Young Vocations

Contact

Coral Bell (Young Vocations Champion)

youngvocations@lincoln.anglican.org

01522 504050

All Christians are called to serve Christ in every aspect of their lives – at home, in their work, in the church

Theologians spend a lot of time debating at what point discipleship becomes ministry, but what we do know is that we are ALL called to serve God in different ways.

The Church of England wants to encourage gifted and committed young men and women, from every background, to consider whether God is calling them into ordained ministry as priests. In Lincoln diocese we want to encourage Christian young people to think about ordained and lay ministry in the Church of England. 

In a rapidly changing world, it is important for the church to reach new and younger generations, and find creative ways that honour all Anglican church traditions but also have a missional outlook and connect with those outside the church.

This challenge requires those with fresh vision and inspiration and young leaders who will be key to shaping the way forward for the Church of England. As a diocese, we want to encourage those considering both lay and ordained vocations. Our Young Vocations Advocates and mentors are available to chat to as a first step in this process.

The Diocese of Lincoln Young Vocations Advocates role is to encourage young people to take seriously the call from God whatever that might be. If you would like to find out more please email ddo@lincoln.anglican.org and we can put you in touch with them for a chat, or, visit the Church of England website to learn more about lay and ordained vocations here and read about other lay ministries below.

Diocesan Authorised Ministries

There are three areas of ministry where, in the Diocese of Lincoln, authorisation is given by the Bishops (this is required by the church’s canon law) and need some kind of training:

Preaching (this includes responsibility for any talk or activity which would happen in the sermon slot in a Service of the Word)
Leading services of worship
Lay funeral ministry

There are also other roles that God might be calling you to do – like being a churchwarden, sides person, or PCC member.

Ministry Experience Scheme

We are also working with the Church of England MES project to provide 18-30 year olds the opportunity to experience the core of ministry within our parishes and study a bit of theology at the same time.  Lincoln’s Xperience scheme is offered in both a rural context (Edenham) and urban context (Grantham).

Find out more here.

Online Application Form.

Paper Application Form.

Meet our Young Vocations Advocate

Coral Bell

Hello my name is Coral and I’m delighted to be the Young Vocations Champion for the Diocese of Lincoln. I’ve lived here since 2017 with my husband and two small children. I am currently halfway through my ordination training at St Hild Sheffield. When I’m not doing that, I love wild swimming and being creative. Working out what God is calling you to is hard, especially if you feel you are too young or too inexperienced! But, I can guarantee you have so much to give, and if God is calling you it is worth it. If you feel like there is even an inkling, get in touch and we would love to meet you.

Do keep a look out on the website for a Young Vocations events where you can hear and learn more about the different ministries – lay and ordained – that God might be calling you to. You will hear real stories from real people involved in ministry of various kinds.