13 October 2025
The Bishop of Chelmsford has announced that Ripon College Cuddesdon will be Chelmsford Diocese’s new Theological Education Institution (TEI) Training Partner.
The decision, which will enable Chelmsford Diocese to continue its commitment to training ordinands and lay leaders within Essex and East London, follows an intensive five-month process, in which a range of TEIs were invited to offer expressions of interest.
Announcing the decision, the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev’d Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani said:
“I am pleased to announce that Ripon College Cuddesdon will be our new Theological Education Institution (TEI) Training Partner in Chelmsford Diocese. I am very grateful to all the TEIs who participated in a rigorous discernment process and made excellent proposals. Cuddesdon demonstrated that they are well placed to serve the great variety of ministries, traditions and contexts we have in Essex and East London and we are looking forward to working with them. This partnership is good news for those who will train for lay and ordained ministries in the years ahead and the parishes where they will serve.”
The Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon, the Rt Revd Humphrey Southern said:
“Ripon College Cuddesdon is delighted to be beginning a new partnership with Chelmsford Diocese. Committed to the diversity of the Church and its rich array of traditions, Cuddesdon encourages all its students and trainees to take responsibility for their own formation in and through the Holy Spirit. In this spirit we look forward to discerning with the diocese and its students how we may together develop a vision for learning and formation in which all are eager to participate. Based in the cathedral, the Cuddesdon Chelmsford centre will be a centre of theological learning and a resource for the whole diocese and we are excited about the possibilities that exist to enable lay ministry at all levels including children’s and youth ministry, and to further equip clergy for their work in the communities they serve. We delight to see all of our students for ministry – lay and ordained – develop habits of life-long learning, discipleship and prayerfulness.”
A key factor in the decision was Cuddesdon’s commitment to treasuring and reflecting the comprehensiveness of the Church of God for God’s work, alongside its commitment to excellence in learning and to the flourishing of all through building a community where all play unique parts, collaborating creatively in the service of the Gospel.
For over 30 years the Diocese of Chelmsford has had a theological training centre preparing people for lay and ordained ministry. Following the decision of St Mellitus College to end its partnership with the Diocese from June 2026, work has been underway to identify a new TEI partner to help us train future generations of lay and ordained leaders to serve in the Diocese of Chelmsford and the wider church.
The new Cuddesdon teaching centre in the Diocese of Chelmsford will start training people for lay and ordained ministry from September 2026.