Alternative Learning Pathways

A New Way to Train for Ordained Ministry 

Our new Alternative Learning Pathway* is designed for students who thrive through discussion and creative problem-solving, rather than traditional written assessments. It provides a pathway for those who may not have fully connected with standard academic methods but who know they have so much more to give. 

You’ll engage in real conversations, explore practical challenges, and develop your ministry skills as you: 

• Learn through conversation and reflection, focused on issues that you bring to the discussion
• Engage with real-world ministry issues in a supportive and collaborative environment 
• Grow in confidence and skills without the pressure of conventional academic assessments 

The assessments on this pathway won’t lead to a Durham University award, but they will allow you to showcase your learning and gain from feedback in ways that suit you best. They will also ensure that on completion of the pathway, you will be recommended for ordination on an equal basis with any other ordinand.

If you’re passionate about ministry and want to train in a different way, then this could be the perfect path for you. 

* ‘Alternative Learning Pathway’ is only a temporary name for this new approach. We have decided to allow the first group of students to choose the permanent name. A key component of our way of doing things is that the ordinands on this training programme feel a real sense of ownership of their own learning, and we are therefore extending this to the fact that they will be naming the pathway.