Ministerial Development Review

All parish clergy (excluding curates who have a separate review process) are asked to take part in the ministerial review programme (MDR).  MDR is organised in a three year cycle.  One year the clergy person will receive a review from a member of the bishop's management group.  Another year they will receive a training review from a member of the training team.  The final year is a pastoral visit from Diocesan Bishop.  This pastoral visit is only offered to parish clergy, although any member of clergy can request to see Diocesan Bishop at any time if they would like to. Although not technically part of the MDR process, most clergy find this a very valuable time with the Bishop.

It is compulsory for those appointed under common tenure to participate.  MDR is also offered to those who hold the bishop's licence under seal (chaplains and central diocesan staff).  In general clergy do not enter immediately into the MDR programme following their licensing.  As a rule they start in the programme two years after they are licensed - ie for those licensed at any point in 2020 they will receive their first review or pastoral visit at any point in 2022.  For those who are newly licensed to a post they will have a meeting with one of the bishops approximately six months after their licensing, and then a meeting with their archdeacon approximately a year after their licensing.  The MDR process starts approximately a year after this.

MDR is organised geographically by Deanery, so which type of review is received each year depends on the deanery in which a clergy person's licence is held.  The table below shows the cycle of reviews.

Clergy do not need to arrange their review or the Diocesan Bishops pastoral visit themselves. On the year which it is a bishop's management group (senior staff) review, the member of senior staff (or their PA) will be in touch to arrange a time for the review. For the training review a member of the training team will be in touch. The year that the bishop makes his pastoral visit his PA will be in touch with members of clergy to make arrangements.

Here is the link to the form used for the senior staff review. Here is the link to the form used for the training team review. You will be asked to complete and send the form to your reviewer at least a fortnight ahead of your MDR meeting.

The Bishop’s Chaplain has oversight over the MDR programme.  If you have any general questions about MDR please be in touch with him.