I need a course on that!
Contributed by Mark Gibson, Editor of the Continuing Education Plan website
Email: con-ed@national.anglican.ca
So, you’re preparing for the Fall and are wondering how to fill some gaps in your skillset as you return to ministry. Or, maybe you want to deepen in some interest area you’ve just discovered? Or the bishop / archdeacon / incumbent said last Spring that you should look into acquiring or upgrading a specific skill?
All of those are valid uses for your Continuing Education Plan fund. Funds (currently $75 per month) are set aside for most ministry personnel and staff (and also for some non-stipendiary ministry personnel, both clergy and lay) in order to further the ministry of your employer (usually the diocese).
In addition to course fees, expenses such as books, computers and related equipment also are eligible for reimbursement. With the pandemic shift to online worship and support groups, flexibility has been added to include all sorts of microphones, software and digital production equipment—depending on your ministry needs (and pending employer approval).
When you are thinking about skill development, don’t forget that the knowledge, skills or abilities you need may come from any number of experiences along a continuum that looks something like:
information-education-training-supervised practice-mentoring-coaching-organizational consulting
Positive change only comes about when you choose the right one for your situation!
It is my intention to provide an occasional source of ideas for you, as the months go by, mostly focusing on learning and skill-development. Here are just a fraction of the (mostly) online continuing education offerings for Fall 2021:
- Queen’s College (Memorial University)
- Atlantic School of Theology
- Montreal Diocesan Theological College (aka Montreal Dio)
- Thorneloe University
- Wycliffe College
- Sisterhood of St. John the Divine
- KAIROS Canada
- Huron University College (Western University)
- Sorrento Centre
- Vancouver School of Theology
- St. Dunstan’s Centre for Spiritual Renewal
- Duke Divinity School
- Virginia Theological Seminary
- and many more at cep.anglican.ca
So how does the Continuing Education Plan work?
You could be sent on a course or choose to find one on your own. The course could be online or in-person. The important thing to remember is that your employer (usually the bishop or his/her delegate) must approve your application for reimbursement, so may want to confirm in advance. (The reimbursement can be up to 75% of the cost, including travel, up to a total of the amount of money that has been set aside for you; and, currently there is a 5% bonus added to the 75%).
Check out the list of courses and training institutions that I maintain at cep.anglican.ca. There is not a complete listing of courses from every institution, but you can do research on a particular institution if I don’t list what you are looking for. (And let me know what you’d like added, so that I have it for the next person who looks!) I really value your suggestions for making the listing better, so please share your ideas with me as well. (My email is con‑ed@national.anglican.ca.)
You can find out your balance as of the end of the last quarter by selecting My Account Balance in the top right corner, and can use that same form to ask general questions. Keep in mind, however, that your employer has to approve and send in your application for reimbursement, and a cheque will be mailed to you once the Pension Office processes the approved request.
The Anglican Church of Canada Pension Office administers the Continuing Education Program.
