Dr Roger Walton

Welcome to the Wesley Study Centre Website!

Housed in St John's College, the Wesley Study Centre is a training insitution of the Methodist Church serving the North East of England.  Here people study and prepare for ministry in the Methodist Church, others follow short courses, or do in-service training and development. 

The Wesley Study Centre, Durham is part of the training provision of the  Methodist Church. It provides training in three ways

• Initial Training for ordination for those who have been recommended by the Methodist Church for training for presbyteral or diaconal ministry.
• Lay Training and Education in co-operation with the Churches and agencies in the NE region.

The WSC works in close partnership with Cranmer Hall, where most courses are followed by Methodist and Anglicans together.  Methodist students have a separate session per week, which includes worship, teaching and discussion on aspects of Methodist ministry and mission but otherwise courses are jointly taught and studied.

The same range of courses offered to students in Cranmer Hall is available to Methodists. Many of these courses will also be taken with Roman Catholics from Ushaw College and independent students from other denominations. In addition Methodist students who are only able to study part-time at evenings and weekends may follow the NEOC course as part of the Wesley Study Centre programme. Every student has a personal tutor with whom to meet fortnightly during term time. 

Physically, the WSC is located within St John's College where there is a Methodist students' common room, director's office, tutors' rooms and an administration office. Students enjoy the full facilities of St John's College. They are also linked with and involved with churches throughout the regions through placements, missions and visits and circuits of the region are supportive of the Centre and its students. 

Methodist students usually enthuse about their experience of training in Durham and its ecumenical approach to training.

Staff of the WSC
The Director: Rev Dr Roger L Walton
Pastoral Studies Tutor: Rev Andrew Lunn
Foundation Tutor : Dr Jocelyn Bryan
Administrator: Mrs Penny Bissell

Part-time tutorial staff
Deacon Eunice Attwood
Mr Mark Bagnall
Rev Julie Lunn
Rev Helen Thorp
Rev Alison Wilkinson