Clergy Ministerial Development Review (MDR) and Role Descriptions

The Church of England believes that Ministry Development Review (MDR) is an essential tool to enhance and encourage ministry.  In order to ensure best practice in the Diocese of York, a small team has recently, at Archbishop Stephen’s request,  been revising our approach to annual reviews for clergy, based upon best practice in other dioceses, last year’s pilot studies and the guidance of other agencies (eg safeguarding).   We will now be offering an annual review to each ordained minister holding the bishop’s licence, using a four-year cycle.  Every two years, we will invite all licenced clergy to participate in MDR with their bishop or archdeacon; in the intervening years, MDR will take the form of a guided pastoral conversation with a trained Bishops’ Reviewer. 

MDR rests upon four pillars: accountability, pastoral care, wellbeing and professional development. 

• As people who are Living Christ’s Story, we are mutually accountable to each other as we seek to share the gospel and make disciples. 
• Bishops have a particular ministry of oversight and pastoral care. 
• General Synod has affirmed the duty of the Christian community to care for the wellbeing of its ministers. 
• All of us are works in progress; professional development can enhance and build upon our God-given gifts. 

We see MDR as deeply theological; the Bible gives us examples, most clearly in Paul’s letters to the early church, of recognising who is ministering and how, examining the context in which the individual is exercising ministry, offering teaching and wisdom that is appropriate to the situation, acknowledging that this is a shared responsibility and giving thanks for it. 

The full range of Clergy MDR paperwork can be found here:

If you have any questions about MDR or the new process, please contact your archdeacon.  Any feedback on the process or your experience of it should be sent to the Archdeacon of Cleveland or the Diocesan Adviser in Pastoral Care.

Role Descriptions

This Diocese has introduced role descriptions in parallel with the Ministerial Development Review cycle.  

A role description is not mandatory under the Terms of Service legislation, but it makes sense and is good practice in the context of making appointments, grievance and capability.  Clergy will be involved in the production of their own initial role descriptions through a series of workshops.  These will then be refined through the MDR process.

Eventually role descriptions will be revised when there is a vacancy. It will also be good practice for the new incumbent to review it with the Archdeacon after about 6 months in office.

Below is a template to help form your role description.