1. What does STETS stand for?
2. What is the teaching like?
3. What do the modules look like?
4. Do I have to be ‘academic’?
5. Does STETS give practical training?
6. How often will I need to be in Salisbury?
7. When and how often do the residential weekends take place?
8. What learning support will I get?
9. How will I be allocated to a tutor?
10. Just how close to a word limit does an essay have to be?
11. Is part-time training as good an ‘education for ministry’ as the equivalent number of years full-time?
12. Who are the local tutors?
13. Does STETS train lay people too?
14. What is the accommodation like?
15. Will there be a slant towards any particular churchmanship?
16. Do you have to be sponsored by your Church?
17. How manageable are the modules for someone who is not an academic in a distance learning mode?
18. Where do students come from?
19. Isn’t the Course mainly Anglican?

What does STETS stand for?

STETS stands for the Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme. Because it is such a mouthful it is usually abbreviated to STETS!

What is the teaching like?

Teaching at residential weekends is usually in the form of lectures either by core staff members or visiting speakers. Breathers and coffee breaks are allowed for! Some teaching is provided through seminars and focused small group work, and comments and questions are welcomed whether the format is lecture or seminar. Handouts are frequently provided.

What do the modules look like?

Modules are delivered on-line. If printed out they can easily be produced as A4 documents for a loose leaf file. Each module contains weekly units of study and a bibliography. The module guides you through a mixture of reading text that is provided, reading extracts from set books, questions to think or write about and preparation for your tutorial group. Time guides are given for each step of the module to keep you on course. At the end of each unit questions for your tutorial group are listed. Each module ends with a module feedback form so that there can be regular assessment of the effectiveness of the module.

Do I have to be ‘academic’?

The STETS course offers a staged entry to study. Those who have little or no prior theological learning will begin the course at a foundation level. This level assumes that the student has not necessarily had much academic background. The course is taught by distance learning modules which are designed to introduce the student to different subjects in a way that is accessible. For those who have some prior theological learning there is opportunity to enter the course at a higher level.

Does STETS give practical training?

The short answer is, ‘Yes!’ The details are that, early on in the Course the Student is allotted a Training Minister. Eventually a Training Contract is drawn up, outlining the areas in which the particular student needs training, and agreeing the terms by which that training will be achieved. Also, each residential Weekend includes some opportunities for practical training, such as planning and leading various forms of worship. All students also engage in a three month placement in their second year, either in a church or a community project, both of which involve much practical engagement.

How often will I need to be in Salisbury?

Though we do not usually think in ‘terms,’ it helps here to say that students need to be in residence in Salisbury for two weekends per school term, from Friday tea time until Sunday lunch time. Then there is an Awards Presentation and accompanying Study Afternoon on a Saturday in the Autumn Term, from 10 am. until 4 pm. The longest period of residence is the Easter School, usually either in Holy Week or Easter week.

When and how often do the residential weekends take place?

Six times a year, with two between Summer and Christmas; two between Christmas and Easter, and, except when Easter is very late, two between Easter and Summer. When Easter is very late, there will be three residential weekends between Christmas and Easter, and only one in the third section of the year.

What learning support will I get?

The first and most important learning support for FdA & BA top up students will be your local tutor who will guide you through the distance learning material each week, give direction in discussion and advice about assignments (MA students will receive learning support from the module convenor who organises two sets of college-based seminars per module and participates in an online discussion forum). The second source of support is the staff at STETS who will be able to answer any questions that you may have.

How will I be allocated to a tutor?

When you become a STETS student you will automatically be allocated a local tutor, usually within thirty minutes travelling time from your home.

Just how close to a word limit does an essay have to be?

Pretty close! The word limit is an indication of how much depth is being looked for in your answer. If you write something much shorter you have probably missed some important points or not treated the points you have covered in enough depth, but if you go too far over it you may either have provided a much fuller answer than was appropriate for the assignment, or you may have missed the focus of the question and ranged too widely. The assignments are not intended to elicit everything you have read or know about a subject, but to enable you to distil and apply your studies around one particular focus.

Is part-time training as good an ‘education for ministry’ as the equivalent number of years full-time?

Yes. The content of the STETS course over three years is comparable to a two year full time course. The period of residence is obviously less than in a full time college course. The STETS course has six residential weekends and an eight day residential course in each year, and the overall demands of the course,: the tutorials, the lectures, the reading, the assignments and practical commitments, are similar to the demands made by a full-time course. The Church oversees the content of all theological training to ensure that different routes produce the same high standard of ‘education for ministry.’

Who are the local tutors?

STETS local tutors are specially selected for their theological abilities and skills in adult Christian education. We have a range of different types of tutors: men and women; lay people and ministers of the word and sacraments; Anglicans, Methodists, United Reformed, and from other denominational backgrounds.

Does STETS train lay people too?

STETS is committed to training the whole people of God. STETS has supported the formation of a Regional Theological Partnership to facilitate regional collaboration on theological education and training. In dialogue with other members of the partnership, STETS is exploring different ways of offering training for lay people in the region. We do occasionally take privately-funded students – please feel free to be in contact.

What is the accommodation like?

During residential weekends, STETS students stay at Sarum College which is located in the historic Cathedral Close. Accommodation is in single bedrooms with study space. Some rooms have a sitting room attached and some are en suite. The Library is open during all centre-based events and here students can gain access to the World Wide Web. Meals are provided at the College and special dietary needs can be catered for with advance notice. Students volunteer to run the College Bar located next to the Common Room.

Will there be a slant towards any particular churchmanship?

STETS is an ecumenical training course.  Each student year group brings a rich diversity of tradition and experience. Students are expected to share the treasures of their tradition but are also exposed to new ideas about church life and worship. STETS seeks to respect this wide variety of traditions in its publications and educational methods and to treat all our participating denominations as equal partners.

Do you have to be sponsored by your Church?

Yes, you normally have to be sponsored by your Church to be accepted onto the Course, although we do occasionally accept independent students.

How manageable are the modules for someone who is not an academic in a distance learning mode?

Don’t worry – you will not sink if you have not studied for a long time. The modules at Foundation Level provide good introductions to the topics they cover. They assume nothing except that you will be studying with commitment, enthusiasm and a basic knowledge of the faith that comes from being a member of the Christian community. Each module writer budgets time carefully for reading and study time to ensure that nobody gets left behind. Distance learning modules are very different from academic books. They have been described as ‘conversations in print’. Where they do tackle difficult ideas you will be helped to see what these ideas are and why they are important. You will find that your weekly tutorial group is an invaluable resource in helping you to gain confidence in your academic ability.

Where do students come from?

Students come from a wide area principally south of the M4 between Bristol and London and including the Isle of Wight.

Map showing catchment area of STETS students

Click on image to enlarge

Can URC people train at STETS for Stipendiary and Non Stipendiary Ministry in
the United Reformed Church?

The short answer is ‘yes.’ However it all depends on what is agreed at
the National Assessment Conference and the Synod. Students’ preferences are taken seriously.

Isn’t the Course mainly Anglican?

Certainly there is a majority of Anglican students, and fewer Methodists, Baptist and other students. However, each denomination is
taken seriously; each learns about the others, and the staff body is denominationally wide-ranging.