Continued Ministerial Development (CMD) is first and foremost about our mutual well-being. This derives from being rooted in God, committed to ongoing learning, and supportively accountable to each other. CMD is an act of self-care and of mutual care. It is not a panacea for all ministerial ills, but it goes a long way to keeping us fresh, connected to Jesus and protected from isolation or burn out

In London Baptists we are committed to CMD; our aim is to offer resources and support in all CMD areas. Please contact us (link) if you have suggestions on how these pages can be developed.

Getting Started

At the heart of CMD lie five habits that we encourage each other to practise:

LEARNING, ATTENTIVENESS, ACCOUNTABILITY, CONNECTION, REVIEW.

In November each year, we meet with a fellow minister – a CMD peer – to reflect together on our CMD progress and plans.

You can find out more about CMD, how to register and how to record your progress, by visiting the Baptist Together website.

The Baptist Union of Great Britain : Continuing Ministerial Development

Learning

Faith Thinking London offers a regular opportunity for reflection on issues relating to theology and pastoral practice. Sessions are led by invited guests who are asked to speak on areas in which they specialise, usually beginning with a short paper or presentation followed by time for discussion. Our aim is to provide a safe space where we can talk honestly about the questions and challenges of ministry, while also being stretched and informed in our thinking.

The Baptist Together website (The Baptist Union of Great Britain : Webinars) has a large number of webinars covering a wide range of topics.

The Baptist Together CMD mailchimp also contains a wide range of learning opportunities so look out for that in your inbox.

The London Baptist YouTube Channel (London Baptists - YouTube) is another place to find information including talks from the LB Ministers Conference from 2021 & 2022.

All of our Baptist colleges also offer learning opportunities

ATTENTIVNESS

We are whole people, recognising that God has created our full humanity. We attend especially to our own relationship with God, making sure we are receiving spiritual nurture even as we seek to minister to others. We are also attentive to our physical and mental well-being, our need for time off and time with our families and friends.

Many people have found taking some time away at a retreat centre to be a real blessing. You can find a list of personal or guided retreats and retreat centres at The Retreat Centre website. (Find a Retreat | The Retreat Association (retreats.org.uk))

ACCOUNTABILITY

Meeting regularly with someone outside of our ministry setting who provides us with a confidential space where we can reflect on our discipleship and/or ministry, is really helpful. We are accountable to this person in that we invite them to guide and sometimes challenge us, yet their role is wholly supportive.

London Baptist holds a list of Pastoral Supervisors, Spiritual Directors, Trained Mentors and Coaches. Page 17 of the CMD Handbook explains these types of accompaniment in more detail. (File.aspx (baptist.org.uk))

If you would like to connect with someone to accompany you in one of these disciplines please contact us. (cmd@londonbaptist.org.uk)

You can also find people to accompany you at:

CONNECTION

We express our commitment to one another in fellowship with each other and service to the wider body of Baptist ministers. This connection can take many forms but primary among them is our meeting with other ministers in cluster meetings, huddles, learning communities, peer mentoring, ministers’ conferences and so on.

We are working with our District Ministers (London Baptists | Who's who)  to make sure clusters meet regularly.

If you’re not sure when or where your cluster meets please contact us using the form below.

There are many other places to find connection such as The Northumbria Community  (Welcome to the home of the Northumbria Community online) Some Ministers have also found the Order for Baptist Ministry helpful (Order for Baptist Ministry)

REVIEW

The annual CMD audit (The Baptist Union of Great Britain : CMD Forms - Annual Audit) is a simple and helpful exercise that all those who have signed up to CMD are encouraged to complete.

If you need help in finding someone to assist with your audit please contact us below.

The 360 degree review is a comprehensive way to review your ministry every three years. (The Baptist Union of Great Britain : CMD Forms - 360 degree Ministry Review)

You can find webinars on the Baptist Together webinar page that offer more information. (The Baptist Union of Great Britain : For ministers and church leaders)

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