The Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education
Tutor (full time)
Job Description
Post:
Tutor in Black Theology, Ministries and Leadership
Location:
The Queen’s Foundation, Somerset Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham
Start Date:
1 September 2014
Salary:
£24,420 plus travel and housing allowances (if eligible)
Primary Roles: To develop relationships and partnerships with Black Led Churches for the learning and
formation of their pastors, ministers and members.
To teach and tutor students from Black Led Churches along with others across all
programmes taught within Queen’s.
To lead a team of Black and Asian tutors at Queen’s to enhance the support of Black and
Asian students.
Reporting to:
The Academic Director
Responsible to: The Principal
Primary
relationships
The Academic Director
Colleagues in the Centre for Discipleship and Theology
Black and Asian tutors
The Co-Directors of the Centre for Ministerial Formation
Leaders of Black led churches
Research fellows
Health and Safety
The tutor will be subject to the Queen’s Foundation Health and Safety policy.
Equal Opportunities
The tutor will be subject to the Queen’s Foundation Equal Opportunities Policy.
Appraisal:
The tutor will undertake an annual appraisal by the Principal according to the
policy and practices as agreed by the Governing body.
General Information
For the last 30 years Queen’s been committed to supporting the vocations and theological education of
Black and Asian Christians and to the teaching of Black and Asian liberative theologies. In recent years,
largely through the inspirational leadership of the late Revd Lynnette Mullings, this work has developed
into new partnerships and relationships with a range of Black Led Churches, which includes a significant
and growing number of students learning and training at Queen’s. The liberative focus of Black theology
is a theological underpinning for Queen’s commitments to racial justice and the desire to make this
institution a hospitable and just place for Black and Asian students to learn. Sustaining current
relationships with churches and developing new partnerships is a priority for the post-holder, as is tutoring
and teaching students from Black led churches.
Black and Asian students are strongly represented across the Foundation: ministerial candidates from the
Church of England and the Methodist Church in the Centre for Ministerial Formation; doctoral researchers
in the Centre for Research; undergraduate and MA students in the Centre for Discipleship and Theology.
A team of tutors from across the Foundation will support and nurture these students to ensure that they
flourish in their learning at Queen’s. The post-holder will convene this team and be responsible for helping
it to work together to ensure the highest level of support for Black and Asian students across the whole
Foundation, to reflect together on the curriculum and learning environment, advising programme groups
and the leadership team on the ways in which the learning and formational needs and perspectives of
Black and Asian students can be enhanced and developed. The post-holder will belong primarily to the
staff team in the Centre for Discipleship and Theology, where most students from Black led churches are
based, but will work across the whole Foundation.
We seek, therefore, an experienced and skilled theological educator with first-hand knowledge and
experience of Black Led Churches who can lead this important area of work at the Queen’s Foundation.
S/he must:
 Be a leader who can provide credible and confident leadership to the development of our current
partnerships and programmes with Black Led churches.
 Be a scholar, theologian and teacher who can develop and contribute to programmes at every
level - from access programmes to doctoral supervision. A specialist field is essential but we are
open to the subject area and discipline.
 Be committed to tutoring and contributing to activities across the Foundation that promote and
support the learning, training, formation and professional development of Black and Asian
students not only from Black Led and Black majority churches, but from the Church of England
and the Methodist Church as well.
 Be a strategic thinker who can develop relationships with, and engage, new partner churches,
working with their leadership at the highest level; who can initiate research projects and the
development of new programmes.
 Work collaboratively with colleagues across the Foundation to enable the effective support of
students from Black Led and Black Majority Churches whether they are self-funding in the Centre
for Discipleship and Theology, or preparing for ordained ministries in the Centre for Ministerial
Formation, or undertaking professional development programmes, or engaging in Research.
 Convene a team of Black and Asian tutorial colleagues to support the learning and formation of all
Black and Asian students to ensure that they flourish in their learning and that Queen’s is attentive
and responsive to their experiences, perspectives and insights.
 Be able to supervise doctoral students, especially those whose research is related to Black
theology and experience.
 Actively support and help resource the Black Theology Forum.
 Represent Queen’s at regional and national committees, conferences, consultations.
All tutors are members of the Foundation Staff Group (FSG). The FSG is committed to ways of working
that are collaborative, supportive and self-critical. Each tutor has a focus of responsibility within one (or
more) of the Centres, and this post-holder will be part of the Centre for Discipleship and Theology team.
All tutors share in common a number of responsibilities:
 Be personal tutor to students and candidates.
 Contribute to the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes by teaching modules and
assessing student work as agreed with the Academic Director. The teaching is likely to include
evenings and some weekend work, as well as the possibility of teaching in other locations.
 Work with other colleagues to support the arrangements for placement or practice based learning
for students from Black led churches.
 Supervise MA and Undergraduate dissertations as required.
 Be part of supervision teams for MPhil and Doctoral students.
 Take an active part in the regular meetings of the FSG, the various Centre Teams, Programme
groups and Academic Board, working collaboratively with colleagues in helping to formulate and
execute the policies and programmes of the Foundation team, contributing to the development of
the curriculum and other aspects of the life of the Foundation.
 Share in and contribute to the corporate worship and community life of the Foundation.
 Represent the Foundation in the councils and committees of partner and associated bodies as
appropriate and required.
Person Specification
The post-holder will:
Skill, quality or experience
Formation and Tutoring
Have proven experience and
proficiency as a theological educator
Be a skilled teacher who can engage
with a diverse group of learners,
teaching at a range of levels.
Be a scholar/researcher who is
qualified to doctoral level or possesses
equivalent research credentials
Is experienced in supervising doctoral
researchers
Has a relevant subject specialism that
maintains our commitment to Black
theology and enhances the teaching and
research capacity of the staff team
Be a leader with proven experience and
credibility in leading the next phase of
our partnerships and programmes with
Black Led churches
Be a strategic thinker who can develop
and engage new partner churches,
working with their leadership at the
highest level
Have experience of initiating research
projects and the development of new
programmes.
Be experienced in teaching and learning
in inter-cultural and cross-cultural
contexts.
Have excellent inter-personal skills,
relating well to a wide range of people.
Be collaborative, valuing diversity, open
to learn from those who bring different
experiences, traditions, and
perspectives.
Be a good team player able to lead a
team with skill and care.
Be a person of maturity and integrity,
faith and prayer.
Essential
Desirable
Evidenced by
Application form Interview
Be willing and able to contribute to the
life of the community and its worship.
Be in sympathy with the ethos and
values of the Queen’s Foundation.