“The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16.7).

 

The ordained ministry of the Christian church requires, if not demands, much from those who are called to it. At one level, there are tasks and duties to perform, and criteria to fulfil; but at another, much deeper, and intangible level, it is all about the heart of a person – your heart for God, your heart for God’s people and for God’s world.    

 

Do you have a heart for God, for God’s people, and for the great many that have not yet heard or responded to the good news about our Lord Jesus Christ? Is it possible God is calling you to the ordained ministries of his church? The information on this website is provided to assist you in beginning to answer that question, and to help you explore that possible call, with the context of the Anglican Church.

Information

Information for enquirers

An overview of the journey from first enquiry of the process toward selection as a candidate in training for the ordained ministry in the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne.

Discernment, Formation & Wellbeing – The Journey

A visual summary of the journey from call to ordination in the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. 

Reading list

Reading list

A list of helpful resources to assist those exploring a possible call to ordination in the Anglican Church, arranged into categories on Calling & Vocation, the Ordained Ministry, the Anglican Church and Anglicanism.

The Constitution

The Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia.

The Ordinal Abridged

The Making, Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons,’ from A Prayer Book for Australia 1995, pp. 780-809.

The Thirty-Nine Articles

The Thirty Nine Articles of Religion, as agreed by the Archbishop, Bishops and Clergy of the Church of England, London 1562.

The Anglican Way: Signposts on the Common Journey

A document produced by the Anglican Communion global office describing the distinctive features of Anglican belief, life and practise. 

Resources

Anglican Diocese Schools Commission

An information brochure on the ministry of school chaplains in the Anglican Church.

The Distinctive Diaconate

An information brochure on the distinctive ministry of the Deacon in the Anglican Church.

Faithfulness in Service – Anglican Church of Australia national code

National code of the Anglican Church of Australia, for the personal behaviour, and the practice of pastoral ministry, by clergy and church workers.

Ordained Local Ministry

An information brochure on Ordained Local Ministry (OLM).

Links to further information

The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne has a helpful overview of what Anglicans believe, together with links to the text of the Apostles and Nicene creeds and the 39 Articles of Religion.

Ordained Ministry

The Anglican Church of Australia, national office, has a brief, but helpful, description of the ordained ministry.

For information about the distinctive ministry of Deacons.

For information about ministry as a Chaplain, in a variety of contexts and calling.

Vocations

The Church of England (in England) also has a very good overview of vocations to ordained ministry here. Although some of the material about training and selection especially will not be relevant as it relates to the English, rather than Australian, context, much of the general information and most of the general resources are very applicable and very helpful.

Ordination in the Anglican Church

CPAS has an extensive library of resource sheets on different aspects on discerning a vocation to ordination in the Anglican Church.

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