Frequently Asked Questions

The concept of an accelerated pathway to ordination arose out of informal conversations about barriers which prevent people from acting on God’s call to the ordained ministry. The further into our working lives we are, the less justified if feels to take four or five years to retrain for the ordained ministry. This accelerated pathway seeks to address this.

Anyone who is eligible for entry into one of the academic awards could potentially participate in the accelerated degree. However, studying with the kind of relentless intensity required to finish a three-year degree in two years isn’t for everyone, and this program has an unapologetic emphasis on the ordained ministry. Women are welcome to participate in the accelerated degree. If the church so moves in October, they will also be able to apply to become candidates for ordination.

The pathway to ordination as a general ministry pastor has always contained both academic and formation processes. ALC delivers the academic award, but it is the church through its bishops which determines whether someone is suitable for ordination.

In the case of this accelerated pathway, the initial application process will assess eligibility for the academic program and make an initial assessment of suitability for the ordained ministry. This initial ministry assessment will be followed by a more extensive process once the study has commenced. Final confirmation of candidature will occur prior to ordination.  

Not entirely, no. The upper end was set to facilitate a decade of ordained ministry prior to normal retirement age but this assumption may not be relevant in individual cases. Wisdom born of maturity and immediate capacity to cope with the accelerated study is possibly more critical than other age related factors.

Participants will complete either a Master of Divinity or a Bachelor of Theology. The two awards will run in parallel, but evidently more is required of those in the Masters’ award. Participants who are eligible for the Masters of Divinity may still be directed towards the Bachelor award or given a choice of awards. Those who are not eligible for entry into the Master of Divinity will work towards a Bachelor of Theology.

Both awards include units in Old and New Testament, Systematic Theology and Church History, at least one Biblical Language, Practical Theology and Supervised Fieldwork. In addition, those seeking ordination will be compiling their portfolio of ministry practice. This will contain the evidence of competence in the areas required for ordination.

ALC is intentional and proactive about ensuring that it is a safe place for anyone to study and teach.

No. The ordination pathway already uses a distributed model of learning where participants access their classes online and complete their fieldwork in their home congregation. This accelerated pathway includes compulsory workshops where participants will gather face-to-face for a week or two at a time, but these will be located variously in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The two-year pathway contains some supervised field education components. Participants will be actively involved and visible in their local congregations for the duration of the academic award. After the first two years, individual transition to ordination arrangements will be made with each candidate. This will involve some kind of supervised transition to ministry, which may not be a traditional vicarage placement.

Possibly, but the church is moving away from a model which deliberately relocates graduate pastors in areas other than their district of origin. Participants will be able to discuss their preferences with the bishops when the time comes.

Normal course fees apply. The Australian government does not partially fund studies in theology as it does in many other disciplines, so these awards are not cheap. However, participants can access FEE-HELP, which is similar to a HECS loan, to pay the fees. In addition, where participants are not eligible for Centrelink student allowances, a small stipend will be available to those confirmed as candidates for ordination. Financial support is also available to assist with the cost of attending workshops. 

For more information on course fees: https://alc.edu.au/study/higher-education/academic-fees/

In all likelihood, yes. The need is immediate and a minimum cohort is required. It is not anticipated that the number of interested participants is likely to justify a second group.

The program will commence on January 27 2025, immediately after the Australia Day long weekend. It is anticipated that a face-to-face residential workshop in Brisbane will occur very early in the program. Approximately one compulsory workshop per half-year will be face-to-face. These workshops will be held in various locations around Australia.

The first year will officially end on December 31 2025, but the November/December study period will focus on fieldwork. Participants will be heavily involved in their congregation in the lead up to Advent and Christmas. There will then be about 4 weeks break before commencing the second year. There is only a small amount of scheduled down time outside of January and accessing this will be dependent on assignments being submitted on time.

There is a three-stage application process for this program. The first two stages occur before the program commences. The third is ongoing.

The first stage enables an assessment of potential participants’ eligibility and academic capacity as well as an initial confidential reflection on their suitability for the ordained ministry. This is a combined ALC/LCA process and is initially completed online via a link ALC will provide on request. Applicants will be required to provide a number of documents and participate in one or more interviews as part of this initial process.

The second stage is admission into the University of Divinity and enrolment into the nominated award. ALC is a college of the University of Divinity (UD), so while ALC is the participants’ home college, they are students of the UD and it is the UD who sets the academic eligibility criteria and will confer the awards.

The third stage confirms candidates for ordination. This stage belongs to the LCA, although the ALC Principal and Director of Applied Learning assist in the management of it. The stage includes psychological assessment, the development of a portfolio of ministry competence which provides evidence of the attributes required of graduate pastors, various checkpoint interviews and other elements.

It won’t be a walk in the park that is for sure, but we are excited about the program. If God is calling you to the ordained ministry but the timing has never been right, perhaps it is now. Test the idea with people around you. Determine if your partner and family are supportive. Talk to your pastor or previous pastor. See if the idea takes hold. If it does, then yes, you absolutely should do this.

If you are interested in applying, contact ALC to set up a conversation with the Academic Dean to discuss which degree is appropriate and answer any further questions you may have. You can also pose questions via email.

To contact ALC email us at enquiries@alc.edu.au