The Centre for Christian Education and Pastoral Theology brings together academics to offer high quality scholarship, leadership and practice in the field of Christian Education. The Centre works across the Faculties of Arts & Humanities and Education and aims to promote inter-disciplinary dialogue that bridges the gap between theology and education and between theory and practice. This is done within a spirit of ecumenical dialogue between different denominational traditions and through theological, spiritual and practical reflection.
Centre activities are underpinned by research expertise, contribute to knowledge exchange in the field of Christian Education and impact communities of educational practice and church audiences. These include Roman Catholic and Anglican bodies and funding organisations, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, Catholic Education Service, Church of England Church House, church schools, colleges and academies, Cathedrals Group HEIs, as well as other educational agencies working for the common good.
The Director of the Centre is Dr Ros Stuart-Buttle, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Education.
For general enquiries about the Centre for Christian Education and Pastoral Theology, please email ncce@hope.ac.uk
Dr Ros Stuart-Buttle
Director and Senior Lecturer in Theology and Education
Associate Professor Peter McGrail
Head of TPRS Department
Dr John Shortt
Professorial Fellow in Christian Education
Professor John Sullivan
Emeritus Professor of Christian Education
Sr. Helen Bamber (Postgraduate Diploma in Theology (pathway in Supervisory Practice), Lampeter, University of Wales)
Gerry Bradbury (M. Ed., Manchester University)
Margaret Buck (M. Ed. in Education, Birmingham University)
Dr Mark Chater, (Culham St Gabriels' Trust)
Liz Clark (MA in Pastoral Theology (Distinction), St Mary’s University College, Twickenham)
Joanna Hale (MA in Contemporary Theology in the Catholic Tradition, Heythrop College, University of London)
Dr Anne Lumb (Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham)
Natalie Maunder (MA Theology and Religious Studies, York St John University)
Dr Andrew Morris, Consultant in Catholic Education & Catholic Schools
The Centre for Christian Education currently offers the following awards:
Significant educational change has taken place in recent years and church schools and institutions are not immune from this change. Widespread debates around the nature, role, purpose and contribution of faith schooling in the UK challenge church schools and their leaders to adopt not only best policies and practices affecting teaching and learning, curriculum, leadership and governance but also to articulate the distinctiveness of what a church school can bring to the educational enterprise. This postgraduate degree will equip current and future leaders in church schools with the conceptual and spiritual resources derived from the Christian tradition and provide an opportunity to discern and deploy these principles and resources in the ongoing Christian mission, ethos and priorities of their school.
Find out more about the MA/MEd in Christian Education and Leadership. This postgraduate award offers a number of fees-reduction bursaries to successful applicants.
The interdisciplinary MA Education and Religious Education takes an innovative approach to religious education issues, allowing students to develop strengths and interests by encouraging reflection and debate with like-minded professionals, supported by staff with experience and expertise in this area. The programme has been designed to cater for the interests of professionals in all kinds of settings including primary, secondary and post-compulsory education; faith and non-faith schools and faith organisations.
Find out more at the MA Education and Religious Education course page.
Anglican Church School Studies is a non-accredited professional development course that has been developed in consultation with leading local practitioners to provide opportunities for Hope students undergoing teacher training to develop working knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their preparation for a role and contribution within a Church of England school or academy.
This award explores the distinctive identity and defining characteristics of Church of England schools and academies. It examines the relationship between values, vision, ethos and standards within an Anglican school context and considers the special nature and impact of religious education and collective worship. The importance of reflective practice in an Anglican school context is emphasised, with clear opportunities to develop professional knowledge, understanding and skills and to prepare with confidence for a role and contribution within an Anglican setting.
For further information, please email ncce@hope.ac.uk
The CCRS is awarded by the Board of Religious Studies on behalf of the Bishop's Conference of England and Wales. It is recommended for any teacher who wants to teach in a Catholic school as well as anyone seeking to deepen their knowledge and understanding in Catholic faith and theology. Any person who wishes to be involved in Catholic education and formation may apply for the course. This includes those involved in Religious Education in schools, Parish Catechesis and other ministries in the Church and anyone wishing to follow the course for faith development or personal interest.
The CCRS course is led by Dr Ros Stuart-Buttle and the course administrator is Rachel Foster. The CCRS is delivered as a two year rolling programme and requires completion of a total of eight modules: six core and two specialist modules. Four modules are offered each academic year and so it is possible to complete the course within two years or else take up to five years as allowed by the Board of Studies.
There are two options for taking CCRS with Liverpool Hope University:
Download the CCRS Online leaflet.
For both options there is a £25 Board of Studies registration fee. Module registration and payment is made via the University online store.
For all enquiries relating to the CCRS course at Liverpool Hope University please e-mail ccrsonline@hope.ac.uk.
Alternatively, find out more about the national CCRS award by visiting the Board of Studies website.
Following the recent national research project led by Dr Ros Stuart-Buttle, the Final Report will be published shortly as follows and also available in PDF format:
Stuart-Buttle, R. (2019) CCRS Twenty Five Years On: One Size Fits All?, Rejoice Publications, Matthew James Publishing Ltd.
Publications during 2018 include an edited book by two of the Centre's authors:
Stuart-Buttle, R. & Shortt, J. (2018) Christian Faith, Formation and Education. Palgrave Macmillan. See https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319628028
Additional publications by Centre members include:
Shortt, J. (2014) Bible-Shaped Teaching. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock.
Shortt, J. (2011) ‘Considering Dialogue Education in a Christian Faith Context’ in The Theological Educator. Oct 2011.
Shortt, J. (2017) 'Education for Shalom: dimensions of a relational pedagogy' in P.M. Bamber & J.C. Moore (eds), Teacher Education in Challenging Times. London: Routledge.
Stuart-Buttle, R. (2018) ‘Research and Practice in Catholic Educational Studies’ in Whittle, Sean ed. (2018) Researching Catholic Education: Contemporary Perspectives, Springer.
Stuart-Buttle, R. (2016) 'Does RE Matter: What do Teachers Think?' in Shanahan, Mary ed. (2016) Does Religious Education Matter? Taylor & Francis.
Stuart-Buttle, R. (2016) 'Vatican II and New Thinking on Catholic Education: An English Perspective' in Whittle, Sean ed. (2016) Vatican II and New Thinking about Catholic Education. Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
Stuart-Buttle, R. Review of Anglican church school education: moving beyond the first two hundred years. Edited by Howard J Worsley. London and New York: Bloomsbury Academic. 2014. Pp. 269.
Stuart-Buttle, R. (2014) 'Interrupting Adult Pedagogy Through Online Learning' in The Journal of Education and Christian Belief, Vol 18 (1) Spring 2014, pp. 61-75.
Stuart-Buttle, R. (2014) 'Being Open to Online Others: Online Journals and Professional Learning Among Church School Practitioners'. ACISE XXV Colloquium, Liverpool Hope University Press, pp. 239-248.
Stuart-Buttle, R. (2013) Virtual Theology, Faith and Adult Education: An Interruptive Pedagogy, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: Cambridge? Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781443847308
Stuart-Buttle, R. (2011) ‘Communicating Faith and Online Learning’ in Sullivan, J. (2011) ed. Communicating Faith. Catholic University of America Press, pp. 328-343.
Professor John Sullivan 'The Story of An Educational Innovation: the MA in Catholic School Leadership at St Mary's University College,, 1997 - 2013'' by John Sullivan, Alan Murphy and David Fincham, International Studies in Catholic Education volume 7, Number 1, March 2015, pp.28 - 45.
Four short articles in Encyclopedia of Christian Education (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) edited by George Thomas Kurian and Mark A Lamport: ‘Faith and culture’, ‘Tradition and reform ‘, ‘Teaching: human and divine’ and ‘Sanctification and learning’.
'Critical Fidelity and Catholic School Leadership' in International Handbook of Learning, Teaching and Leading in Faith-Based Schools, edited by Judith Chapman (et al), Dordrecht: Springer, 2014, pp.553 - 566.
'Theology as Partner for Educators' in New Perspectives in Philosophy of Education edited by David Lewin et al (Bloomsbury, 2014), pp.199 - 217.
Sullivan, J. and McKinney, S. J. (2013) Eds., Education in a Catholic Perspective, Farnham: Ashgate?
'Newman's Circle of Knowledge and Curriculum Wholeness in the University' in Receptions of Newman, edited by Frederick Aquino and Benjamin King (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015).
‘A space like no other’ in Does Religious Education Matter. Edited by Mary Shanahan (Routledge, 2016), pp.7 – 24. ‘Relative autonomy and the Catholic university’ in Vatican II and New Thinking about Catholic Education edited by Sean Whittle (Routledge, 2017), pp.215 – 235.
‘Living Tradition and Learning Agency: Interpreting the ‘score’ and personal rendition’ in Christian Faith, Formation and Education, edited by Ros Stuart-Buttle and John Shortt (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), pp.93 – 114.
‘Diversity and Differentiation in Catholic Education’ in Researching Catholic Education edited by Sean Whittle (Springer, 2018).
‘The Christian Academic in Higher Education: The Consecration of Learning (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). ‘The Role of RE teachers in Catholic Schools: Between Pedagogy and Ecclesiology’ in Religious Education in Catholic Schools, edited by Sean Whittle (Bern: Peter Lang Publishing, 2018).
'The University', The Oxford Handbook of John Henry Newman, edited by Frederick D.Aquino & Benjamin J. King (Oxford University Press, 2018), pp.538-556.
'The Role of RE Teachers in Catholic Schools: Between Pedagogy and Ecclesiology' in Religious Education in Catholic Schools, edited by Sean Whittle (Bern: Peter Lang Publishing, 2018).
Andrew has spent forty years working in Catholic education in a variety of teaching, leadership, administrative and governance roles. He has been a teacher and headteacher, a chairman of governors of both primary and secondary Catholic schools, a member of several School Organisation Committees and Deputy Director of Schools of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. He stepped down from his role as Senior Research Fellow and Directorship of the National Centre for Christian Education at Liverpool Hope at the end of the 2011-12 academic year. He remains an Associate member of Centre, is an Associate of the National Institute for Christian Education Research at Canterbury Christ Church University and a part-time MA and PhD tutor at the Maryvale Higher Institute of Religious Sciences, Birmingham.
He is the author of over fifty journal articles and three books - 'Fifty Years On: The Case for Catholic Schools'; 'Re-Imagining Christian education for the 21st Century' (both with Matthew James Publishing); and 'Catholic Education: Universal Principles, Locally Applied' (published by Cambridge Scholars Press).
Centre for Christian Education projects are collaborative, contribute to university recruitment, support the production of academic knowledge and discourse, bring funding or other income, and impact the communities with whom the Centre works. It is envisaged that the Centre’s work will contribute to one of the impact case studies used in the REF2020 in Theology, Philosophy and Religious Studies.
Current research being undertaken by Centre members involves collaborative initiative with Cathedrals Group universities, NBRIA and the Catholic Education Service exploring the changing context for the teaching of religion in schools, namely the GCSE and A level reforms. This project is being led by Associate Professor Peter McGrail.
The Centre has also led a national CCRS project across England and Wales examining the theological formation of teachers and lay adults in church schools and parish contexts in relation to what constitutes adult theological literacy. This project has been supported by the CCRS Board of Religious Studies and Catholic Education Service. Dr. Ros Stuart-Buttle has been lead investigator for the project and her final Report, CCRS Twenty Five Years On: One Size Fits All?, Rejoice Publications, Matthew James Publishing Ltd, is now available in both hard copy and PDF format. The media release states:
CCRS Twenty-Five Years On: New Research Report published this week
Forming today's Catholics is a pressing issue for the Church. A new report CCRS Twenty-Five Years On: One Size Fits All? takes up this question and shows that one of the main vehicles over the last 25 years called the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS) has made a huge impact on peoples' personal, spiritual and professional lives. More than 20,000 adults across England and Wales have taken the course since 2000 in order to further their knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith, many of whom work in our Catholic schools and parishes. While the research affirms the role and contribution of the CCRS to adult formation and celebrates all that has been achieved, it also raises timely and important questions to be considered.
Research findings come from course participants as well as from interviews with bishops, diocesan education directors, head teachers and those who provide CCRS in their local area. The report gives hard evidence of the continuing need for adult theological literacy and the vast majority of participants greatly value the course and would recommend it to others. The research also identifies concerns about the type of curriculum that is needed and how best to enable adult learning with clear theological purpose and practical relevance for today. The report makes a number of recommendations for church authorities to consider but looks ahead with confidence to the next 25 years.
Dr Ros Stuart-Buttle, Director of the Centre for Christian Education at Liverpool Hope University, who led the researchproject says, "It was a privilege to undertake this research. I was inspired by the many individual stories of how the CCRS has impacted on peoples' spiritual and professional lives. I was also challenged by the needs, perceptions and expectations that people bring to their experience of faith and stimulated, as a result, to see how lay Catholics today can grow in theological thinking that is relevant to our times."
Fr Des Seddon, Chairman of the Board of Religious Studies of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, affirms the importance of the research report and says, "the recommendations will provide the Board of Studies with a way forward for the next phase of developments for the CCRS. I would like to express my thanks to all those who were involved in the research."
The Centre also supports and contributes to research initiatives at NICER, Canterbury Christ Church and other Cathedrals Group universities.
The Centre is happy to receive research interest and proposals from potential doctoral students.
For more information about any of these research initiatives please contact the Centre Director.
A significant academic conference was held at Liverpool Hope University from 6-8th July 2018. It contributed to further development of an international community of research and practice among scholars working in the field of Christian Education and provided an opportunity for dialogue and discussion on the theme of changing religious, socio-cultural, political and educational contexts facing Christian education today.
Key speakers included Lieven Boeve, Professor of Fundamental Theology at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven, Belgium and current Director-General of the general office of Catholic Education in Flanders (Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen): Ben Ryan, Researcher at the Christian think tank Theos, currently leading a project looking at faith on campus, with a particular focus on the role of faith and belief based student societies in UK universities; and Andy Wolfe, Head of Networks for The Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership.
Over thirty delegate papers were shared and the conference was declared a great success by all who attended.
A one-day Post Graduate Research Conference in Christian Education is taking place on 6th July 2019 at NICER, Canterbury Christ Church University. The conference is free but you must register in order to be able to attend. To register please follow this link