Licentiate in Diaconal Ministry (LDM) [2027]

Welcome to the Licentiate in Diaconal Ministry.

This course is only available to those candidates that have been accepted into the cohort. To apply for consideration, please click here.

This is the beginning of something serious — and, we hope, something deeply good.

The LDM is a ten-month intensive formation programme for candidates preparing for the diaconate within the independent sacramental and Western Rite tradition. It is designed for people who are genuinely called to servant ministry: the ministry of the Word, of worship, and of practical care for the communities they serve.

This is not a course you complete. It is a formation you undergo. Over ten months, you will study Scripture carefully, engage the Church’s doctrine and sacramental life seriously, develop real pastoral and ministry skills, and bring all of that into a portfolio of evidence that reflects who you are becoming — not merely what you have studied.

About this programme

The LDM is an online-first, cohort-based formation programme. You will study from wherever you live, within a structured schedule, alongside a small group of fellow candidates who will form alongside you. Formation in community is not incidental to the programme; it is part of what the programme forms.

The course normally runs from February to November, across ten modules — one per month. Each module contains four weekly units of study, guided tasks, Scripture engagement, written work, and practical formation activities. You will complete the programme with a full formation portfolio, which serves as the evidence base for your final oral review and, ultimately, for ordination discernment by your relevant ecclesial authority.

Award: Licentiate in Diaconal Ministry (LDM)
Awarding body: Institute of Ministry (Apostolic Old Catholic Mission NPC)
Level: Post-secondary ecclesiastical formation award
Duration: Ten months (February–November)
Study commitment: Approximately two hours per day, five days per week (approximately 400 hours total)
Delivery: Online, cohort-based
Pass mark: 80% for all assessed work; maximum two attempts per assessment
Cohort size: Five to eight candidates
Notional formation hours: 400 (40 per module)

This is an ecclesiastical formation award of the Institute of Ministry. It is not a university degree, a state-accredited qualification, or a civil credential. Completion does not guarantee ordination; it prepares the candidate for review and discernment by the relevant ecclesial authority.

Who this programme is for

The LDM is designed for baptised, confirmed or chrismated Christians who are preparing for diaconal ministry in the independent sacramental, Old Catholic, Anglo-Catholic, Western Rite, or broadly compatible Catholic tradition.

You should apply for this programme if you:

• are genuinely discerning a call to diaconal ministry and are ready to test that call through serious formation;
• are baptised and confirmed or chrismated, or have equivalent evidence of Christian initiation;
• are 21 years of age or older;
• have completed secondary education (high school, Grade 12, Matric, or equivalent);
• are able to read, write, study, and participate in formation in English at C1 level;
• can sustain approximately ten hours of study per week alongside existing work, family, and ministry commitments;
• have, or are actively building, a local ministry context — a small group, house church, pastoral setting, mission community, or equivalent;
• have completed the required safeguarding training and background checks, or are in the process of doing so;
• are willing to find and work with an authorised formation mentor throughout the ten months.

This programme is not suitable for people who are new to Christianity, who are seeking ordination without formation, who are unwilling to receive honest feedback, or who are approaching ministry as a title rather than a calling.

What this programme is not

The Institute values clarity as much as it values welcome.

This programme is not a shortcut to ordination. It is not a certification course. It is not a reading list with a certificate at the end. It is a ten-month formation process that will ask real things of you — in your study, in your prayer life, in your character, and in your ministry practice.

Completion of the LDM does not confer ordination, incardination, faculties, or ministry authority. Those decisions belong to the relevant ecclesial authority, whose discernment is informed by — but not replaced by — the formation evidence you produce.

What you will learn

By the end of the LDM, you will be able to:

1. Describe the vocation and ministry of a deacon as service in Word, worship, charity, and pastoral presence within the Western Rite and independent sacramental tradition.
2. Demonstrate the attitude, humility, teachability, self-discipline, and relational maturity required for ordained ministry.
3. Explain the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed article by article, and the Lord’s Prayer petition by petition, as foundations for Christian ministry.
4. Demonstrate working knowledge of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Deuterocanonical books of the Catholic canon.
5. Use Scripture responsibly for prayer, teaching, preaching preparation, and pastoral reflection — including guided engagement with the original languages of the biblical text.
6. Explain the seven sacraments of the Western Catholic tradition and distinguish clearly between diaconal, priestly, and episcopal ministry.
7. State what a deacon may do, may do only when specifically authorised, and may never do.
8. Describe the history of the Church from the early Church through to the independent sacramental movement, and apply that history to contemporary ministry.
9. Lead the Daily Office reverently and sustainably.
10. Proclaim the Gospel clearly and prepare a short, responsible homily or teaching reflection.
11. Practise pastoral care with appropriate boundaries, confidentiality, referral awareness, and humility.
12. Apply clergy ethics to realistic ministry scenarios, including digital, financial, and relational boundaries.
13. Design a realistic small group, house church, or local mission plan appropriate to the scale and ethos of independent sacramental ministry.
14. Demonstrate inclusive ministry practice as a theological and sacramental commitment.
15. Complete a formation portfolio suitable for use in ordination discernment, ministry application, or future accreditation processes.

How the programme is structured

The LDM is organised into five sections across ten modules.

Section 1 — Foundation: Readiness, Discipline, and Identity (Module 01, February)
The first month establishes the formation rhythm, builds the cohort community, introduces the candidate to ecclesial accountability, and begins the honest work of character formation. This is where the portfolio begins and where the Formation Covenant is signed.

Section 2 — Scripture: The Word of God in the Life of the Church (Modules 02, 03, 04 — March, April, May)
Three months of serious Scripture study. The Old Testament, Deuterocanon, covenant, prophecy, wisdom, and the Psalms. The Gospels, Acts, Paul, and the Catholic Epistles. And then the discipline of hermeneutics — how to read Scripture faithfully, responsibly, and for ministry, rather than cherry-picking verses to support conclusions already reached.

Section 3 — Doctrine and Sacraments: What We Believe and How We Worship (Modules 05, 06 — June, July)
The Creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, the history of the Church from the early centuries through the Great Schism, the Reformation, the Old Catholic movement, and the independent sacramental tradition. Then the seven sacraments, the deacon’s place at each, the Daily Office, the liturgical year, and the candidate’s own Rule of Life.

Section 4 — Ministry in Practice: Word, Care, and Community (Modules 07, 08, 09 — August, September, October)
The ministry of proclamation: preparing and delivering a homily, facilitating Scripture discussion, and communicating the faith clearly. Then pastoral care, boundaries, confidentiality, mandatory reporting, and clergy ethics. Finally, the theology and practice of small communities — forming, leading, and sustaining house churches and local missions, and designing a realistic six-month mission plan.

Section 5 — Integration and Readiness: The Deacon at the Threshold (Module 10, November)
The final month draws everything together. The portfolio is completed and submitted. A final formation review asks honestly what has changed over ten months. The programme concludes with a final oral review by video call — not an examination, but a formation conversation about readiness.

Assessment

Assessment in the LDM is mixed-method, designed to reflect real ministry competence rather than academic performance alone.

Across the ten months you will complete:

• regular knowledge checks, auto-marked against clear criteria;
• structured written reflections engaging theology, Scripture, and pastoral practice;
• practical evidence submissions, including a proclamation video, a Daily Office leadership video, and a Scripture teaching plan;
• monthly mentor feedback, submitted as portfolio evidence;
• cohort discussion summaries from monthly video meetings;
• a final formation portfolio compiled across all ten months;
• a final oral review by video call.

The pass mark for all assessed work is 80%. Each assessment may be attempted a maximum of two times. A candidate who does not reach the required standard on a second attempt will be reviewed by the formation authority.

Your submitted work must be your own. The use of digital tools for organisation, study support, accessibility, or drafting assistance is permitted. The submission of work that is not genuinely your own is a serious breach of formation integrity and may result in removal from the programme.

Your formation mentor

Every candidate must secure at least one formation mentor before or during the first module. The mentor must be authorised by the Institute before the mentoring relationship begins.

Your mentor must hold a genuine, demonstrable qualification relevant to ministry formation — an ordained minister in good standing, a licensed chaplain or pastoral worker, a theology lecturer, or an experienced spiritual director. The key requirement is not the relationship but the professional qualification and the capacity for honest, professional accountability.

Your mentor will meet with you at least monthly, complete a brief feedback form at the end of each module, and provide an honest account of your character, conduct, prayer life, and ministry engagement. Mentor feedback forms are portfolio items and form part of your final assessment.

The Institute authorises mentors. It does not find them for you.

Your formation portfolio

From the first day of Module 01, you begin building your formation portfolio. The portfolio is not assembled at the end of the programme — it is collected in real time, month by month, as you complete formation tasks, receive mentor feedback, and produce practical ministry evidence.

By the end of the programme, your portfolio will include:

• your signed Formation Covenant and Formation Readiness Plan;
• ten months of authorised mentor feedback;
• Scripture study worksheets and written reflections;
• a written teaching piece explaining the Lord’s Prayer;
• a video of you leading the Daily Office;
• your personal Rule of Life;
• a sacramental boundaries case study;
• a full homily outline and a recorded homily video;
• a pastoral scenario exercise;
• your Personal Code of Conduct;
• a six-month small community or mission plan;
• a final portfolio cover statement and formation review.

This portfolio is yours. It belongs to you after the programme ends and may be used in ordination discernment, ministry application, or future accreditation processes.

The Scripture we use

This programme uses the Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV) as its standard Bible for practical reasons: it is in the public domain, it includes the full Catholic canon including the Deuterocanonical books, and it is available at no cost. This is a pragmatic choice, not a theological endorsement.

You are strongly encouraged to read Scripture in multiple translations throughout the programme. The Revised Standard Version — Catholic Edition (RSV-CE), the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue), the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), and the Douay-Rheims are all suitable alongside the CPDV. (Note that this is not a mandated list, and you are encouraged to read whichever versions you prefer, alongside the CPDV, used in this course.)

The programme engages with the original languages of the biblical text — Hebrew and Greek — at a formation level. No prior knowledge of either language is required or expected. The course provides the tools and the guidance; your role is to engage with them honestly.

Inclusive language and inclusive ministry

This programme uses inclusive language for all human beings throughout. The pronouns of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are not altered, in keeping with the received tradition of Scripture and the Creeds.

Inclusive ministry is not a political position in this programme; it is a theological conviction. It is rooted in the image of God borne by every person, in the baptismal equality declared by Paul in Galatians 3:28, and in the pattern of Jesus, who ate with those the religious establishment excluded. Candidates who are not prepared to minister in that spirit should not be in this cohort.

Status of this award

The Licentiate in Diaconal Ministry is an ecclesiastical formation award of the Institute of Ministry. It is not a university degree, a state-accredited qualification, or a civil credential, and it does not claim to be. It is a serious, structured, evidence-based formation programme designed to prepare candidates for the diaconate within the independent sacramental tradition, and to produce the kind of documented formation evidence that supports ordination discernment and may assist future accreditation applications.

The Institute benchmarks its formation voluntarily against the standards of recognised theological education bodies without implying or claiming current accreditation.

Complaints and appeals

If you have a concern about formation administration, assessment, or conduct, the complaints and appeals process is set out in the Formation Policy Manual.

Important Reminder

By accessing this course, you agree to our Terms & Conditions, including the “Learning and courses” and “Academic Integrity (Cheating & Plagiarism) Policy” sections.

Course Copyright Notice

All internal course content provided through the Institute of Ministry (Apostolic Old Catholic Mission NPC) platform (including text, lesson pages, videos and templates) is protected by copyright and remains the intellectual property of the Apostolic Old Catholic Mission NPC. © 2026–2027 Apostolic Old Catholic Mission NPC. All rights reserved.

Note that this course references materials owned by third parties. We do not claim ownership of these external resources, and they remain the copyright of their respective owners.