CMD Events
Learning events from the diocesan CMD team and curated external offerings.
This list of learning events includes both those organised by the CMD Team at Church House and a curated selection of external opportunities, in date order.
Bookings for our learning events usually close about a week in advance. If you would like to attend a Church House learning event after bookings have closed, please email us and we will try to accommodate late registrations.
To receive termly CMD email updates, click here and select CMD News. You can also access recordings and other resources from previous CMD events.
Studying the Lectionary Gospel: Mark
Sat 21st November, 10am – 3.30pm
Church House Oxford
Tues 24th November, 10am – 3.30pm
Yarnton Manor
Led by Revd Dr Andy Angel, this learning event will explore some of the background and important themes of Mark’s Gospel – the gospel for Year B. Together, we will journey through the unfolding Christological plot in the Gospel of Mark, discovering how Mark develops his, and our understanding of Jesus throughout his narrative. We will also explore some of the evidence as to what Mark believes and proclaims the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ is, and whether we might understand it as ‘the victory of God and the peace established thereby through self-sacrifice and ultimately the cross’.
Revd Dr Andy Angel is the Director of Formation for Ministry and Warden of Readers in the Diocese of Oxford. He has spent a decade plus in parish ministry and a decade plus teaching in seminaries. He has published books and articles in biblical studies, his main research work being in Divine Warrior myth and apocalyptic in the gospels and Second Temple Judaism.
Lunch is provided. (NOTE: 24th is a repeat of 21st).
SSM Stories & Issues
Sat 21st Nov, 10.00am – 3.00pm
Marcham Centre
Who is it for? This learning event is specifically for SSM Clergy and Curates.
Hosted by the IME2 Team.
A resourcing, networking and training day for SSMs in the Diocese of Oxford, regardless of level of experience. We will have presentations & discussions on key issues for SSMs from the area SSM Advisors & a senior diocesan leader, together with sharing of stories by several SSM clergy. Plus there will be a chance to network & be supported in your ministry. For more information, contact Revd David Pickering.
Bring your own lunch. Arrive from 9.30am.
ReEquip: A Day On The Story Of Joseph In Genesis – Prof. John Lennox (External)
Wed 9th Dec, 9.30am – 3.30pm
Yarnton Manor
It’s one of the most gripping stories in all of Scripture, and one of the most pastorally rich. Sibling rivalry. Betrayal. Slavery. Temptation. Wrongful imprisonment. Sudden and dramatic reversal. And then, in one of the most moving scenes in all literature, forgiveness offered to the very brothers who tried to destroy him. Few narratives in the Bible carry such weight for those of us who walk with people through suffering, injustice, broken families and the long, slow work of forgiveness.
John Lennox has spent decades immersed in the relationship between faith, reason and Scripture, and in recent years has turned his attention to the great Old Testament narratives – Daniel, Joseph, Abraham – tracing what he calls the “seed project”: the thread that runs from Genesis through the whole Bible, of God’s grace and purpose worked out through flawed, messy and suffering people.
This day is an invitation to sit with this story slowly – not just as a sermon resource, but as a narrative that has something to say to us about our own sufferings, our own temptations, and our own capacity (or otherwise) to forgive.
£15 includes lunch.
Understanding & Responding To Christian Nationalism
Tues 12th Jan, 10.00am – 3.30pm
Church House Oxford
Who is it for?: Clergy and Lay Ministers
Please note that the end time of this Event has recently changed.
How might churches respond to polarised politics, culture wars, or nationalist narratives? Join this Learning Day to unpack some of the theology and ideology behind Christian Nationalism, that will help churches and leaders to recognise its influence, understand its theological roots, and navigate challenging conversations with confidence, wisdom, and compassion. This session will include space to consider your own context, and how you can strengthen healthy discipleship, rooted in the gospel and committed to the flourishing of all.
Rev. Dr Helen Paynter: Executive Dir. of the Centre for the Study of the Bible and Violence. An Old Testament scholar by training, Helen works on the interpretation of biblical violence, and the weaponisation of the Bible in a violent world. Since 2022 she has been leading a project looking at the use of Scripture and Christian imagery by far-right groups and has authored and edited several books on this issue.
Fr Angus Ritchie: Author and Founding Director of the Centre For Theology & Community (CTC). Ordained in the Church of England in 1998, Angus has served in parishes in East London involved in community organizing (currently at St George-in-the-East, Tower Hamlets), and campaigning for the living wage, affordable housing and legislation to tackle exploitative lending.
This learning event is hosted by the Social Justice (Discipleship) Team, with CMD.
Arrive from 9.30am. Lunch is provided.
Preaching The Old Testament
Sat 16th Jan, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Church House Oxford
Who is it for?: Clergy, Curates, LLMs, and anyone with an interest in, or learning to preach.
This event is hosted by the IME2 Team.
A resourcing day for all preachers in the Diocese of Oxford, led by Revd Dr Jenni Williams, Vicar of St Matthew’s Oxford and formerly Tutor in Old Testament at Wycliffe Hall. We will explore some of the challenges of preaching the Old Testament in our contexts and look at the exegesis and preaching possibilities of key passages. For more information, contact Revd Dr Grant Bayliss.
Bring your own lunch. Arrive from 9.30am.
Equipped for Ministry: Science and the Life of the Church (External)
2027: Mondays 18th Jan, 22nd Feb, 22 Mar
Online: 7.30-9.30pm
Worship, teaching, pastoral care.
At the Faraday Institute we are well aware of the ways in which science can speak fruitfully into the core activities of the Church’s ministry and mission. For example, images of distant galaxies can inspire wonder and worship, science is a source of modern parables to help the whole congregation, including scientifically minded people, to see the Bible with fresh eyes, and pastoral care is often informed by psychology. The life of the Church also feeds into science.
For instance, many scientists find their Christian faith inspires them to value, explore and take care of creation – human as well as everything else – and prompts consideration of the limits of the experimental method. We and those in our network want to grow in learning how to live out these principles of faith informing science and science informing faith in our teaching and service in our own churches and beyond. What wisdom can we draw from science to help us in different areas of church life? How can key aspects of Christian faith feed into science?
Details and booking here
Media Training For Clergy & Lay Leaders
Tue 19th Jan, 10.00am – 3.00pm
Online
Who is it for?: Clergy, Curates, Lay Ministers and those interested in Church Communications
This event is hosted by the IME2 Team
Learn how to raise the profile of your parish and its work in local media, online and offline with support from the Diocesan Communications Team. This Learning Day will use a case study on how to get media coverage for a particular event or campaign. You will also learn what to do if contacted by the media and how to find support as needed.
Bring your own lunch. Arrive from 9.30am.
Pensions, Housing & Finance For Clergy
Wed 21st Jan, 10.00am – 3.30pm
Church House, Oxford
Who is it for?: This event is specifically for Clergy
An opportunity to learn and ask about Clergy pensions, post-retirement Housing, and planning Finances well for later life – this Learning Event is for clergy at all stages of ministry who want to plan ahead for a healthy retirement. Led by advisers from the national church and Ecclesiastical Insurance Ltd.
Arrive from 9.30am for coffee and networking.
Lunch is provided.
Pastoral Care: Divine Spaces or Wounding Encounters (‘Theology For the Parish’ Series)
Wed 27th Jan, 10am – 4.00pm
The Barns, Christ Church Abingdon OX14 1XP
Who is it for?: Clergy, Lay Ministers, Pastoral Care Teams
The Church is called to be a community marked by mutual love for one another. Indeed, Jesus declared that it is by our love for one another that the world would know we are his disciples. Nevertheless, there are times when it can be profoundly difficult to know how to express this love. Sometimes the pastoral space can become flooded by feelings from past experiences. As these historic dynamics emerge into the present, both clergy and congregants can feel overwhelmed, disoriented, and isolated.
This training day will seek to raise awareness and understanding of how past experiences can create challenges in pastoral care, while also helping all ministers of pastoral care (Clergy, Lay Ministers, Pastoral Care Teams, etc) to develop confidence in responding to these challenges. We will explore psychological work on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), attachment patterns, and projections, as well as how we might understanding these phenomena theologically. In doing so we will consider, Christ’s presence amidst suffering, our adoption as Children of God, and what it means to remember our past with God. At the heart of the day will be an exploration of the role of all ministers of pastoral care, emphasising how we are called to witness to God, as opposed to being charged to make all things right.
This Learning Event is led by: Prof. Josh Horden (Professor of Ethics at Oxford University), Dr Daniel Maugham (Consultant Pyschiatrist, Oxon), Gwen Adshead (Consultant Forensic Pyschiatrist & Pyschotherapist) and Rev. Dr Ed Stroud (Research Fellow at Faculty Of Theology & Religion, Oxford University).
This learning event will draw on real-life narratives of pastoral encounters, making sure that the discussion is rooted in the lived reality of ministry.
Arrive from 9.30am. Please bring your own lunch.
Transforming Conflict 1: Leadership, Discipleship and Community (External)
31st Jan – 5th Feb 2027
Bestwood Lodge, Nottingham NG5 8HT
Who is it for?: This course is designed to help anyone in a church leadership role who is looking for encouragement to face conflict constructively.
Leading and living well with difference: Bridge-Builders’ flagship course, designed for those with leadership responsibility, laying the foundation for recognising our call as Christian disciples to live well with difference and tension. Five days packed with opportunities to learn through teaching, group work, skills practice, prayer and personal reflection. Conflict is a normal and inevitable part of life, yet leaders often feel ill-prepared to face conflict, and disturbed that it is present in Christian communities.
Nurturing Our Growth As Ministers (External)
1st – 5th Feb
St George’s House, Windsor Castle
Who is it for? This event is specifically for Clergy
Early in 2027, St George’s House are running another popular Clergy Consultation, Nurturing our Growth as Ministers, which will look at human development and leadership, focusing on “knowing” with head, heart and gut. The final product will be the creation of an individual personal development programme, something previous participants have found extremely valuable.
The Consultation is designed for Clergy with at least five years’ experience in Ministry. The cost of this Consultation is £225. This includes attendance at the five day Consultation, full board and accommodation.
To book, email Patricia Birdseye
ReEquip: Not So With You: Power & Leadership Dynamics In Christian Ministry (External)
Wed 3rd Feb, 9.30am – 3.30pm
Yarnton Manor
Who is it for?: Anyone leading ministry
Power is one of those things ministry leaders are trained to preach about but rarely trained to hold. We can quote Philippians 2 in our sleep, but knowing what to do when we’re the one setting the agenda, shaping the culture, holding the authority – that’s a different matter.
Left unexamined, power doesn’t disappear because we’re uncomfortable naming it. It just goes underground, shaping how we lead through unspoken assumptions and quiet self-protection rather than anything we’ve thought through – and the cost usually lands on the people we lead.
Dr Mark Stirling has spent years wrestling with this, as a pastor and now as he trains others for ministry at Highland Theological College and the Chalmers Institute as well as Oakhill College. This reEquip day is a chance to think that through properly – what power actually is, and what it looks like to lead well, rather than merely lead.
£15 includes lunch.
Preaching At Occasional Offices
Sat 6th Feb, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Church House Oxford
Who is it for? All Clergy and LLMs
A resourcing day for all preachers in the Diocese of Oxford wishing to think more deeply about the particular demands of preaching at baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Sessions will be led by Revd Dr Jen Brown, Rector of Abingdon and previously Director of Training for the College of Preachers; Revd Philippa White, Chaplain to the Bishop of Oxford and previously Precentor at Christ Church Cathedral; and Revd Dr Grant Bayliss, Head of IME 2.
Bring your own lunch. Arrive from 9.30am.
Buildings & Faculties For Clergy
Mon 8 Feb, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Church House Oxford
Who is it for? Clergy, Curates, Church Wardens and all Lay Ministers
This event is hosted by the IME2 Team.
An overview, led by Darren Oliver, Diocesan Registrar, and the Buildings Teams. Participants will be encouraged to:
- Consider how church buildings are a part of the ministry and mission of the church.
- Reflect on the complex issues around heritage and how these may be an opportunity for mission and not simply a constraint.
- Understand the role of the DAC and how the Diocese can help a parish or benefice as it considers matters relating to church buildings.
- Understand the nature of faculties and when to apply for one.
- Consider the role of both ecclesiastical and civil law and regulation when dealing with church buildings.
- Consider the access needs of different communities and congregations and how to be a more inclusive church.
Bring your own lunch. Arrive from 9.30am.
AI And Ministry (‘Theology For the Parish’ Series)
Wed 23rd Feb, 10.00am – 3.00pm
Church House Oxford
Who is it for? Clergy, LLMs and Lay Ministers
A day exploring the impact and theology of AI in the context of parish ministry. Led by Dr Lyndon Drake, Research Fellow in AI at the University of Oxford, and Rev. Andy Medlicott, AI Software Engineer and SSM Curate at St Michael’s, Bray.
The day will include reference to the recent document ‘AI Guidelines For Christian Ministry Document‘ which can be downloaded here.
Following this learning event, we are also offering the opportunity to be a part of a AI Learning Community, meeting three times year. Get in touch if you are interested in joining.
Lunch is provided. Arrive from 9.30am for tea, coffee and networking.
New Worshipping Communities / Planting / Pioneering / Fx Networking Day
Wed 24th Feb, 11.00am – 1.30pm
Venue: Thame Barns Centre
Who is it for? Clergy and Lay Leaders involved in NWCs / Planting / Pioneering / Fx
Hosted by Rev. Pete Wheeler & Rev. Ian Biscoe – this is a day for practitioners to connect! If you are involved in New Worshipping Communities, Church Planting, Pioneering, or Fresh Expressions, come and enjoy some time both encouraging others, and being encouraged, as well as learning, praying and discovering what God is doing around the Diocese.
This Meetup will include the opportunity to give your thoughts on creating a Learning Community for your specialism, or in your area, that will enable you to connect, learn, reflect and share experiences and practice more regularly with others. Please be praying on whether that would be something that you’d benefit from.
Lunch is provided.
‘Hope For All Creation’ – Unpacking Creation Care Theology
Thurs 4th March, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Venue: St Mary’s Church, Thame
Who is it for?: Anyone
Led by +Mary, Bishop of Reading with Margot & Martin Hodson, ‘Hope For All Creation’ is a key theological response from the Church Of England to the environmental crises – the first for some time, containing new insights and applications. This Learning Event will include theological teaching and practical application for everyone considering how to respond well and locally to the Climate and Environmental Crisis.
How might we articulate the hope for all creation in our everyday lives, as well as our teaching and preaching, amidst world climate events? If you are participating in Creationtide events, thinking about how your building contributes to creation care, or wanting to create a greenspace or a community garden, this will help equip you with the practical theology to support these activities.
You will also be able to take part in one of the following seminars:
- Growing Flourishing, Resilient Communities
- The role of church communities in Disaster Management
- Worship & Liturgy
- Outdoor Worship Frameworks
This learning event is from the OD Discipleship: Environment Team, in partnership with CMD.
Lunch is provided.
Transforming Conflict 1: Leadership, Discipleship and Community for Senior Leaders (External)
18th – 23rd April 2027
Wydale Hall, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO13 9DG
Who is it for?: This course is designed specifically for those in senior Christian leadership roles who are looking for skills and encouragement to face conflict constructively.
Conflict is a normal and inevitable part of life, yet leaders often feel ill-prepared to face conflict, and disturbed that it is present in a Christian community. It is focussed on conflict in church and other Christian settings, and through the themes of leadership, discipleship and community will help you to be a more resilient leader, and to understand more of the work of reconciliation in practice for a community of faithful disciples. Drawing on the Bridge Builders’ theological roots in the Mennonite tradition, the course explores the call of all Christians to be entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, that begins with facing and blessing enemies, and calls us to live faithfully in a spirit of power, of love and of self-control.