Training for Resource Church Leaders
Camino is a new guided learning programme designed to apprentice future resource church leaders and other Church of England incumbents involved in strategic church planting and multiplication.
Focused on fostering grounded leadership and cultivating a culture of church multiplication and revitalisation, the training equips participants with essential theological understanding and practical skills for strategic church planting.
The programme addresses core areas including leadership, missional strategy, intergenerational and intercultural engagement, the development of lay and ordained vocations, engagement with younger generations, good governance, and safeguarding in larger churches. Some participants are working with more established, ‘classic’ models of resource churches; others are preparing for more innovative models of ministry.
The programme is open to participants from any church tradition and context. Current participants reflect evangelical, Anglo-Catholic and central traditions, and come from urban, coastal, market town and rural settings. Camino is open to women and men, and we are particularly keen to receive enquiries from people from global heritage backgrounds.
Further details about the Camino training programme and the curriculum can be found here: Camino Programme Overview.
Participants undergo a 16-month part-time training journey that combines residential sessions, online learning, professional input and practical application.
The programme will foster collaboration among peers and build a strong ongoing learning community.
Participants undertake a 16-month, part-time training journey structured across four academic terms. The programme combines residential sessions, online learning, professional coaching, and applied ministry practice, and is designed to foster collaboration among peers and to build a strong, ongoing learning community.
Each term is shaped by an overarching theme: foundations; leadership; mission and ministry; and multiplication. Through in-person retreats and online sessions, participants receive around 100 hours of direct input from experienced educators and practitioners.
Camino training is delivered by a wide range of educators and key practitioners, offering focused input across theology, leadership, and strategic approaches to church multiplication.
Alongside this taught input, participants are part of a small peer group, receive termly tutorial support, and benefit from a comprehensive leadership assessment, professional coaching, and access to an experienced resource-church leader as a mentor. Together, these elements support both personal formation and strategic leadership development.
After completing the programme, participants will be invited to join an ongoing community of practice, offering continued learning and support as they begin involvement in a resource church or strategic church multiplication.
Camino is a collaboration between St Hild College and Faith in the North.
Camino primarily serves dioceses in the Northern Province, but is also accessible to other dioceses.
The project forms part of a northern enabling strategy to support parish revitalisation and church planting across the region.
It supports the national vision to become a growing, younger and more diverse church by developing leaders who embody this commitment.
Camino training is delivered by a wide range of educators and key practitioners, offering focused input across theology, leadership, and strategic approaches to church multiplication. Camino is overseen by a programme board, with Christian Selvaratnam and Abby Harris serving as the core tutors; additional tutors join each residential.
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Revd Canon Dr Christian Selvaratnam is the Dean of Church Planting at St Hild College and is the Director of Camino. He is also involved in various church planting training projects in the UK, Europe, and the US.
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Abby is the Relationship Manager of the St Hild Centre for Church Planting and is the Programme Manager for Camino. She is a church planter and is on the leadership team of St Peter's Morley.
“[We've nominated] two really gifted leaders in very different contexts - that's a great opportunity we wouldn't have had without this strategy.”
Diocesan feedback
Quotes from Camino participants
“Camino has been a great experience. It’s such a blessing to feel like you are seen and your leadership is being invested in. The quality of input is consistently high, delivered by theologian-practitioners who not only know the stuff but have lived it.”
“It's so helpful to study alongside people who are facing the same opportunities and challenges as we seek to build resource churches. Camino has been an energising space to think creatively and pray about where God is leading us.”
“Camino is a helpful, practical, and content-rich learning community that has provided me with resources and relationships that are supporting me in the challenging task of leading a resourcing church.”
Next Steps
The application process for the Camino cohort running from September 2026 to December 2027 is now open.
For bishops, archdeacons and directors of ministry who would like further information, we are happy to arrange a conversation with Christian Selvaratnam or Abby Harris to answer questions. Please contact us at camino@sthild.org.
The first step for prospective participants is to join one of the Camino information sessions on Zoom. These sessions will set out the vision for Camino and provide space for questions. If you are wondering whether Camino is right for you, these sessions are the first place to start.
Those wishing to apply for a place on Camino do so after attending one of the Zoom sessions. Applications will need the support of the applicant’s bishop, or the person in the diocese who oversees this area of work. The initial deadline for applications is Easter 2026. After this deadline, shortlisted candidates will be invited to a short interview.
The draft date for the Camino sessions for the 2026–27 cohort are here.
Camino information sessions on Zoom:
Tuesday 10th March 8am
Thursday 12th March 4pm
Thursday 19th March 4pm
You can book one of the sessions via this link: