The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, is pleased to announce that as part of the re-shaping of the Ministry Development Team, Revd Dr Rod Symmons is to take the role of Adviser for Curacy. This is a re-designation of Rod’s role within the Ministry Development Team. He remains a tutor at Trinity College, Bristol and Area Dean of City Deanery.
The role of the Adviser for Curacy is to oversee the provision made by the Diocese for clergy in the first few years after their ordination. It involves overseeing the training programme for curates, offering support and training to training incumbents, leading the process of assessment at the end of curacy, and supporting curates in their ministry.
Rod served his curacy in the Diocese of Oxford, where he had three training incumbents in the course of one five-and-a-half year curacy! He spent 30 years as an incumbent, initially in a rural setting in Sussex and then at Redland in Bristol. He has trained four stipendiary and three self-supporting curates and has also been involved in the training of ordinands at Trinity College since 1999. He has been Area Dean of City Deanery since 2014 and a member of the Ministry Development Team for just over a year.
Rod said: “I loved working with curate colleagues as an incumbent and I am very aware of what an important stage of ministry this is. I am very much looking forward to this new role and to working with curates, training incumbents and colleagues to help to make this the best possible formation experience for every curate. I am very grateful to be working with others with considerable experience – including Simon and Debbie – who I know will provide continuing wisdom and support.”
Revd Dr Simon Taylor, Director of Ministry Development, said: “I am very pleased that Rod has agreed to take on this important role. His background as a parish priest, training incumbent, Area Dean, and college tutor give him wide experience which will enable him to support curates and training incumbents throughout the Diocese. I look forward to working with him, and to the difference he will make to the training and support of new clergy.”