Accessing accompaniment

PASTORAL SUPERVISION TASTER DAY! If you want to find out more about pastoral supervision and see it in action, please come along to our free online taster day 10.00am to 12.30pm on Monday 27 April (please note this had changed from the previously advertised March date). More details are here.

Are you looking for a clear pathway for development in your work as a minister, or do you sense the need to put in place a more structured form of accompaniment along the way?

One of the five habits of CMD is to engage in some form of accountability through mentoring, pastoral supervision, spiritual direction, coaching, soul friends, or learning communities. The Ministries Team has now compiled a list of those colleagues who are trained and qualified to offer spiritual direction, pastoral supervision or coaching. The list will grow as others offer to be included and complete the necessary application form. Most are themselves accredited ministers. A few are not, but have long shown their commitment to the wider Baptist family.  

This list is available to all Accredited Ministers, Nationally Recognised Pastors, and Recognised Local Ministers who may wish to receive pastoral supervision or spiritual direction. In addition, some of the pastoral supervisors, spiritual directors and coaches on the list are also willing to offer their services to those who are neither accredited nor recognised, but are in a clearly defined leadership role in a Baptist church or missional setting. If you fall into any of these categories, then you are welcome to ask for the list by sending an email to the Accompaniment Coordinator (Rev Paul Campion) via this contact form.  

Once the list is sent to you, you will be able to make a direct approach to someone who is qualified and willing to help. Please note that we are unable to recommend one pastoral supervisor, spiritual director or coach over another. Rather, we are simply signposting you towards those who have confirmed to us that they have received appropriate training for the accompaniment they provide, and in safeguarding. They have also confirmed they practise under insurance and have the appropriate DBS check. Their depth of experience, measured by the hours of supervision or direction they have offered over time, is noted on the list.

These forms of accompaniment have undoubtedly been a growth area in recent years, and have been of immense benefit to those who have engaged with them. There is usually a cost involved, and the recommendation in the CMD framework is that where possible this is met by the church or the employer where you are serving. The details of this would need to be discussed as each individual arrangement is set up.

If you are yourself a minister trained in spiritual direction, pastoral supervision or coaching and you wish to be added to the list, please get in touch with the Accompaniment Coordinator (Rev Paul Campion) via this contact form.  Paul can explain the criteria in more detail and send you an application form to join the list. 

If you are a minister looking for training in one or more of these disciplines, or if you simply want to find out more about them, please read our brief guide to accessing and practising accompaniment.  

Further details about the different forms of accompaniment are in the CMD Handbook under Appendix 3.


A more personal addition from the Accompaniment Coordinator:

Having received accompaniment for several years towards the end of my full-time local church ministry, I then completed the initial training as a pastoral supervisor. More recently I have completed further training in the Advanced Diploma, and I am regularly involved in offering supervision. I am convinced that this is an immensely valuable way to build resilience, deepen understanding and clarify vision in all the many and various challenges of ministry today. I look forward to hearing from you if you either wish to see or to join the list of those offering pastoral supervision, spiritual direction or coaching.

Revd Paul Campion
Accompaniment Coordinator

^{Photo by Christian Bisbo Johnsen on Unsplash}