Who’s Who

At the heart of ERMC is a sense of teamwork. Many different people are involved in both delivering and supporting training for ministry.

Core Staff

ERMC has a team of core staff, women and men, lay and ordained, Anglican and Methodist who are committed to enabling us to make links between faith and life, to flourish into the people whom God wishes us to become. We are here to make training possible and doable. Many of the staff have ministry experience in the local church. We care about God’s church and God’s world and although we might not agree on everything, we hold together a diverse set of backgrounds and views in mutual respect.

Alexander Jensen became Principal in January 2016. As a native of Germany, Alex studied theology at the universities of Tübingen, Durham and Oxford. He served as a parish priest in Stockton-on-Tees and became Lecturer in Divinity at the Church of Ireland Theological College with Trinity College, Dublin. From there he moved to western Australia in 2005 to take up the position of Lecturer (from 2008 Senior Lecturer) in Systematic Theology at Murdoch University with Perth Theological Hall in Perth, Western Australia. From 2006 to 2012 Alex served as Principal of the Theological Hall. Alex’s PhD was in New Testament (hermeneutics and John’s Gospel), his teaching and most publications are in the area of systematic theology. His scholarly interests lie in theological hermeneutics, doctrine of God, Christology and secularisation. His publications include: Divine Providence and Human Agency: Trinity, Creation and Freedom (Ashgate 2014), Theological Hermeneutics (SCM, 2007) and John’s Gospel as Witness: The Development of the early Christian Language of Faith (Ashgate, 2004). At the same time Alex has a great passion for teaching and was awarded a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning: For innovative and holistic approaches to curriculum design and teaching in response to pedagogical challenges particular to Theology by the Australian Teaching and Learning Council in 2011.

Charles Read is half time Director of Liturgy and Director of Reader Training Norwich Diocese. He read theology at Manchester University, was a secondary RE teacher and a Reader (lay minister) before ordination. He served in a variety of churches in Manchester diocese and researched the early history of Daily Prayer for his MPhil. In 1999 he became Lecturer in Liturgy and Doctrine at St John’s College Durham He then became Vice-Principal of the Norwich Ministry Course, moving to his present set of posts in 2013. Charles is a member of General Synod and has published on aspects of worship. He has (nearly) finished a PhD on gender inclusive language in Common Worship and has research interests in baptism, feminist theology and ecclesiology. He is Associate Priest at St Catherine’s Mile Cross, an urban parish in north Norwich.

John Wigfield is Director Contextual Education and Tutor in Mission and Evangelism. John holds an MPhil in Old Testament (University of Nottingham), and an MA in Aspects of Christian Missiology (Open University). Appointed as Director of Pioneering Ministry with The Yorkshire Ministry Course in 2010, John initiated and developed The Contextual Pathway, a programme for full-time ordinands focused on pioneering integral mission. He became Dean of Contextual Formation upon the inception of St Hild College in 2017, of which YMC was a founding partner. After graduating in French and Linguistics/Phonetics and doing a PGCE (University of Leeds), John taught Modern Languages, largely in northern multicultural schools, and also in Hertfordshire, and English in rural Zimbabwe as a volunteer with a lay-Catholic mission society. For nine years, he served in theological education with The South American Mission Society, first in Chile, and then more widely in Latin America as Theological Consultant. A cradle Anglican, John became a Lay Reader in the Church of England in 2007, and in summer 2020 was selected for training for ordination. He will combine his role at ERMC with undertaking ministerial formation with Westcott House, Cambridge, where he began in September 2020, continuing his research into the fourth mark of mission for a PhD under the supervision of Professor Douglas Davies and Professor Mike Higton at the University of Durham. John is married to Angela, who teaches Modern Foreign Languages. They have three grown up children. John grew up in the Holme Valley on the edge of the Peak District in Yorkshire, and enjoys the great outdoors, going to live acoustic/roots gigs, song-writing, and European travel.

Lucy Dallas is Director of Pastoral Studies . Lucy holds first-class degrees in English Literature and Theology from the Universities of Kent and Oxford respectively, and a Master of Studies degree in New Testament Theology from the University of Oxford. After qualifying as a teacher at the University of Hertfordshire, Lucy taught English Literature in Hertfordshire schools and in a Christian missionary school in south east Asia. Lucy’s passions include integrating biblical studies with pastoral theology, and teaching Spirituality and Discipleship. She has a strong commitment to interfaith engagement and has a particular interest in Christian-Jewish relationships. A lifelong Anglican, Lucy was ordained in 2012 and served her curacy in the diocese of St Albans, where she is part of the parish of All Saints, Leavesden.

Rebecca Watson is half time Director of Studies and also a research associate at the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, where she is working on a project on the sea in the Bible. Before returning to ERMC she was Dean of Studies at St Hild College. And before that, from 2010-13, she was actually Director of Studies at ERMC. Rebecca began her academic studies in Oxford, with a BA and DPhil there, and a spell in Durham where she took an MA. Her main interest is in Old Testament, though she has been known to teach and write a bit on the New Testament too. Her research focuses on the Bible and Ecology, and on the Psalms. Her publications include Chaos Uncreated: A Reassessment of The Theme of “Chaos” in the Hebrew Bible (de Gruyter, 2005), Methods, Theories and Imagination: Social Scientific Approaches in Biblical Studies (with David Chalcraft and Frauke Ühlenbruch (eds.), Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2014), Blue Planet, Blue God: The Bible and the Sea (with Meric Srokosz SCM, 2017) and Really Useful Guide to Genesis 1-11 (Bible Reading Fellowship, 2019). Her latest book, co-authored with Adrian Curtis. Creation, Chaos, Monotheism, Yahwism: Conversations on Canaanite and Biblical Themes (de Gruyter, 2020) is due to appear later this year. Rebecca near Market Harborough, where her husband is vicar. She has two children and two mad border terriers.

Chaplains

Cathy Michell has been a student and teacher of Religious Studies for most of her working life and is now on the edge of retirement. She is particularly interested in the relationship of her own Christian faith to world religions, especially Hinduism. She has also worked in various ministerial training  and in-service training schemes both Anglican and Methodist. She is a Methodist Local Preacher and a qualified Spiritual Director. She loves music, art and poetry and is learning to ‘write’ icons. Her involvement with various local church-community art projects inspires her, as well as her role being one of the ERMC’s two chaplains. She has a partner,  three grown up children and a grand-son on the way.

Centre Leaders

St Albans Centre: The position is currently vacant

Norwich Centre: Charles Read, Reader Training Officer, Norwich Diocese (details see above)

Cambridge (Chesterton) Centre: Nick Moir is Priest-in-Charge of the Benefices of Fen Ditton, Horningsea and Teversham and Ministry Training Officer in Ely Diocese. Nick has served as an incumbent in both villages and the city; he has also worked as a bishop’s chaplain and a college chaplain. Formed in the evangelical tradition, he has always ministered in the ‘middle ground’ of the of the Church of England.  He is the Rural Dean of North Cambridge, an honorary canon of Ely cathedral, a member of the General Synod and a lead reviewer of theological colleges and courses.  During his training for ordination at Wycliffe Hall he gained a ‘first’ in theology from the University of Oxford, winning the Catherine of Alexandria prize, and he later completed an MTh in Christian Doctrine from King’s College, London – but what he really enjoys teaching is Church History!

Associate Tutors

The Revd Canon Tim Bull, Ethics
The Revd Dr Alex Corio, Practical Theology
The Revd Dr Megan Daffern, Old Testament
Ms Ruth Dennigan, Practical Theology
The Revd Jeremy Follett, Practical Theology
The Revd Nick Garrard, Practical Theology
The Revd Christie Gilfeather, Old Testament
The Revd Jonathan Gordon, Church History and Doctrine
The Revd Dr Donald Mcfadyen, Doctrine
The Revd Ysmena Pentelow, Old Testament
Dr Julie Robb, New Testament
Dr Julia Snyder, New Testament
The Revd Canon Kevin Walton, New Testament
Mr Jamie Worthington, New Testament

Administrative Staff

Anne Sims is the ERMC Administrator

Rachel Simons is the Academic Registrar

Julie Sanderson is the Academic Administrator

Catherine Taylor is ERMC’s Communications Officer. Catherine is an accomplished communications professional with in-depth experience of the NHS, public and voluntary sectors in the east of England. Over the last 25 years, Catherine has worked in external, internal and corporate communications and engagement. Catherine has an MA from the University of Cambridge and has lived in or around Cambridge since her student days.