About the Northern Ordination Course
Drawing on nearly 40 years of experience, NOC offers its students an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Christian faith and what it means to embody that faith in the contemporary world. This is a profoundly rewarding undertaking and one that readily yields blessing not only for course members but also for those who will receive of their ministry in the future. It is also a demanding one in terms both of time and, perhaps more importantly, of allowing our beliefs and world views to be challenged through exposure to rigorous analysis and new learning as well as fresh insights and experiences.
Most students on the NOC undertake a three-year programme, although it is sometimes possible to arrange shorter courses for those with relevant qualifications and experience. Much of the curriculum is delivered via week-night teaching sessions or Saturday study days in one of our centres in Manchester, Mirfield or York. There is also a significant residential component consisting of a number of weekends each year plus a week-long school at Easter. In addition, students undertake one or more term-long placements as well as complete a number of projects that aim to ground theological reflection in Christian practice.
The exercising of Christian ministry is always a corporate and personal undertaking: we minister to other persons in Christ’s name and as members of his pilgrim people, the church. In recognition of this, the NOC is committed to students and staff learning together as members of a community that shares a common life rooted in prayer, worship and the Eucharist. This ‘covenant of belonging’ is the context in which much of the formational work takes place and many sustaining friendships are forged.
The NOC shares its home with the College of the Resurrection in the Mirfield Centre. Increasingly, there are stronger links between both institutions as the life of each is enriched by experiencing something of the distinctive character and ethos of its partner.