As part of the Festival of Social Science 2024, Professor Gillian Symon, Rebecca Whiting and Rebecca Taylor organised a workshop to address contemporary demands of Ministry in the Church of England. This workshop brought clergy together to discover social science research insights, share experiences and generate ideas.

Illustration by Laura Sorvala: https://www.laurasorvala.com/

The 'Beyond Calling?' workshop took place in October 2024 as part of the ESRC's annual Festival of Social Science. Social science researchers and members of the clergy discussed research and experiences concerning the everyday demands of ministry. The event was organised by Professor Gillian Symon (Royal Holloway University of London), Dr Rebecca Whiting (Birkbeck University of London) and Dr Rebecca Taylor (University of Southampton).

Key discussion themes, reflections and actions have been detailed in the report below:

The report has the overall aim to:

·       Share clergy experiences and insights more widely to provoke discussion and ideas for change.

·       Evaluate current strategies for supporting wellbeing in the Church.

·       Share the template for future similar initiatives.

Talks from the workshop have also been uploaded to the SSIA YouTube channel.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of this report, including running your own event, please contact Gillian Symon (gillian.symon@rhul.ac.uk) or Rebecca Whiting (r.whiting@bbk.ac.uk).