Utilising Reflective Practice Groups as pedagogy in ordination training and theological development

ABSTRACT

With the Church of England's ([2014. Formation Criteria with Mapped Selection Criteria for Ordained Ministry in the Church of England. https://www.churchofengland.org/media/2139103/formationcriteriaforordainedministryapprovedhofbpsdec2014.docx]) recent formation criteria now requiring ordinands to have a greater degree of reflexive capability, this article considers the pedagogy of Reflective Practice Groups in ordination training and focuses on how reflexivity can be developed in a group context, towards fostering greater spiritual formation, theological reflection, self-awareness, relational practices for pastoral encounter, resilience and self-care practices for ministry. Some ‘foci for reflexivity’ are advocated for use within Reflective Practice Groups in ordination training.

KEYWORDS:

• Ordinand
• training
• reflexive
• reflective practice
• group
• clergy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Peter Madsen Gubi, PhD, ThD, is Professor of Counselling and Spiritual Accompaniment at the University of Chester, UK, and Minister of Dukinfield Moravian Church, UK.

ORCID

Peter Madsen Gubi http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3020-7331

Notes

1 Walton (2014, xvi) states that the types of questions that reflexive enquirers ask of themselves include: ‘How does my personal history generate presuppositions that influence my approach to this topic? How does my gender/ class/ ethnicity/ sexual identity/ cultural location influence my understanding? Where do my allegiances lie, and how do my commitments guide my approach to inquiry? What can my body and my emotional responses contribute to generating the knowledge I seek?’

2 A Reflective Practice Group is defined as ‘a non-directive, closed group that aims to offer opportunities for reflection on interactions and processes in which reflexivity can take place at a psychological, relational, spiritual and theological level’ (Gubi 2011, 50).