January 14th 2017 saw the launch of St Hild College, formed by the merger of St Barnabas Theological Centre and the Yorkshire Ministry Course, which has been based at Mirfield since 2007. St Hild will train Anglican ordinands, Baptist ministers in training and independent students through teaching centres in Mirfield, Sheffield and York. The partnership with Mirfield will continue, with the St Hild College office continuing to be based at the site.
In the coming years, the new college will continue to develop full time contextual ordination training. This route combines residential, academic and contextual formation. Ordinands are based at a local parish for 2-3 years where they live and serve in context. Academic tuition is delivered via undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at at Sheffield, Mirfield or York. Six times each year they gather with other St Hild ordinands for residential weekends on the Mirfield site following the pattern established by YMC.
Fr George, delivering the address during the Service of Commissioning at Dewsbury Minster, spoke of the need for this new initiative to connect with divine energy. ‘This energy came from the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and that never dries up’. He concluded, ‘we pray for the prospering of St Hild College in all its diversity, bringing together people from many traditions, many localities, churchmanships, denominations and backgrounds…because there is a message to be proclaimed and a light to be shone’.
For more details, see sthild.org