NEOC - Oecumenical Education for Ministry, Yorkshire and Northeast UK

What is NEOC ?

NEOC began in 1976. It has developed a new and distinctive kind of theological education designed to equip men and women for representative ministry in the churches of the region. The Course is jointly sponsored by the Anglican, Methodist and United Reformed Churches.

Dispersed Learning

NEOC is a learning community for those preparing for Christian Ministry.
NEOC offers a demanding route of preparing for ministry in the real world.
Members do not leave home and they do not leave their employment.
Members study at home and in small groups across the North East and Yorkshire.
Requires (on average) 15 hours independent study time per week.
Six residential weekends, optional study days, an annual 8-day Summer School, one of which is based in the Holy Land.

Oecumenical Learning

NEOC welcomes students from its sponsoring churches: Anglican, Methodist, URC.
Candidates for ordained and lay ministries study together.

Learning from Experience

NEOC includes students from across the total spectrum of tradition and experience.
The Course integrates learning and doing theology with personal development and ministerial formation.
The Course builds on members' experience of life, previous learning and Christian practice.

Learning in context

NEOC integrates study and daily work, theory and practice, faith and experience, vocational development and family life, theological training and the local church.
Members work with a personal tutor in preparing for ministry through the totality of their experience and relationships.

The Outcomes of Learning

NEOC prepares women and men for a range of ministries in the Church, lay and ordained, stipendiary, non-stipendiary, local and secular employment.
NEOC is accredited by the University of Durham for the academic award of DipHE (Theology and Ministry).

Learning for Life

NEOC has no buildings of its own and "travels light".
The Course is delivered by a core staff of five and an extensive regional network of tutors, supervisors and assessors.
NEOC is based in the real world, not the academy or cloister, because:
God addresses us in the life of the world, not in personal religious experience alone;
God is present and active in the life of the world - not in churches and congregations alone;
Theology begins from the life of the world, not in theological textbooks alone.

Somebody within easy reach of your home has experience of NEOC, either as a member of the Staff Team or as a current or past student.