Education for Ministry: Phase 1

You may be reading this because you have been to an Enquirers’ Event or had a chat with your local Minister or Synod Moderator, in which case you have already begun to test that sense that God is calling you to the ministry of the Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work.

On the other hand, you may have picked up this leaflet at a synod event because you have already heard the call but have yet to share that with anyone else.

Whatever your situation, now is a good time to think about the series of conversations and interviews – in which you will share if you decide to test your call.

You will talk to your local Minister or Interim Moderator, Synod Moderator and/or Synod Candidating Secretary (where no Synod Moderator is in place). It is at this point you will need to meet the preassessment criteria (see below).

Your candidacy will need to be approved by your local church and synod, after which you will attend an Assessment Conference where the final decision will be taken on whether you will be sent for training.

The different Councils of the Church are all represented in the process. The whole Church is involved because, as a Minister of the Word and Sacrements or Church Related Communiy Worker, you will not exist in isolation from other Church members. This is a testing time in more ways than one. The purpose of the conversations and interviews is to seek God’s will and calling in your life, not to interview you for a job.

The objects of the assessment of candidates are:

• To explore the sense of call
• To recognise individual qualities
• To identify the potential to acquire further skills and knowledge through training

[General Assembly 1996]

The journey from the exploration of a call to ministry, through selection, training and introduction and then to ordination or commissioning is one of the most significant journeys that any Christian can make. It involves a willingness to open your life and your vocation to the testing and discernment of the Church. It demands a great deal in terms of commitment, vulnerability and openness.

It is a journey that, at every point, has no assured outcome and no pre-determined end. In itself it is a test of a person’s readiness to be shaped by the disciplines of the Church community and to engage in significant processes of discernment and searching.

At every step of the journey, both Church and candidate are engaged in testing a call and at every stage it may become apparent that a different path is the next step. At every point, both Church and candidate are seeking to work out what is right. The Church is committed to making any judgments about vocation with care and rigour, in a spirit of prayer and discernment, recognising that discernment is a two-way process.

Such decisions will need to be made at the Assembly Assessment Conference as they consider entry to training by Resource Centres for Learning as candidates take and progress through courses, and by local congregations or communities as they ask whether someone is called to a particular post or pastorate.

As decisions are made and oversight is exercised, the greatest care will be taken to act with justice and wisdom.

Those who engage in this journey are asked to be continually open to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, acting through the councils, people and processes of the Church, as God’s people seek to listen for God’s will and to act in God’s name.

The Enquiry stage has two parts:

• Meeting with your Minister or the Interim Moderator (where there is no minister) to explore you call;
• Meeting with Synod Moderator/or Moderator’s deputy to give you further information about the process and to check eligibility for candidating. However, the Moderator has a responsibility to check that you, the potential candidate fulfils the basic age, membership and educational criteria agreed by General Assembly as well as to hear your sense of vocation. If you do not meet any or all of the criteria, the Moderator should discuss with you what steps could be taken in order for you to satisfy the criteria or what other forms of service you might be encouraged to offer to the Church. You can contact the Synod Moderator via your Synod Office.

At any point during this stage of the process, you as the potential candidate should be encouraged to attend an Enquirers’ Event. These are held twice a year on Zoom and will give you, the enquirer, the opportunity to meet with those exercising ministry as well as to ask questions of the Secretary for Ministries and also Education and Learning: [email protected]

All prospective enquirers and those who interview them must know which criteria have to be met before the formal process of assessment can begin.

The prospective enquirer needs to:

• have been in membership of the United Reformed Church for at least two years prior to candidating;
• conform to the age criteria applied in 2006 following the General Assembly resolution 1997 (the lower age criteria relate to training – 18 for Ministry of Word and Sacraments, 21 for Church Related Community work.) Candidates may begin the process before this lower age and young candidates should not be discouraged. The upper age criteria require application before a candidate’s 53rd birthday for stipendiary service. There are no upper age criteria for non-stipendiary service;
• in the case of candidates for the Ministry of the Word and the Sacraments, provide evidence of having conducted at least one service and preached one sermon, to submit with your application. At the Assessment Conference the candidate will be asked to make a 10-minute presentation on their understanding of Ministry of the Word and Sacraments, answering the question 'In what ways can our faith produce the actions that make a positive difference to people and their communities?';
• in the case of candidates for Church Related Community Work (CRCW), have evidence of experience of some form of community work. At the Assessment Conference these candidates will be asked to make a 10-minute presentation on their understanding of CRCW ministry, answering the question ‘In what ways can our faith produce the actions that make a positive difference to people and their communities?’
• understand, accept and be committed to the Basis of Union of the United Reformed Church, in particular the ordination and commissioning promises and the statement of the Nature, Faith and Order of the United Reformed Church and;
• have attended Church Meeting and synod;
• supply a reflective account of Church Meeting and synod attended;
• satisfy the required medical examination indicating fitness for training, ordained or commissioned;
• complete the form relating to disclosure of criminal convictions and court orders.

In addition, prospective candidates must show they are able to undertake the academic aspects of ministerial training. The minimum requirements will be those agreed from time to time by General Assembly on the advice of the Education and Learning Committee. In order to be accepted as a candidate for training for both Stipendiary and Non-Stipendiary ministry, the candidate will need to have reached the following educational standard:

• GCSE (Grade 9-4 in England or A*-C in Wales) or Scottish National 5 certificate (Grades A-C) in English Language or the equivalent (IELTS 6.5) as an essential prerequisite.

Plus one of the following:

• 2 ‘A’ Levels;
• 2 Scottish ‘Highers’;
• A degree from a UK university, or equivalent;
• 120 first degree credits from the Open University or other UK University working on a modular system;
• An advanced GNVQ, involving a substantial quantity of discursive work (Level 3 and above);
• A successful completion of the two-year Assembly Accredited Lay Preaching Course including the successful completion of the
  portfolio of evidence. Details of all the requirements can be found in the Handbook, available from: [email protected]
• A successful completion of the one-two year Foundation Award in Theology, Mission and Ministry with the University of Durham through Northern College or Westminster College. Please speak with the Secretary for Education and Learning for further information;
• Such professional qualifications or experience of life and work as, in the opinion of the Education and Learning Training Board, are of equivalent standard and provides a suitable foundation for training.

This pre-assessment phase needs to be undertaken carefully and unhurriedly and may take two or more years.

This pre-assessment phase needs to be undertaken carefully and unhurriedly and may take two or more years. The need to fulfil the pre-assessment criteria should not prevent prospective candidates from enquiring about the Ministry of the Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work and beginning to explore their sense of calling.

Support and co-operation from the local church, and synod should begin from the time of the initial enquiry. The pre-assessment phase is a time of growth which can be encouraged in several ways eg synods can arrange opportunities for prospective candidates to ‘shadow’ one or more ministers.

Remember, the Synod Moderator/or their deputy is responsible for checking and confirming that the pre-assessment criteria have been satisfied before the formal assessment process begins with the Church Meeting commendation and report.

Once the pre-assessment criteria have been met, the Synod Moderator/or Moderator’s deputy will pass your name to the Candidating Secretary. The Candidating Secretary will then send you the application form and other paperwork. It is at this point that the formal candidating process begins.

The formal assessment process is made up of three decisions made by the three councils of the church:

1. Church Meeting commendation

If the Church Meeting recommends you, it will be asked to write a reference which is passed to the synod. If the decision is not to recommend, then you will not proceed to the next stage.

2. Synod interviews

The structures of each synod will doubtless determine how the synod interviews are to be conducted. This means that the synods will need to oversee arrangements for any appropriate placement work or 'shadowing' for candidates for the Minitry of the Word and Sacraments. Visitis to established CRCW posts and workers will need to be arranged for candidates for Church Related Community Work. Candidates will also be expected to attend both a Church Meeting and a synod meeting and to write a reflection on both. Guidelines will be provided for how this should be done.

If the synod recommends you, it will pass your application and associated papers onto the Secretary for Ministries for the next available Assessment Conference. If the decision is not to recommend, then you will not proceed to the next stage.

Therefore, any candidate who goes on to the Assessment Conference goes with the recommendation of the synod.

After the synod interview, the synod should ensure that, if you have not been accepted for training, you receive appropriate support. This may include an element of mentoring if you have been advised to reapply after completing some further, wider exploration of the United Reformed Church.

3. The Assessment Board

The Board makes the final decisions about forwarding a candidate for training and the method of training taken after Assessment Conference interviews.

We don’t provide a list of questions but what might be helpful is to know the areas you will be assessed on. This is a long list but everything in it is important in a life of Ministry. These criteria should be kept in mind by everyone involved in the assessment process and explored in depth at the Church Meeting, synod and Assessment Board interviews.

The emphasis should be not on what is already known but on self-awareness and the desire and potential to learn more. If you are candidating for Ministry of the Word and Sacraments, reading the Marks of Ministry (Mission Council 2019) will be helpful. If you are candidating for Church Related Community Work ministry, reading the Core Competencies (2023) will be helpful. These papers can be obtained from your Candidating Secretary.

Faith

• Their Christian journey
• Their devotional life
• Their sense of call to the ministry of the Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work
• How their understanding of the Bible and the Christian faith is developing
• Their awareness of their own doctrinal position
• Their acceptance of the diversity of positions held within the United Reformed Church

Ministry of Word and Sacraments

• Their acceptance of the importance of worship, including all age worship, preaching and the sacraments
• Their understanding of ministry and of the promises to be made at ordination
• Their awareness of the variety of ministerial situations and their willingness to serve in any of these
• Their understanding of, and response to, the expectations placed on ministers
• Their awareness of the attitudes and skills needed in pastoral care

Church Related Community Work

• Their understanding of being a community development worker and a practical theologian
• Their understanding of being an agent of local church transformation and change
• Their understanding of being a social analyst, cultural researcher and an interpreter of power relationships
• Their understanding of being an effective manager, collaborator, educator and storyteller
• Their understanding of being a facilitator of and participant in worship
• Their understanding of being an effective communicator, companion and listener

Personal Development and Character

• Their concern for all creation,
• Their sense of the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ and their experience of the Spirit’s enabling and sanctifying power
• How they reflect on the implications of ministry in the context of all their significant relationships
• Their personal history and their ability to reflect on the way their experiences have influenced them
• Their response to any situation in which they have faced risk or difficulty
• How they handle conflict
• Their level of self-awareness, desire to grow towards human wholeness and their ability to learn from their own and others’ beliefs and experience
• How they value people, including those from whom they perceive they are different
• Their potential to become competent in written and spoken communication
• Their awareness of their own training and development needs
• Their ability and willingness to respond positively to ministerial education and training
• How they organise and prioritise their present work and leisure time and their ability to relax
• Their understanding of different styles of leadership and where each is most suitable

The Community of the Church

• Their reflective account of the Church, and Synod meetings they have attended
• Their understanding and knowledge of the wider Reformed tradition
• Their awareness of local ecumenical relationships and regional/national ecumenical initiatives
• Their understanding of the ministry and mission of the whole people of God, with particular reference to their present church community

The Church in the World

• Their understanding of the mission of the Church and how their ministry could contribute to it
• Their understanding of issues in society and how the Church might respond to them
• Their understanding of the relationship between Church, local and wider, and society

Once your application form has been passed onto the Secretary for Ministries for the Assessment Board by the Synod Candidating Secretary you will hear from the  Ministries Office with details of the Assessment Conference and advising you that you will need to undergo psychometric testing with the Ministries preferred provider prior to the conference.

The objective is to reach a decision on behalf of the Church as to whether to send a candidate for training for the Ministry of the Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work. This is achieved by reaching a careful and balanced view of a candidate’s potential for ministry in the United Reformed Church and advice about appropriate training. Reaching such a decision is easier said than done, because subjective and personal elements in any assessment or person cannot be eradicated and should in fact find their place. The question ‘Can I see this person as my minister or CRCW?’ is a valid one. However, it is important that a judgement on a person’s suitability for ministry is more than just intuitive and is determined by an appraisal of a candidate’s potential to display and develop qualities and skills deemed necessary for ministry.

The criteria for ministry have been a matter for continuing debate for the Assessment Board. Assembly 1996 agreed Criteria for Assessment but the fundamental qualifications identified in Preparing Today for Tomorrow’s Ministry 1982 are still valid. Although originally written in relation to the Ministry of Word and Sacraments these fundamental qualifications apply equally to Church Related Community Work:

i) A total commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and a growing experience of shared life in the Spirit so that the worship and service of God becomes the minister’s central and controlling passion. We need radical dissenters from the false worship of our society, whose dissent does not drive them (timidly or defiantly) into a ghetto but out into the world.

ii) A growing familiarity with an understanding of the Bible and the Christian tradition, especially – but not exclusively – in its Reformed development, constantly extended and enriched by wide reading and by a study that neither evades the critical questions, nor allows them to silence the central message. We need men and women whose ears are accustomed to listening to the word of God in the scripture and who know how to nourish others with that same word.

iii) An informed and passionate involvement in the issues of the contemporary world. Clearly this is not to ask for a pretended omniscience. It is to ask for men and women who aware of the world they live in and committed to doing the will of God in its affairs.

iv) Because we live in a society which is mobile and pluriform, the church must be as varied and open as the human situations to which it must minister. We need, therefore, not one style of ministry, but many, exercised by women and men, white and black, conservative and radical, working class and middle class, paid and unpaid. We need to look for and encourage very varied gifts, temperaments and abilities.

v) It follows that one minister cannot fulfil all roles. Collaboration and teamwork will be the marks of a relevant ministry, not omnicompetence. The gifts for animating and enabling groups and teams of colleagues, and for evoking the skills of others and the readiness to take a subordinate place – these are the marks of genuine leader and are more to be desired than the gifts which attract attention to an outstanding individual.

vi) The church is a community of persons of very different ages and in different stages in their discipleship, seeking to share good news with others. The arts of interpersonal communication are fundamental to its life. We need ministers skilled in these arts, aware of the many different levels at which communication takes place, able to exercise and help others to exercise the arts of preaching, of teaching adults and children, of listening and counselling, and having enough sensitivity to be able to encourage the use of music, drama, dance and visual symbol in worship and in the communication of the gospel.

vii) We need ministers who know that they must be learners all through life, who recognise that their initial training can be only a small beginning, who remain to the end eager to reach out for fuller understanding, greater competence, deeper discipleship.

The Assessment Panel at an Assessment Conference is drawn from the Assessment Board appointed by the General Assembly. It includes experienced ordained, commissioned and lay members, those with particular gifts in counselling, personnel management, theological perception, those with personal knowledge of various styles of ministry, community development work and from differing theological stances. A panel will normally consist of 4 members, balanced as far as possible in the various categories. Each candidate will have 2 in-depth interviews with members of the panel working in pairs. The task is demanding, searching and at times deeply moving, and assessors are all too well aware of the responsibility laid upon them.

The panel receives all the paperwork in the candidate’s application. Interviewers read these papers before meeting the candidate so that the interview can be conducted in the light of the individual’s concerns and personal statement.

Interviews take account of previous experience in the church and the community, the circumstances of a call, a candidate’s devotional life, expectation of future ministry and views about the training they feel they need. The application form and various references, including a report from the Synod, form the basis of discussion, but the conference provides the opportunity to go much deeper.

Often the candidates are faced with questions about their faith or themselves which have never occurred to them before, and it is clearly a learning process for them, let alone the assessors. For all candidates, the interviews will include a 10-minute presentation on their understanding of faith producing actions which make a positive difference to people and their communities.

All candidates will undergo:

• Psychometric testing which evaluates your Personal Development. A professionally trained person in the field of Personal Development assists the Assessment Conference through appropriate tests and conversation in order to help evaluate potential and identify particular issues.
• Participation in Group Exercises. All candidates take part in two group exercises which help to demonstrate their awareness of current issues, pastoral sensitivity and the ability to work collaboratively.

All candidates will also have an educational interview with the Education and Learning Board. The Education and Learning Board at an Assessment Conferences consists of representatives of the Resource Centres for Learning and the Education and Learning Committee. Board members meet with each candidate to discuss the training programme appropriate for the ministry for which the candidate is applying.

The following Code of Practice has been agreed by the General Assembly:

i) The Assessment Conferences shall take careful account of any needs expressed by a candidate.

Factors to be taken into account will include:

a) The Resource Centre for Learning (RCL) milieu which will best enable the student to develop personally and spiritually,
b) The kind of course most suitable;
c) The size and balance of the student body at any particular time,
d) The final choice is without prejudice to the admission procedures of the college.

A subsequent change of Resource Centre at the request of the candidate will only be recommended if good reasons can be clearly stated to all concerned.

ii) In the interest of all concerned, a candidate may contact or visit any of the three RCLs before the Assessment Conference.

Pastoral care is also exercised by a chaplain, who is not part of the assessment process. The chaplain’s role is to lead worship and be available to candidates for support and debriefing. The assessors are very much aware of the role of synods both before and after the Assessment Conference in ensuring that pastoral support is offered to all candidates, whether or not they are commended for training.

Worship is an important part of the Assessment Conference and is led by the Chaplain.

At the end of this Conference two decisions will have been made on behalf of the United Reformed Church, recognising that the Assessment Board has a mandate to do its work from General Assembly.

• The first decision taken by the Assessment Board will be whether the candidate may or may not go forward for training.
• If there is a positive decision, it will be accompanied by a second decision based on the recommendation taken by the Education and Learning Board as to the Resource Centre for Learning through which the candidate (now a student) will be trained. The Education and Learning Board will also outline the nature and length of that training.

No candidate will be informed immediately of the decisions of the Assessment and Education and Learning Boards. Arrangements need to be made with the Secretary for Ministries for a meeting between representatives of the Synod Ministries Committee (or equivalent) and the Assessment Board to discuss any implications of the decision reached regarding the candidate. This will take place within two weeks after the Assessment Conference and the candidate will be informed of the decision as soon as possible after that meeting, preferably on the same day.

Any offer of training is subject to satisfactory completion of the necessary medical screening (as agreed by Mission Council in May 2011), attendance at the ‘You’re Welcome: An Introduction to the Ethos and History of the United Reformed Church Course, and a satisfactory DBS/PVG.

Once a student, you will be sent to an RCL where all the processes of that RCL will apply to the student, whose continued assessment is held by the college under the overall care of the United Reformed Church. Students are referred to the Oversight and Care paper which will be provided to all students before they enter their Resource Centre for Learning.

Any appeal against the Assessment Board decision will be made by the candidate using the Assessment Board Appeal process within 14 days on hearing the decision and on the basis that the approved procedure has not been followed.

Candidates are free to reapply after two years.

The following flowchart helps illustrate the candidating process:

Candidating Process Flow Chart (PDF | 97kb)

All EM1 students receive:

• Academic course fees paid directly by the United Reformed Church (URC)
• Reimbursement for travel from home to Resource Centre for Learning (RCL)
• A computer grant
• A book and learning resource allowance
• Membership fees of libraries close to home.

In addition, part-time students (and some full-time students not in receipt of grants) receive:

• Meals and overnight accommodation for days in your RCL associated with the course.

Depending on the result of their financial assessment, full-time students may also receive funding towards:

• Meals in the RCL or a contribution towards meals
• Accommodation in the RCL and/or a contribution towards mortgage or rent
• Council tax, water charges and buildings insurance
• Living expenses calculated according to whether you are single or part of a couple and how many children you have.

• Your academic course fees as an EM1 student are paid directly by the United Reformed Church to the relevant RCL.

• Your travel from home to the RCL (including RCL required events) and to/from and on placement are reimbursed at 25p per mile by car, 24p per mile by motorcycle, 20p per mile by bicycle, or the relevant public transport costs. 5p extra can be claimed per passenger by car or motorcycle.

• You can apply for a computer grant for the purchase of computer equipment, for up to 75% of the cost up to a maximum of £500 during EM1. The relevant form for this is available and authorised through your RCL.

• The membership fees for relevant libraries close to your home are reimbursable on the recommendation of your RCL.

• Up to £300 each academic year may be claimed for books and other learning resources.

• You will need to claim the expenses listed in bullet-points 2 to 5 (above) from your RCL, who will discuss with you the frequency and conditions for such claims. This system ensures that you have a known person at the RCL to whom you can relate immediately on matters of finance.

• Any finance queries, during candidating or training, are initially dealth with by the RCSs.

There are three reasons why you would find yourself being supported through the re-imbursement of eligible expenses:

a) You are undertaking EM1 on a part-time basis alongside your existing occupation because you have been accepted to train for ministry in non-stipendiary service,  including NSM Model 4.

b) Your particular circumstances mean that a part-time route has been recommended for at least part of your EM1 period, although you have been accepted for preparation for stipendiary service.

c) As a full-time student preparing for stipendiary service who seeks to be grant-maintained you have taken part in the Financial Assessment Scheme (FAS) described later in this guidance. The FAS has concluded that your personal and household income is sufficient to support you during EM1, with support provided by the United Reformed Church against sudden changes in your circumstances.

For expenses-only EM1 students the United Reformed Church will cover the cost of your meals and overnight accommodation necessarily incurred in undertaking the agreed course. This is in addition to reimbursing the expenses listed in the section above.

Grants may be available to students from sources other than the United Reformed Church and students are encouraged to seek such support. Examples include grants for students in England and Wales from the Lady Hewley Trust, grants to students of the Scottish College from the Baxter Trust, and grants for students with particular learning needs due to disabilities. Information and application forms about these grants can be obtained from your RCL. Any grants and gifts are taken account of in the FAS calculation.

Additional book grants may be given by some synods to their students. Contact your Synod Training Officer to find out more.

Missing National Insurance contributions during EM1 may result in students being unable to secure a full basic State Pension at retirement. The Finance Office of the United Reformed Church can provide information on this in your final year of study. Financial assistance towards the cost of some missing years' contributions may be available, and can be applied for up to 18 months after ordination/commissioning.

URC wants to take account of all reasonable personal needs. If, therefore, a special need arises during training which has the endorsement of your RCL, the URC can offer further financial support, through the Additional Support Grant. Approach your RCL in the first instance.

The majority of candidates who are accepted to prepare for stipendiary service are expected to be full-time students and will therefore be eligible to apply for some financial support from the United Reformed Church for EM1.

The financial support offered by the URC is intended to allow you to focus on your studies rather than worrying about making ends meet for your household but is not expected to replace previous income or match previous salaries.

As you prepare for EM1 you will need to compare your household expenditure with the grants and allowances available to you while you are in EM1 and consider how you will manage this.

In doing this you will need to focus particularly on your housing arrangements. We include housing costs in the FAS1 Assessment. The church offers support to both owner/occupiers and those in rented accommodation.

It is important that you understand the financial implications of your preparation for ministry. Miscalculations can lead to unnecessary stress at a time when your energy should be devoted primarily to your studies. If you foresee financial problems you should discuss them in confidence with the person in your synod who acts as the candidating secretary, who may suggest that you seek further clarification. If you are in any doubt about who the candidating secretary is, your Synod Moderator (who in some synods acts as the candidating secretary) will advise on who to contact. You will also have the opportunity to discuss your finances in depth with the Financial Assessor as part of the Financial Assessment Scheme.

If you have accumulated debts prior to candidating for ministry you should consider how they are to be serviced and repaid. Even if you are accepted for EM1 it might be decided to delay the start of this until such time as any debt issues have been satisfactorily addressed.

All forms of debt, in addition to mortgages, must be taken into consideration during the FAS conversation including: credit cards; car loans; home improvement loans; career development loans; individual voluntary agreements; protected trust deeds and any other personal debts. Whilst official loans taken out with the Student Loan Company must be taken into consideration for the long term picture, repayment of these are unlikely to be activated by the level of student support from the United Reformed Church.

It is important that any issues of debt are disclosed and discussed before acceptance for EM1. It is therefore essential that you seek advice as early as possible in the assessment process. You are advised to seek independent financial advice and you may also consult Education and Learning on this issue: [email protected]

Although Education for Ministry Phase 1 comes before ministry, it is often appropriate to approach  financial planning by first considering the adjustments that will have to be made to live as a  stipendiary minister. Then attention can be given to the funds available for EM1 and how they will help to bridge the gap before a stipend is received.

Full details of finances in ministry are to be found in 'The Plan for Partnership in Ministerial Remuneration' which may be obtained at The Plan for Partnership in Ministerial  Remuneration.

There are various arrangements for accommodation during EM1. Accepted candidates are first  expected to fulfil certain requirements set by the Assembly Assessment Board. Once these have been completed there will be an early meeting with the designated RCL to discuss the details of your  academic programme and accommodation arrangements.

Some students may have to move in order to take up EM1. You are encouraged to read the  accompanying Information about Education for Ministry Phase 1 to gain a fuller picture of this.

If you need to move for EM1 you may apply for a grant to cover removal costs, if moving to unfurnished accommodation. This includes the actual cost of removal (normally three quotations are required with the lowest being accepted) plus a £500 resettlement grant. These arrangements are not applicable to students who move into furnished accommodation.

A variable, capped accommodation allowance is calculated for all students and included within the FAS calculations, taking into account whether you:

• are in full-time occupancy of student accommodation provided by the RCL, or
• pay commercial rent or have a mortgage, or •
• cannot access appropriate accommodation through the RCL, or
• are allocated accommodation by the RCL which is normally only available for commercial rent.

As a student you are expected to house yourself as economically as possible. You should not enter into any kind of lease or mortgage arrangement, expecting that an accommodation allowance will be paid, without obtaining prior agreement from the RCL (which will consult with Education and Learning).

It is not for the RCL or for the Education and Learning Committee to decide in what property a student should live, but it is for the Education and Learning Committee to set criteria and for the RCL to advise on the market rental rate and therefore the level of accommodation allowance that might be paid. The  current criteria of the Education and Learning Committee are set out in note 2 of Form FAS1, further down this page.

The allowance is based on the market rental rate in the vicinity of the RCL. If you are expected to live away from the RCL to undertake practical experience, any agreed additional rental and travelling costs will be met. If you choose to live away from the RCL for some reason, the accommodation allowance will be based on the lower of the market rental rate in the vicinity of the RCL and the area where you live.

It is also important to remember (even if retirement seems a long way in the future) that you and your partner may not qualify for retired ministers’ housing following your service in ministry, and that a minister and their partner who have the finance necessary to provide for housing in their retirement (whether completely or as an equity share) would reasonably be expected to do so.

• It takes into account the variations in personal circumstances of individual students, aiming for fair disbursements which give support to those who need it most.
• It is based on regularly updated figures which are generated by a public body external to the United Reformed Church, while being adapted to United Reformed Church conditions.
• It is intended to identify those students who would benefit from advice and guidance on financial matters, so as to start to equip them for their future service in the Church.

The FAS arrangements take into account your household income and expenditure while you are a student in EM1.

Your household expenditure is calculated using capped accommodation costs and non-accommodation expenditure factors adapted from figures published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (see FAS2, below). The Rowntree scale varies for households of different sizes. Overall limits on both the expenditure factors and the final grant are related to the annual ministerial stipend.

Your household income is included as actual income after tax and deduction of certain allowances.

The grant application is based on the difference between expenditure and income. If you have a household with a high income and/or low expenditure it could be that you are given support on an expenses-only basis during EM1.

There are three steps to FAS, intended to give you a clear and timely outcome for the level of support that you will receive from the United Reformed Church.

Step 1:  Completing the Assessment form

Having been accepted for EM1, you will be asked to complete the individual Financial Assessment form FAS1 (included later for information). You will be given access at this stage to the relevant finance personnel of your RCL in order to answer initial queries about accommodation costs.

Step 2: Interview with the Financial Assessor

You send the completed FAS1 form to the PA to the Ministries Committee, who will:

a) forward it to the Financial Assessor;

b) arrange an interview date for you and the Assessor to meet in London. Your partner is welcome to attend the interview with you, and travel expenses will be offered for
you both. Due notice will be taken of sensitivities around your household finances concerning private income and family responsibilities.

The Financial Assessor will prepare a report from the interview (see FAS3, below), and forward this to the URC Student Finance Panel, giving a copy to you at the same time.

Step 3: Student Finance Panel decision

The panel will normally meet in June each year to make decisions about students accepted at the Assembly Assessment Conferences. The panel will consist of a representative nominated by each of the Education and Learning, Ministries and Finance Committees and the URC Chief Finance Officer. The panel will make the final decision on the grant to be awarded to you, and will also take note of any recommendations from the Financial Assessor concerning access to confidential financial counselling where this is needed. The normal procedure is that a decision on the grant will be given to you and your RCL within two weeks of the panel meeting, unless additional information is required.

You can download the form below:

• FAS1 form (PDF | 62kb)

1. RCL Meal/Overnight Accommodation: at this stage, leave these boxes blank. The arrangements are different at each RCL, and you will receive further information later in the FAS process.

2. Mortgage/Rent: please fill in annual mortgage payments or rent on the home where you will be living during your course. (If you are renting a home close to your RCL but paying a mortgage on a property elsewhere, enter just the rent here and see note 9 below).

Accommodation criteria and caps set by the Education and Learning Committee are below:

3. Students may be eligible for some discount on Council Tax. Please ensure that you ask the local authority about this.

4. Other accommodation costs: please specify and provide evidence.

5. The URC Education & Learning Finance Sub-Committee has agreed standard expenditure factors according to the student’s family unit. These are meant to cover food and housekeeping, clothing, utilities, travel, holidays, personal expenditure and course books. The current amounts are shown in FAS2 (see below).

6. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and you may have commitments for dependents which do not fit a standard application form. This is the place to note these, so that they can be discussed with the Financial Assessor.

7. Income from public sources may include maintenance grants for students in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. Students in England can no longer apply for such grants. EM1 students are expected to apply for any grants for which they are eligible, but not to apply for loans.

8. Any other grants: do not include Lady Hewley Trust, Baxter Fund, Western College Trust Fund, or the Congregational Fund Board but do include the Northern College Bursary.

9. If you have let out a property, show here any residual net income. That’s after mortgage payment, building insurance, maintenance, other essential costs of the property and tax have been met.

10. Include here the interest or other income derived from capital savings and/or other investments, net of tax.

11. If your partner is earning, or you receive vacation (excluding summer pastorate) or other earnings or a pension from previous employment, this income should be shown net of tax, NI and pension contributions deducted at source, ie ‘take home pay’. You may also deduct from your partner’s income the first £6,866, plus any essential costs incurred without which it would not be possible to undertake employment, eg travel to work, child-minding, professional development and training. The cost of servicing debts held in your partner’s name or your joint names, may also be deducted from their income. See sections 14.2 to 14.4 for further information.

12. If your circumstances and family income are such as to qualify you to receive benefits, you are expected to apply for them.  You do not need to declare any disability benefits.

13. The Committee does not require any contribution from your savings to be taken into account. If, however, you have sufficient personal resources that you feel called to make a contribution, enter it here.

Expenditure Factors based on April 2022 Minimum Income Calculator Rates (excluding accommodation costs)

Maximum Expenditure Factor = basic stipend for 2023 including children's allowances

• No children (£32,532) : £26,944 after tax & NI
• 1 child [1,536]* (£34,068) : £28,050 after tax & NI
• 2 children [2,304]* (£34,836) : £28,603 after tax & NI
• 3 children [3,072]* (£35,604) : £29,156 after tax & NI
• 4 or more children [3,840]* (£36,372) : £29,709 after tax & NI

*Child allowance

Couple

Single

Here you can download the Financial Assessor's Report to the Student Finance Panel (PDF | 79kb)

If you are eligible for a grant, you will be informed as soon as possible after the Student Finance Panel meeting. Grants are usually paid in mid-August, mid-November, mid-February and mid-May. The final tranche, covering the months June to August, may be reduced by up to 2/3rds for final-year students, depending on the date from which they receive a stipend.

Your RCL will discuss with you the process for claiming expenses, and will endeavour to reimburse you as promptly as possible.

The first time that you work through FAS you will meet with the Financial Assessor. Once the Student Finance Panel has informed you of the decision about your level of grant the completed FAS1 and FAS3 forms will be copied to your Resource Centre for Learning. In future years the assessment will be carried out with you by the finance officer of your RCL, using these papers as a basis. If your circumstances change considerably they may seek the advice of the Secretary for Education and Learning. If necessary, you may be referred for a review meeting with the Financial Assessor.

Help with debt servicing is discussed separately from the FAS. Alongside the main application form which you completed in the candidating process, you would normally have been asked to respond in writing to a question about personal debt. That information would have been passed on to Education and Learning to form the basis of an individual discussion during the Assessment Conference if necessary.

If that has not been the case you are advised to contact Education and Learning before you meet with the Financial Assessor so that any help with debt servicing that the United Reformed Church might offer is discussed at an early stage. You are expected to clear as much of your debt as possible before starting EM1, and your entry into EM1 may be deferred to help you to do so.

If the debt is in their name or in your joint names the payments should be deducted from their income for the purposes of completing FAS1.

If your partner commutes to their main place of work in their own or household vehicle they should use the rate of 25p per mile to calculate the deduction from their income. This covers the marginal cost of using it for that purpose. There is an amount already included within the Expenditure Factor (FAS2) for travel which varies with the size of family.

Candidating for ministry is a response to the call of God on an individual’s life, which has major implications for the household of the individual. There is a great deal in  the Bible about how money can be used for the flourishing or the withering of the common good.

The Education & Learning Committee is aware of the sensitivities of household discussions about how shared or personal income is used, and for that reason the first  £6,866 of the spouse’s income is to be disregarded (see Notes to FAS1 form). Education and Learning stands ready to give potential candidates early advice on the likely level of their assessed grant to inform such discussions if they request this.

It is natural that a congregation which has nurtured someone to the point of candidating, and being accepted, for EM1 would wish to continue to support them  financially. The amount that a generous congregation offers will allow Assembly funds to be redirected towards other students who may be less advantaged. This is the same principle of generosity and grace underpinning the Assembly Ministry and Mission Fund which provides the funding for EM1.

The circumstances of a student’s household may change considerably and unexpectedly during EM1. You may request a reassessment of your grant if circumstances  change eg family illness or redundancy.

There may be times of sudden hardship, and your Resource Centre for Learning (RCL), in consultation with Education and Learning if necessary, will be ready to respond.

You are also expected to inform your RCL of positive financial changes in your household circumstances, particularly if they are significant. If you have any doubt of their significance you are advised to consult the person in your RCL who deals with student finances.

That is for you to decide as a household, but the way that your grant is calculated through FAS means that the effect of increased income is not as simple as having a pound for pound impact on your grant. It will depend on the nature of your household expenditure and income – child benefit, tax credits etc. Individuals approach their employment and careers from a variety of motivations including financial necessity and personal fulfilment.

Please speak to your synod candidating secretary or contact Education and Learning on [email protected].

Experience shows that a conversation is a better place to explore the reality than a booklet, however detailed it is in trying to explain matters.