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Rediscovering a Rule of Life 2025 course

Rules of Life are patterns or structures within which we choose to live in order to be healthy, fruitful, flourishing Christians. They have been part of Christian discipleship since early ages, influenced and shaped particularly by monastic communities, and perhaps most significantly by the sixth century Rule of St Benedict.

More recently we have rediscovered the way which shaping and trying to live by a Rule of Life can be transformative for all Christian people, lay or ordained, older or younger, at any stage of our discipleship journey. Rules of Life generally focus on finding healthy balance or equilibrium in our faith journey, considering how things like engagement with Scripture, personal prayer, participation in the life of the Church, awareness of the world around us, and our own personal situation in terms of work, education or retirement can be held in a creative and life-giving equilibrium.

This short course of four online lunchtime seminars spread over four months will continue to reflect on some of the key principles of either creating a new, or refreshing an existing, Rule of Life. We will draw from the tradition, but not be confined by it.

This course stands alone as it explores four aspects of a Rule of Life not covered in the 2024 course: personal (or private) prayer; silence and stillness; Simplicity; and the traditional “lenten disciplines” of fasting and almsgiving.

There is an optional 30-minute briefing session at 11:30am on 15 January for those attending for the first time and previous attendees will find new material in this second set of sessions,

About the course leader
Tom Clammer OC is a spiritual director and a Brother of the Anglican Order of Cistercians, and has been living under that Rule for the last five years, which has excited him to encourage every Christian to consider forming their own Rule of Life. In June 2024 he was appointed as Novice Master.

Book Event

Online ticket to all 4 sessions # £40

This is an online series delivered via Zoom. This ticket gives the participant access to all 4 sessions in the course. Tom will record his input for each (without the discussion) to share with any participant who is unable to attend a session.

Available Tickets: 34

The Online ticket to all 4 sessions # ticket is sold out. You can try another ticket or another date.

Details

Dates & Times

15 Jan 2025

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Tutor(s)

Canon Tom Clammer

Other Notes

Wednesdays in early 2025
15 January
5 February
12 March
2 April, 2025
12-1pm BST each session, with optional ‘catch-up’ on 15 January from 11:30am.

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What our students say

PhD Research Programmes

Visual Artist Claire Reed

The complex and sometimes fractious relationship between contemporary art and religion has intrigued me throughout my art career, informing my direction as an artist. It has led me to work in sacred spaces with their immediate and wider communities, to study an MA in Theology, Imagination and Culture at Sarum College, and recently to become artist–researcher at Leo Baeck College of Jewish scholarship and learning.

My aim is to examine the extent to which this creative approach might generate fruitful inter-religious theological insights within a Jewish and Christian ministry training context.

Sarum College combines an open-minded embrace of the imagination and the arts with a supportive, questioning and diverse community. Crucially for me, the Sarum-Winchester PhD programme is one of the very few UK university programmes to offer a hybrid thesis in art and theology in which the creative process and resulting art output along with a written critical component are presented for examination.

This PhD research is a key part of my development as an artist engaged with theology and inter-religious dialogue.

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Stimulating and Challenging

What is Successful Ageing? led by James Woodward

I enjoyed the course immensely from beginning to end – the seamless interweaving of knowledge, ideas and research and the linking with belief and faith.

The content was stimulating, challenging, thought provoking and I was greatly appreciative of the contributions and questions from other participants, your considered and sensitive responses and integration with your presentations.

Thank you!

Netflix, Theology and Pastoral Practice

Peter Butchers on his MA in Theology, Imagination and Culture student experience

How do cultural tropes, like those found in Black Mirror, help bridge the gap between what academic theology espouses and what the everyday Christian believes? In his research as a student on the MA in Theology, Imagination and Culture, Peter Butchers explored platonic philosophy, digital theology and eschatology, and pastoral practice around death and dying.

Rewarding Sabbatical Stay

The Revd Greg Syler, is Rector of Ascension & St. George’s, Resurrection Parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC USA, spent part of his ministry sabbatical at Sarum College in spring 2022.

His account of the experience begins: ‘I loved spending nearly three weeks of my ministry sabbatical at Sarum College earlier this year.

Not only did I rest, and rest well in the comfortable care of the Sarum College staff, I experienced very significant renewal and fresh insights.’

The Road Not Taken

Sarum Graduate Mike Truman

January 2022

Five years ago, I told my Warden of Readers that I would not be renewing my licence when it expired in 2019, as I thought my faith was becoming too unorthodox for a Church of England licensed lay minister. As someone who knew me well, she challenged me to actively explore what I did still believe. Thus started the journey that ended last August with the dissertation completing my MA in Theology Imagination and Culture (MATIC) at Sarum College.

Clergy Study Breaks

The opportunity for clergy to get away occasionally from their own context, to have an overnight stay in the beautiful setting of Sarum College and all that the Salisbury Cathedral Close offers is hugely valuable. All the clergy I have suggested who have spent 24hrs at Sarum College have benefit greatly from the experienced mentoring where they can talk, reflect, think, plan and pray.

The support and encouragement they receive is excellent and has a positive on their on going ministry. This is something the Diocese of Rochester encourages and supports financially in preparation for their clergy preparing for Extended Ministerial Development Leave (Sabbatical).

— Canon Christopher Dench, Diocese of Rochester Director of Formation and Ministry

Retreats and Private Stays

When I arrived, exhausted and sensitive, I was grateful not to be asked by Reception were I came from, whether I had had a good journey etc. That was the kind of hospitality I needed: a non-intrusive welcome that was found in ancient cultures and still survives in some societies today, where the host asks questions about a stranger and his journey only when the visitor has rested and been given food and drink.

— guest on a private stay

Biblical Study Breaks

I just found it very refreshing – as a leader of a church I don’t get as many opportunities to step out and do courses (my fault, not the church!) and so I loved it. I think it was run really well online – which is a difficult medium to work with.

Pádraig Ó Tuama (pictured) was outstanding in his balance of getting us to engage and sharing his learning. Also the quick availability of resources provided by Sarum College Librarian Jayne Downey was excellent.

— course participant, Story Theology: Narrative Approaches to Scripture

Tutor(s)

Canon Tom Clammer

Visiting Scholar, Centre for Formation in Ministry

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Rediscovering a Rule of Life 2025