11 July 2024
On 10 July, hundreds of people from across Chelmsford Diocese gathered at Chelmsford Cathedral to take part in a service to celebrate those who had completed the Diocesan Course in Christian Studies (CCS) and diocesan courses in Pastoral Care, Evangelism and Spiritual Companionship.
The Rt Revd Adam Atkinson, the Bishop of Bradwell, led the service and presented certificates to more than 100 people who had completed diocesan training courses.
Our CCS course is a two-year foundation course exploring the Christian faith with other learners from across our diocese. There were eight CCS groups represented at the service who had undertaken the course either in person or online.
Speaking after the service, Bishop Adam said:
“I was delighted to present certificates to all those across Chelmsford Diocese who had completed diocesan courses. The service was a wonderful celebration in recognition of their achievements and learning. Our CCS students have journeyed together, deepening their discipleship and fellowship. Those who have completed other diocesan courses have felt a call from God to a specific ministry and have trained to equip themselves to follow this call and serve God and their local communities. Please join me in praying for them all as they embark on their new ministry.”
Sarah, a student in Grays CCS Group, said:
"I started the Course in Christian Studies in September 2022 as I had found that I was eager to learn more about the Bible and Theology. I was encouraged to sign up for the course to further strengthen and deepen my understanding of the Christian Faith.
"Doing this course over the last two years has not only taught me more about the different aspects of being a Christian, but it has also taught me a lot about myself. I have grown in many ways, especially in confidence, having the ability to find joy, peace, love and deepen my faith and develop my discipleship."
Our Evangelism Enablers course equips people to develop their personal evangelism skills and learn how to support others in sharing their faith.
Spiritual Companions are called to walk beside a fellow disciple as a life servant. They journey with the other person helping them to listen, to see and to name what God is doing in their life, to celebrate their relationship with God and to discern the way forward on their faith journey.
Our Pastoral Care Course is an introduction to pastoral care skills rooted in a Christian context and is for those involved in caring informally for others and wish to develop their pastoral skills and grow their pastoral role within their church.
Watch the service
You can watch the service below:
Course in Christian Studies for 2025
Enrolment for the new intake of students for the Diocesan CCS course opens in the autumn and the course begins in January 2025. There will still be 12 modules split over 2 years.
The first year will be based on Foundations in Theology - exploring Bible Study, Doctrine and Church History. The second year will focus on Foundations in Ministry, giving students an opportunity to explore vocational aspects of ministry such as Pastoral Care, Spirituality and leading services. The two years may be taken sequentially or separately.
More information
To find out more about CCS and other learning opportunities visit the discipleship pages of the diocesan website:
To find out more about diocesan courses in Pastoral Care, Evangelism and Spiritual Companionship visit the Lay Ministry section of the diocesan website: