Orientation and Equivalency Intake (OEI)
Section outline
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Welcome to the Institute of Ministry. You are already ordained. Somewhere, at some point, a bishop laid hands on you and the Church prayed, and this course does not propose to revisit that or to improve upon it.
The Orientation & Equivalency Intake is a bridge rather than a formation programme. Across twenty-five formation hours it shows you how this particular Mission understands the faith you already hold, how it is governed, how it worships, and how it keeps people safe. The purpose is mutual: so that you can decide honestly whether you want to belong to this Mission, and so that we can decide honestly whether we can receive you.
You are here by invitation. This course cannot be applied for, enrolled on, or bought, and there is no fee. Your place was given rather than sold, which makes it an act of trust on the Mission's part. Please treat it as one.
Work through the Introduction below before opening Stream 1. It sets out what the course asks of you, what completing it does and does not do, and how to work through it well. It takes about half an hour.
If anything here is unclear, or something does not work as described, please contact the Institute at institute@apostolicoldcatholic.org. A question asked in good faith has never counted against anyone.
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IDENTITY AND ECCLESIOLOGY
Who we are, how we are governed, and what your ordination actually authorises
Approximately 7 formation hours | 4 units | Stream quiz
What this stream is about
This stream answers the question you will be asked most often once you are ministering in the Mission's name: what exactly is this body, and by what right does it exist? It covers the Mission's ecclesial identity, its apostolic succession as it now stands, how it is governed, and — the unit most often skipped elsewhere and most often needed here — what your ordination actually authorises you to do.
Stream 1 carries the heaviest reading load in the course. Most of your seven hours will be spent with the Mission's own documents rather than with these pages. That is intentional. These pages exist to frame the documents, not to replace them.
What you will learn
- Describe the Mission's ecclesial identity accurately to an enquirer, including its standing as a mission rather than a denomination.
- Explain the difference between independence and isolation, and what the Mission means by interdependence.
- Distinguish validity, regularity, fruitfulness, and recognition, and give an example of each.
- Describe the Mission's current apostolic succession accurately, including dates and consecrating bishops.
- Explain the office of Rector, the role of the Mission Council, and why major decisions require unanimity.
- Place the Statutes, the Formation Policies, and a course prospectus in their correct order of authority.
- State what your ordination does and does not authorise you to do within the Mission.
- Distinguish incardinated, associate, and visiting clergy, and use titles accurately.
Units in this stream
- Unit 1.1 — The Mission You Are Asking to Join: the five core documents, mission rather than denomination, the theology of smallness, and where the Mission sits in the independent sacramental tradition.
- Unit 1.2 — Apostolic Succession, Validity, and Recognition: tactile and doctrinal succession, the Mission's succession as it now stands, and the four words that are constantly confused.
- Unit 1.3 — How the Mission Is Governed: the office of Rector, the Mission Council and the unanimity rule, canonical obedience, and where the documents sit.
- Unit 1.4 — What Your Ordination Actually Authorises: orders and faculties, use of the Mission's name and marks, multiple affiliations, and Council eligibility.
A word before you begin
Before working through Unit 1.3 you will be asked to read the Statutes and Governance Principles from cover to cover. Not skimmed, not sampled: read. When you are incardinated you will promise canonical obedience, and it is not possible to promise obedience to a document you have not read. Clergy who sign such promises unread are the origin of a remarkable proportion of ecclesial conflict.
Open Unit 1.1 and begin.
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Unit 1.1 — The Mission You Are Asking to Join Page
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Unit 1.2 — Apostolic Succession, Validity, and Recognition Page
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Unit 1.3 — How the Mission Is Governed Page
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Unit 1.4 — What Your Ordination Actually Authorises Page
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Stream 1 Quiz — Who We Are
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MINISTRY AND VOCATION
Servant leadership, sustainable ministry, ethics, and the practical duties of belonging
Approximately 6 formation hours | 4 units | Stream quiz and Written Reflection A
What this stream is about
Stream 1 covered what the Mission is. This stream covers what it asks of the people who minister in its name. It begins with the theology of service and the refusal of clericalism, moves through the practical realities of unpaid bi-vocational ministry, addresses pastoral ethics and the power you carry whether you want it or not, and ends with the unglamorous but essential matters of money, records, and representation.
The written reflection at the end of this stream is the first piece of assessed writing in the course.
What you will learn
- Recognise clericalism in its characteristic forms, and explain why the Mission treats titles as descriptions of function.
- Explain the threefold ministry as three ways of serving rather than a ladder of promotion.
- Describe two genuine advantages of bi-vocational ministry, not merely its necessity.
- Identify the mechanism by which bi-vocational clergy burn out, and name realistic safeguards.
- Explain why a romantic relationship with a person under your pastoral care is always an abuse of power.
- State the Mission's position on confidentiality and the seal, and the rule that governs reporting.
- Apply the two-person principle in person and online.
- Handle money, records, and personal data in a way that would survive examination.
- Distinguish clearly when you are speaking personally and when you speak for the Mission.
Units in this stream
- Unit 2.1 — Servant Leadership and the Refusal of Clericalism: the tradition's besetting sin, the threefold ministry as service, the stole as a yoke, and vocation as response.
- Unit 2.2 — The Bi-vocational Life: the Pauline model, the particular danger of burnout, the Daily Office as structure, and the ordering of a life.
- Unit 2.3 — Pastoral Ethics, Power, and Boundaries: the power differential, spiritual abuse, confidentiality and why it is not absolute, and everyday boundaries.
- Unit 2.4 — Money, Records, and Representation: financial integrity, record-keeping and retention, data protection, and public representation.
A word before you begin
Unit 2.3 will differ from what you were taught in most other traditions. The Mission does not recognise an absolute seal of confession in safeguarding matters, and the rule is that you report unless the law where you minister forbids it. If that is a change from your previous formation, do not gloss over it. Note it, sit with it, and bring it to the reflection at the end of this stream.
Open Unit 2.1 and begin.
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Unit 2.1 — Servant Leadership and the Refusal of Clericalism Page
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Unit 2.2 — The Bi-vocational Life Page
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Unit 2.3 — Pastoral Ethics, Power, and Boundaries Page
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Unit 2.4 — Money, Records, and Representation Page
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Stream 2 Quiz — How We Serve
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Written Reflection A — What I May Need to Set Down AssignmentOpened: Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 12:00 AMDue: Tuesday, 4 August 2026, 12:00 AM
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SACRAMENTS AND LITURGY
Validity, the Open Table, and celebrating in this Mission
Approximately 6 formation hours | 3 units | Stream quiz and Liturgical Practicum
What this stream is about
This is the stream where your existing competence is most relevant and most likely to need adjustment. You already celebrate or assist at the liturgy. What this stream establishes is how the Mission understands validity, what it means by the Open Table, which rites it authorises, and what it means by noble simplicity.
The liturgical practicum at the end of this stream is the single assessment in this course that looks directly at your practice rather than your understanding.
What you will learn
- State the matter, form, and intention required for Baptism, the Eucharist, and Holy Orders without notes.
- Explain ex opere operato and why it is a mercy to the faithful rather than a licence to the minister.
- Explain why the Trinitarian formula is not negotiable, and why that restriction is narrow rather than general.
- Articulate the theological, rather than merely social, basis of the Mission's inclusive commitments.
- Defend the Open Table warmly to someone who disagrees, in your own words.
- Name the six authorised liturgical families of the Mission.
- Explain noble simplicity, and what it rules out in both directions.
- Identify the limits of local adaptation, and what must be proposed rather than done alone.
Units in this stream
- Unit 3.1 — The Sacramental Principle and the Triad of Validity: visible signs of invisible grace, matter, form and intention, ex opere operato, and what to do about doubt.
- Unit 3.2 — The Open Table and Inclusive Sacramental Practice: inclusion as doctrine rather than sociology, marriage, the Open Table, and answering the objection.
- Unit 3.3 — Celebrating in This Mission: the authorised rites, noble simplicity, gesture and colour, the shape of the Mass, the Daily Office, and the limits of adaptation.
A word before you begin
Unit 3.2 is the unit most likely to decide whether you and this Mission can walk together. The Mission's inclusive commitments are settled doctrine, not a pastoral tone or a question on which clergy may hold private reservations. That is said plainly not to intimidate you but to spare you: it would be a poor kindness to let you complete this course and discover at the viva voce that the difficulty was insurmountable all along.
Open Unit 3.1 and begin.
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Unit 3.1 — The Sacramental Principle and the Triad of Validity Page
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Unit 3.2 — The Open Table and Inclusive Sacramental Practice Page
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Unit 3.3 — Celebrating in This Mission Page
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Stream 3 Quiz — How We Worship
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Liturgical Practicum — Video Submission AssignmentOpened: Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 12:00 AMDue: Tuesday, 4 August 2026, 12:00 AM
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PASTORAL CARE AND SAFEGUARDING
Safeguarding as practical theology, trauma-informed care, and accountability
Approximately 4 formation hours | 3 units | Stream quiz and Documentation upload
What this stream is about
This is the shortest stream and the one on which the Mission compromises least. It covers safeguarding as practical theology, trauma-informed pastoral care, and the accountability structures that will apply to you — including how you may complain, and about whom.
Your documentation upload sits in this stream and gates the rest of the course. You cannot proceed to the Conclusion without it.
What you will learn
- Explain why suspension during investigation is protective rather than punitive.
- State the Mission's rule on the seal in one sentence, and understand that reporting is the default.
- Identify the reporting obligations that apply where you actually minister, and record them.
- Report rather than investigate, and record a concern factually and contemporaneously.
- Name protective steps that remain open to you in every jurisdiction.
- Recognise common presentations of religious trauma and respond without making things worse.
- Refer appropriately, and know your local resources before you need them.
- Describe how you may be disciplined, and how you may raise a complaint — including against the Rector.
Units in this stream
- Unit 4.1 — Safeguarding as Practical Theology: not bureaucracy, protective not punitive, the non-negotiable requirements, reporting, and the seal.
- Unit 4.2 — Trauma-informed Pastoral Care: who walks through the door, what religious trauma looks like, how to respond, and the limits of your competence.
- Unit 4.3 — Accountability: Discipline, Complaints, and Appeals: how discipline works, how to complain, what fairness requires, and the records held about you.
A word before you begin
Unit 4.3 covers not only how you may be disciplined but how you may complain, including the separate route for complaints against the Rector. That is deliberate. A body that explains only the first is asking for submission rather than offering a covenant, and you are entitled to know both before you promise canonical obedience.
Open Unit 4.1 and begin.
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Unit 4.1 — Safeguarding as Practical Theology Page
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Unit 4.2 — Trauma-informed Pastoral Care Page
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Unit 4.3 — Accountability: Discipline, Complaints, and Appeals Page
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Stream 4 Quiz — How We Keep People Safe
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Documentation Upload — Required Before You Continue AssignmentOpened: Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 12:00 AMDue: Tuesday, 4 August 2026, 12:00 AM
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CONCLUSION AND COVENANT
Release, the Covenant of Incardination, and the final oral review
Approximately 1.5 formation hours | Written Reflection B and Viva Voce
What this section is about
You have covered what the Mission is and how it is governed; what your ordination does and does not authorise; how the Mission understands service, sustainability, ethics, and the practical duties of belonging; how it worships and whom it welcomes; and how it keeps people safe and holds itself to account.
That is twenty-five hours. It is not a formation programme and was never meant to be one. It is a bridge, and you are at the far end of it.
What remains
- Release from where you have come. Request a letter of release or excardination from your previous jurisdiction. Where one is not available, explain why in writing. The absence of a release is often not disqualifying; concealing the reason for it is.
- Written Reflection B. Approximately 600 words on the ministry you hope to exercise, how it will be sustained, what you will need from the Mission, and what you expect to find genuinely demanding.
- The viva voce. A conversation by video call with the Rector, and where constituted a representative of the Mission Council. There is nothing to revise. Please bring questions.
What you will be asked to sign
If the outcome is favourable, two documents: the Code of Conduct and Clergy Covenant, and the Incardination Covenant. Faculties are then issued separately, specifying what you are authorised to do, where, and under what conditions. The Covenant is belonging; the Faculties are permission. They are not the same act.
Completion is not incardination
This was said at the beginning and it is said again, deliberately, at the end. Completing the Orientation & Equivalency Intake does not incardinate you. It confers no faculties, no title, no office, and no authority to minister or to speak in the Mission's name. The decision rests with the Rector and, once constituted, the Mission Council, and it takes account of far more than this course.
If the answer is no, you will be told plainly and with courtesy. You will not be strung along, and you will not be left to infer it from silence.
"I am confident of this very thing: that he who has begun this good work in you will perfect it, unto the day of Christ Jesus." — Philippians 1:6, CPDV