometimes) first appointment of those called to ordination.  

DEACON

Derived from a Greek word meaning 'servant'. Deacon is one of the orders of ministry, to which all clergy in the Church of England are admitted. Some people are called to be a deacon all their lives; they are known as ‘distinctive’ deacons. Others are ordained deacon as the first stage of their ordained ministry, and are later ordained priest—and sometimes bishop.  

DIOCESE

A large area of the country, roughly the size of a county.  

DISCERNMENT

In a Christian sense, this word refers both to the process and to the gift of working out what God is saying. When people think God is telling them to do something it is the responsibility of the leaders of the church to work with them and discern whether God is indeed speaking.  

FRESH EXPRESSIONS

Recently the church has realised that some of our traditional ways of doing things are quite alien to sectors of modern society. We are trying to find new ways of expressing our timeless faith, and we call these new ways fresh expressions.   

INCUMBENT

A member of the clergy who is either the vicar or rector of a parish, and who is the legal owner of the parish church and its contents.  

LAY PERSON

Anyone who is not ordained.  

MINISTRY

The word means service, and it is applied to those who serve God, either in one of the three orders of ministry (see ‘ordination’), or as an authorised lay minister, or as a Christian taking seriously their discipleship in their work, home and locality.

MINISTRY DIVISION

The Ministry Division is part of the Archbishops’ Council within the Church of England. It is responsible for advising the House of Bishops, individual bishops and members of diocesan staff about matters relating to vocations, recruitment & selection; theological education & training; deployment, remuneration & conditions of service; and supporting & encouraging the ministries of deaf & disabled people, and those who work with them.  

ORDINAND

Someone who is training to be ordained.  

ORDINATION

The ceremony conducted by the bishop in which candidates are admitted to one of the 'orders'  of the Church's ministry.  There are three such orders: bishops, priest and deacons. This ceremony both marks the Church’s recognition of the candidate’s call and authorises them to work in the name of the Church, and also transmits to the candidate God’s grace to fulfil that call, through the laying-on of hands by the bishop.  

PARISH

The area around an Anglican church which that church serves and for which it has particular responsibility. In England every part of the country is in a parish.   

PCC

ORDAINED PIONEER MINISTER

Some ordained ministers feel called to ‘fresh expressions’ of church, working in pioneering ways which are complementary to traditional parish structures. They demonstrate visionary leadership ability and a heart for mission and evangelism.  

PIONEER MINISTRY

That ministry to which those are called who have particular gifts in spotting, starting up and sustaining new possibilities for the church's mission.  

PRIEST

Derived from a Greek word meaning 'elder'. This is one of the three orders of ministry, to which most of the clergy belong.  

RECTOR

Someone who has charge of a parish, and whose predecessors were once entitled to receive the tithes and other forms of income from the parish's assets. Nowadays, those clergy who are paid receive their ‘stipend’, or payment, from central Church funds.  

SELECTION

The process of discerning whether God is calling a person to be ordained       

SELECTION SECRETARY

In England this is an employee of the Church of England whose job it is to work alongside those who feel they are called to ordination and guide them through the process. They also help the church in managing and implementing this process.   

VICAR

Someone who has charge of a parish, and whose predecessors were not entitled to receive the tithes and other forms of income from the parish's assets, but were paid a stipend (salary) by the person who did (such as the rector). Nowadays, those clergy who are paid receive their ‘stipend’, or payment, from central Church funds.  

VOCATION

In a Christian sense vocation refers to the unique calling that God places on an individual's life. Vocation is often used more specifically to refer to a life of ordained ministry. 

VOCATIONS ADVISER

A person appointed by a bishop to encourage church members to consider how God is calling them to live out their Christian faith with regard to what they do with their lives. They provide information about every form of Christian ministry, from full-time, ordained, paid ('stipendiary') ministry to taking seriously the Christian life in the context of their daily home or working life.