Exploring Obstacles to Ministry Vocation

Exploring Obstacles to Ministry Vocation for Global Majority Heritage Individuals in St Albans Diocese

Thank you for taking the time to look at this page which tells you more about our current research project Exploring Obstacles to Ministry Vocation for Global Majority Heritage (GMH) Individuals within The Diocese of St Albans – please read on to find out more about the project and how you might be involved.

Project Title: Exploring Obstacles to Ministry Vocation for Global Majority Heritage (GMH) Individuals

Grant Funder: The Diocese of St Albans, The Church of England

Grant-Funded Organisation: The Youthscape Centre for Research, Youthscape

Research Team: Dr Hannah Bowden (Head of Research), Dr Eleasah Pheonix Louis (Freelance Researcher), Robson Dodd (Senior Researcher)

The Youthscape Centre for Research

Youthscape is a Christian charity, based within The Diocese of St Albans, which works locally, in Luton and nationally across the UK, to give young people the best social, emotional, and spiritual landscape upon which to build their lives and achieve their potential. Youthscape does this through direct work with teenagers and by training and resourcing others. At the heart of Youthscape is The Youthscape Centre for Research, a Think Tank which believes that innovation in youth work, and sustainable change for young people, requires reflective, rigorous and theologically grounded research. Comprised of two staff, Dr Hannah Bowden (Head of Research) and Robson Dodd (Senior Researcher), the Centre aims to create new research which; illuminates the worlds young people inhabit, catalyses change in the way people think and act toward young people, make research accessible to those who can use it to support young people, shape conversations about young people, youth work, and faith, and support the work of the wider Youthscape team. The Centre also draws on freelance researchers where additional capacity or expertise is required. You can find out more about the Centre [here].

What is the research about?

This research project seeks to explore experiences of vocation and ministry pathways for Global Majority Heritage (GMH) individuals – individuals who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, or from Indigenous backgrounds - within St Albans Diocese, with particular focus on the obstacles that may have impacted individuals’ pursuit of lay / ordained ministry and the future opportunities for young people.

Working from the belief that God calls people from all backgrounds to serve and lead churches, previous research has found there continue to be many under-represented communities in lay / ordained ministry, including those from a GMH background. As such, this research wishes to explore the ‘why’ - within the context of the St Albans Diocese – by exploring pathways to ministry for GMH young people within the Diocese alongside adults’ experiences and reflections.

The research will take place across 2 Phases:

Phase 1 will include interviews with GMH individuals who are currently in or have left lay / ordained ministry, those who started pursuing ministry but did not complete the process, and those who were in some way discounted before pursuing a route into ministry. As well as an anonymous survey for those who would prefer this approach.

• If you are interested in being involved, please follow the links below to the survey OR to sign-up for an interview.

Phase 2 will include 3 case studies of church communities from across the Diocese. The purpose of these case studies will allow the Research Team to gain a greater understanding of GMH individuals’ experiences, inclusion and accessibility, alongside culture and structures within these contexts. During these case studies, the Research Team will focus on the experiences of young adults, and this will include observations, focus groups, and looking at church literature. This phase will finish with the co-creation (between participants, the Research Team and the Racial Justice Officer) of actionable recommendations for the Diocese.

• If you are a Church Leader and interested in your church being involved in a case study, we are looking to attend a Sunday service, with time to chat with some of your leadership team and young people following the service. (We are also interested in attending any relevant events during this process).

To find out more and get in touch please follow the link below to contact us!

What are our aims?

In this research we have 4 clear aims:

1. Explore how (young) people understand vocation and calling and identify the cultural, theological and practical factors that may influence this.
2. Identify both perceived and actual barriers to pursuing vocation among the above groups, with a particular emphasis on those from a GMH background but also considering how barriers might intersect.
3. Listen to the priorities and values of those from underrepresented backgrounds in the Diocese and identify where systemic and cultural factors within the Diocesan processes and structures might conflict with these.
4. Identify the structures and practices that may exclude or discourage participation in vocational ministry roles within the Diocese, with particular focus on young people

Ways to Get Involved

If you are happy to take part in Phase 1 through a survey or interview, you can access the survey here or sign up to be contacted by the Research Team to arrange an interview here.

If you are part of a Church in The St Albans Diocese and think the Church community would be happy to be a case study, please register your interest here.