We have just received this excellent review of Ordained Local Ministry in the Church of England (edited by
Andrew Bowden, Leslie J. Francis, Elizabeth Jordan and Oliver Simon) in the Journal of Beliefs & Values: Studies in Religion & Education.
'I would be delighted if this book was made compulsory reading for all bishops and their senior staff, including vocational advisers. It is a highly competent theological reflection on the subject that is readable and clear. Its contribution is important and helpful to the on-going crucial discussion in the Church of England.
The four editors, each providing one or more chapters, together with the four other contributors, have chartered the course of theological thinking and practical action in the field of Ordained Local Ministry (OLM) over the past 25 years. Commencing with a well thought-through chapter on the ecclesiological foundations of OLM the book provides the reader with the history of OLM’s roots in Bethnal Green, East London, in 1969 and its development to embrace as many as half the English dioceses by 1998 when the report on the development of LNSMs (to be renamed OLMs) Strangers in the Wings was published.
It is a thought provoking book on a subject that some see as controversial but with which all in the church need to wrestle – well worth reading.'
By Michael Whinney
Full review available here: Download JBV34_1_2013 book review OLM Michael Whinney
You can purchase a copy of the book here.
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