Sarum College is an ecumenical study and research centre with an international reputation for excellence in theological education and spiritual reflection.
Sarum College offers a distinguished location for meetings, conferences, events and functions with full catering services.
Sarum College Bookshop is Salisbury's most established independent Christian and theological bookshop.
The Sarum College Library has an outstanding academic theological collection of more than 40,000 books covering all denominations.
Meet the Academic Staff
Julia MourantTutor in Spiritual Formation and Biblical Studies Read more
Karen O’DonnellCoordinator, Centre for Contemporary Spirituality Read more
James StevenAcademic Dean and Coordinator for the Centre for Liturgy and Worship Read more
All academic staff
July 2020
Embracing Vulnerability
The course will explore themes within the Judeo-Christian tradition. Jennie had two brain haemorrhages as a child and subsequently developed sight-loss, paralysis and epilepsy. She will speak about the way in which the vocation of Christ forged a Way for her to tell her personal story of sickness and health. The course will explore themes within the Judeo-Christian tradition in relation to the human embodied experience, such as exile and exodus; darkness and light; lament and praise; vocation and servanthood.… Read more
Christian Salvation and Ecological Restoration
This two-day course explores the roots of the disconnection between people, creation, creatures, and creator. We also discuss the efforts to establish reconnection in ways that are both spiritually and ecologically restorative. For the early Christians, there was a deep relationship between the human person – body and psyche or soul – and the body of the cosmos and the creatures who dwell within it which is largely lost to us in urban Britain. Modern scientifically informed theologians tend to… Read more
Music in Worship Day: Sing it Again: Taizé and Short Songs in Worship
An opportunity to explore, through teaching and practise, how short songs can enrich all kinds of worship. ‘The high point of this prayer [at Taizé] is the singing which never ends and which continues afterwards in the silence of the hearts when we are alone again.’ Brother Roger of Taizé The use of repeated short songs is a feature of worship in various traditions; what is its value? In answering this question the course will focus upon the music of… Read more
August 2020
Greek in a Week: Learning to Read the New Testament in Greek
The New Testament is both a very familiar, and at the same time, a very strange text. Distant from today’s English, both linguistically and culturally, the poetry and prose of the original texts speak of long vanished Empires, the abuse of power and the plight of the poor and disadvantaged. To encounter the text in its original language is to step into a world of priests and kings, wandering rabbis and provincial governors. An earlier time when the rich and… Read more
September 2020
Reading Scripture Together: The Four Marys
This conversational one-day course series will re-read selected sacred texts in detail and consider the ways they have been interpreted, both in the written word and in art, and on their relevance and meaning to us today. The voices of women are thin on the ground in the Gospel texts. Four of the most significant female presences within these texts are, coincidentally, all named Mary; Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary the sister of Martha, and Mary the… Read more
Leading Across the Generations: Engaging Millennials
How do we make the most of the insights of all the generations? And how do we do so as we seek to develop leaders in the church today, especially the Millennials? Millennials (also known as Gen Y – those born between 1984-2000) are among us. They are different, and many churches are finding that they don’t seem to lead in the same ways as other generations. This day explains the differences between the generations (Gen Y, Gen X, Boomers,… Read more
Sarum Course in Spiritual Direction: Session 1: 24-25 September 2020
Two-year course with nine residential sessions. 2020 to 2022 dates: 24 to 25 September 2020; 12 to 13 November 2020; 21 to 22 January 2021; 4 to 5 March 2021; 2 to 4 June 2021; 23 to 24 September 2021; 18 to 19 November 2021; 27 to 28 January 2022 and 24 to 25 March 2022. This two-year course offers a balanced learning environment, blending personal and spiritual formation with skills development. Participants undertake this training as part of a… Read more
Reading Scripture Together: Sarah and Hagar
This conversational one-day course series will re-read selected sacred texts in detail and consider the ways they have been interpreted, both in the written word and in art, and on their relevance and meaning to us today. Sarah and Hagar are the matriarchs of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. Their stories highlight themes of conflict, privilege, promise, and the power of story to construct a religious identity. This day will explore the story of Sarah and Hagar in detail… Read more
Rural Mission and Ministry day: The Way Under our Feet: A Christian Spirituality of Walking
Explore the theme of walking in Scripture and how this can relate to our daily spiritual life. St Paul, the itinerant tent maker, walked many miles on his missionary journeys and characterized the Christian life as a walk, using the metaphor on 32 occasions. God has invited us to walk the way of Jesus and along the way we discover our story and our song. As we journey, our lives begin to reflect the walk we make. St Francis of… Read more
October 2020
Chaplaincy and Criminal Justice
Explore the particular challenges and opportunities for chaplains developing ministries and/or serving in the police, prisons and courts. With a specific focus on the themes of crime and punishment, we will address an overarching question: How do we develop compassionate responses to damaged and damaging people? The day will include: – an informal discussion on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel Crime & Punishment – a participative interview with Martyn Cook who coordinates chaplaincy services as Swindon Law Courts – an exploration of… Read more
Foundations and Forms of Christian Spirituality
This module will introduce students to the nature of Spirituality in the Christian tradition until the end of the eighteenth century. It will look at several spiritual traditions within Christianity and enable students to place them in their historical and philosophical contexts. Students will become aware of the problems we face in matters of interpretation when dealing with classical spiritual texts and will be encouraged to apply a range of interpretative methods to the texts they are introduced to. Those… Read more
Christian Faith and Leadership
The module explores and analyses ways in which theology and spirituality underpin and challenge an understanding of leadership within and outside faith-based contexts. It encourages critical reflection on how leadership and management within the changing nature of contemporary society can be informed by insights from spiritual and theological traditions, especially Christianity, and be related to a theological view of faith, vocation, the Church and its mission. Participants are encouraged to become confident in handling disciplines and methodologies that can inform… Read more
Introduction to the Enneagram
The Enneagram is an ancient, extraordinarily accurate, model of human personality and spirit. Describing nine personality types and their interactions, it enables us to look deeply into our character, harmonise our daily lives and our relationships, and understand our particular, best path to growth. Contact Alison Ogden for all booking enquiries aogden@sarum.ac.uk | 01722 424826 | 01722 424800 (main reception) Read more
Theology and Human Culture
Engage with the ‘texts’ and practices of human culture and explore the nature of the relationship between theology and culture through creative and critical perspectives. Students will be given the opportunity to refine and update their knowledge of theologians and key theological debates as they relate to human culture, show how central themes in theology are expressed through different forms of culture in history and today, and be given the opportunity to critically reflect on human culture through a variety… Read more
Approaches to Liturgical Studies
This module will introduce students to the sources and methods used by scholars in the evaluation and interpretation of liturgical forms. These include those used for historical, theological and ritual analysis. It will equip students with skills in the critical evaluation of various sources and create awareness of the presuppositions which lie behind much liturgical scholarship. An introduction to the sources and methods used by liturgical scholars in the evaluation of liturgical history and contemporary worship events. This (core) postgraduate… Read more
Re-writing the Bible in Public
The days of cultural privilege for the Bible are long gone. But as a suspect text, it has new, subversive potential. This course explores how the cultural status of the Bible affects interpretation, and how creative, public re-reading of the Bible can re-write stories that quietly enforce the rules by which we live. Contact Alison Ogden for all booking enquiries aogden@sarum.ac.uk | 01722 424826 | 01722 424800 (main reception) Read more
Paul as Pastor
Most people consider Paul as a church planter and teacher of the faith. He was these things but uniquely, he combined in himself through his gifting the fivefold ministry of the apostle; prophet, pastor, teacher and evangelist. He was all of these at times. His letters convey both his teaching of the infant church and his pastoral heart towards them. During this course, we will look at what motivated him as a pastor, how he understood the goals of pastoral… Read more
Facts of Blood & Bread: Drama and Power in the Gospel of Mark
A dialogical, resource focus on the 2021 Gospel of the Year earthing the story in lived experience. Through a selection of narratives from Mark, we will explore the resonances of this ancient context for contemporary life and ministry. The Gospel of Mark is 2021’s Gospel of the Year and this day will dialogical and resource-focused, earthing this story in lived experience – ‘facts of blood and bread’ – by exploring a selection of narratives from Mark and finding where this… Read more
For Us Men and For Our Salvation? When Feminism, Ritual and Liturgy Collide
Much of the liturgy used in our church settings speaks overwhelmingly of male experience, language and shaping. Yet efforts to reimagine it have been deemed transgressive. This day offers an opportunity to explore together feminist words, liturgy and rituals. Liturgy and ritual are rich and beautiful gifts to enable, in part, the expression of human experience and Divine connection. Yet much of what is used in our church settings speaks overwhelmingly of male experience, language and shaping. There has been… Read more
Sing Gregorian Chant
This day offers the chance to experience and sing Gregorian chant in a friendly context. An entertaining, informative and enjoyable experience structured around the monastic hour services. The theology of Gregorian chant is explored through singing it, for those with theological, historical or musical interests. Singing experience is welcome, but not necessary for the course. There will be a chance to sing a short service in the Trinity Chapel at Salisbury Cathedral. Using at first simple recitation in English, it… Read more
Sarum College 2019-20 Courses and Events Brochure
