Camino
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.
Fostering grounded leadership and nurturing a culture of church multiplication and revitalisation, the training focuses on providing essential theological understanding and skills for strategic church planting. The programme covers key areas including missional strategy, intergenerational and intercultural engagement, developing lay and ordained vocations, engaging with younger generations, good governance, and safeguarding for large churches.
Participants undergo a 16-month part-time training journey that combines residential sessions, online learning, professional coaching, and practical ministry applications. The programme will foster collaboration among peers and build a strong ongoing learning community.
Camino is a collaboration between St Hild College and Faith in the North, supported by the Office of the Archbishop of York. It will primarily serve dioceses in the Northern Province, but will also be accessible to other dioceses and denominations. 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.
If you would like to know more about Camino, please contact Christian Selvaratnam, the project director, by emailing camino@sthild.org.
“Revitalising the ministry of another parish is a bold, costly and potentially incredibly fruitful step. As we look to see an increasing variety of churches taking on this role, we need a vibrant and diverse cohort from which to draw future resource church leaders. Camino is a vital collaborative contribution to that end.”
Revd Canon Dr Mark Powley
Archbishop’s Mission Enabler for the North
“I'm delighted to see the Camino programme become a reality. It fits well with the wider ethos of St Hild, which is a pioneering culture serving and equipping the church in our region. We are committed to delivering cutting-edge training that meets the church’s needs, and I'm convinced that Camino will do just this, profoundly strengthening and accelerating national church planting efforts.
Revd Dr Daniel McGinnis
Principal of St Hild College
“Resource churches play a vital role in the mixed ecology, planting churches through diverse models. Leading them is challenging, but quality training transforms both ministry experience and outcomes. Camino's focus on equipping resource church leaders addresses a crucial gap, offering significant missional impact for our region.”
Revd Canon Lizzy Woolf
Rector of St George’s Church, Leeds
“Camino is for the whole church: we are committed to identifying and encouraging suitable candidates from every background to apprentice as future resource church leaders, contributing to a church that is both growing and increasingly diverse.”
Revd Dr Christian Selvaratnam
Dean of Church Planting at St Hild College