The Interfaith Seminary Our ministry
Training ministers in an inclusive global spirituality
As interfaith ministers, we aim to be of service to people of all faiths or none. Our help is sought most often by:
-
Those who are seeking spiritual connection and expression, yet feel uncomfortable with conventional religion (shown by surveys to be a majority of the UK population)
-
People from different religious backgrounds who wish to honour more than one faith tradition (in a marriage or child blessing ceremony, for instance).
-
Those struggling with issues they find difficult to raise within their faith (for example, questioning of sexuality).
We are not creating a new religion, but filling a growing spiritual gap in modern society. It's not our aim to convert anyone away from their faith, but to support people who wish to enquire more deeply into their own spiritual tradition and their own soul.
A great many of our graduates are involved in conducting weddings, funerals and blessing ceremonies. Some have started their own centres, worship communities and spiritual education programmes. Others tend more towards offering spiritual counselling – privately, or in hospitals, hospices, colleges and schools. Some have taken their calling – whether expressed in explicit 'spiritual' terms or not – into business training, into peace-making projects, and into the whole passage of family and community life, including parenting. Many have brought increased inspiration to their work as artists, writers and musicians.
And for some, the result of the training has simply been a more authentic expression of who they are, and a deeper sharing of their spirituality with others in their everyday lives. In The Interfaith Seminary, we hold that the qualities we bring to our service are more important than its form of expression.
Legal standing of ministers
Interfaith Seminary ministers come under the legal category of 'non-conformist', and as with all faith communities other than the Church of England, are ordained and certified by our own self-governing community, operating independently of the state.
Marriage ceremonies are the only aspect of ministry in which specific legal aspects apply. In England and Wales, an interfaith minister can perform a blessing ceremony with no legal restrictions, and the couple will generally hold the purely legal element of the marriage at a registry office beforehand.
In Scotland, interfaith ministers may apply to the Registrar General for Scotland for authorisation to perform a marriage, making it unnecessary for the couple to attend a separate civil ceremony at a registry office.
Our graduates adhere to a clear code of ethics (see separate page), and a complaints procedure for members of the public. They are eligible for professional indemnity insurance.
| Tel: 0844 4457 004 | admin@theinterfaithseminary.com |