ANGLICAN FOUNDATIONS PROGRAM

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, DEEPENED CONNECTIONS
C4SO Anglican Foundations Program Logo

The Anglican Foundations Program is C4SO’s required formation curriculum for women and men on C4SO’s Path of Discernment to Holy Orders. The program orients participants to our unique expression of missional Anglicanism—our common history, theology, liturgy and sacrament—so that future clergy enter ministry with a shared understanding of our rich and beautiful tradition, as well as deep diocesan relationships.

Each of the four 10-week courses includes an interactive, guided small group experience with several other participants and a facilitator. Participants will also have opportunities to interact with Bishop Jeff, C4SO’s Canon Theologians and other key leaders.

To qualify, participants must have advanced through the Local Process of the ordination pathway and worked with the Director of the Anglican Foundations Program and the Canon for Ordinations to determine which courses are required for them.

*This program is not a replacement for a master’s degree.

Director of the Anglican Foundations Program
The Rev. Dr. Jason Veach Headshot
Director of the Anglican Foundations Program

The Rev. Dr. Jason Veach directs the Anglican Foundations Program. Jason oversees the effective running of each Anglican Foundations Course, spearheads curriculum development, and is a key leader on the Ordination Preparation Team for participants on C4SO’s Path of Discernment to Holy Orders. As the Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Christ Church Anglican in Kansas City, Jason has 20 years of experience as a pastor, missionary-educator, author and church planter. He is passionate about exploring the formational practices that shape us to live a life of mission in the way of Jesus.

Contact Jason
Contact Jason
Loading...

COURSES

COURSE 01

Our Historical and Theological Tradition

From the beginning, our diverse, global community of leaders has clung to ancient faith and sought to contextualize it. We will examine source documents to explore some key events and movements that have shaped Anglicans for the last 500 years.

Dates:
TBD

COURSE 02

Our Liturgical Tradition

Like thousands of Anglican churches around the globe, C4SO churches pattern their liturgy and sacrament after The Book of Common Prayer (2019). Course participants will be deeply formed by the rhythms of the prayer book and learn how to create prayer book services with missional, contextual flexibility. Participants will also engage in historic spiritual practices critical to supporting and sustaining a life of ministry in God’s Church.

Dates:
July 1, 2025 – Registration Opens
Sept 1, 2025 – Registration Closes
Sept 15, 2025 – Course Begins

COURSE 03

Our Sacramental Life

Participants will go deeper into creating prayer book services with missional, contextual flexibility and practices to support and sustain a life of ministry in God’s Church.

Dates:
TBD: 2026

COURSE 04

Our Practical and Ethical Church
(ecclesiology and polity)

We will explore how our churches live out the reality of a centuries-old episcopacy, the roles of a Rector and Vestry, the canons and doctrines of the Church—and what happens when life and church conflict with any of these structures.

Dates:
TBD

RETREAT

During the course of their enrollment in the Anglican Foundations Program, participants on the ordination pathway will attend one overnight retreat led by Bishop Jeff, where they can interact with other participants, ask their most pressing questions, and get acquainted with C4SO as a whole. We will offer this retreat once a year.

Bishop Jeff Bailey

Retreat Facilitator

COST

COST

Each course costs $300—or $1,200 for all four courses, plus the purchase of a flight to Austin for the overnight retreat. Scholarships are available, and we encourage local churches to financially assist participants from their congregation who are on the ordination pathway.

C4SO Anglican Foundations Program Image

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Anglican Foundations Program is for individuals who have completed the Local Process of C4SO’s Path of Discernment to Holy Orders and have been invited to participate by the Director of the Anglican Foundations Program, in coordination with the Canon for Ordinations. This is not an open-enrollment program and is not designed for lay formation. If you’re unsure whether this program fits where you are on the discernment pathway, contact Jason.

There is no public application. Enrollment is by invitation from the Director of the Anglican Foundations Program, who works directly with C4SO’s Canon for Ordinations to identify individuals who are ready to participate. The Canon for Ordinations will determine which courses are appropriate for each person’s formation needs. To be eligible for the program, you must have completed the Local Process of the Path of Discernment to Holy Orders.

Yes. As of February 2024, this program is required for those who wish to be ordained in C4SO. We’ve designed it to orient people to both Anglicanism and our diocese, hoping each participant builds a uniquely missional and innovative approach to our common history, theology, liturgy and Sacrament. As we grow as a diocese, we want people to live out of a shared understanding of our rich and beautiful tradition.

We also want people to get to know other leaders in the diocese beyond their local church. The Anglican Foundations Program will provide opportunities for participants to interact with Bishop Jeff, C4SO’s Canon Theologians and other key leaders. It’s all part of helping build a solid and unified culture while our diocese continues to expand.

No. The Anglican Foundations Program is designed to be part of the discernment process for all future clergy in C4SO, but the Director of the Anglican Foundations Program and the Canon for Ordinations will determine which courses a participant must complete prior to ordination. In special circumstances, an individual’s ordination may need to be expedited and occur before their completion of a certain course. In that case, we ask the individual to finish the course within six to 12 months of their ordination to best serve their ministry and participation in the diocese long term.

Not necessarily. You will work with the Director of the Anglican Foundations Program and the Canon for Ordinations to determine which courses you need to take and to find the timeframe and order that works for your discernment pathway.

Courses will include 10 synchronous sessions designed to create a steady and supportive rhythm for participants. To provide consistency for participants, instructors and group leaders, all AFP synchronous sessions will take place on Monday evenings from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Zoom. Meetings will alternate week to week between a live seminar led by an instructor or presenter and a live small group gathering facilitated by a C4SO clergyperson. Between live sessions, participants will engage course content through readings, discussions and assigned work to deepen learning and reflection.

No, the Anglican Foundations Program is not a master’s replacement. It is a four-course orientation to C4SO’s expression of missional Anglicanism. Participants will still need to complete relevant education requirements and take their ordination exams to become ordained.

The Anglican Foundations Program gives participants a chance to interact and build relationships with others in the diocese as we seek to contextualize our tradition for a given ministry setting. Our diverse churches and clergy support one another and work together to reach our communities. We want our clergy to understand how C4SO thinks about and expresses Anglicanism in all of its beautiful diversity, and to build relationships of love and trust beyond their local parish.

Each course costs $300—or $1,200 for all four courses, plus the purchase of a flight to Austin for the retreat. Scholarships are available, and we encourage local churches to financially assist participants from their congregation. Participants who need assistance may complete this form.

Yes. If a parish is looking to offer financial assistance to participants AND has more than three individuals enrolled, the diocese is able to lower the cost of tuition. In this case, the rector may contact Jason Veach for more details.

We’ve designed all four courses in the Anglican Foundations Program to be completed online. However, participants will attend one retreat led by Bishop Jeff, where they can interact with other participants, ask their most pressing questions, and get acquainted with C4SO as a whole. We will offer this retreat once a year.

Assignments: Each week, assignments will entail approximately 50 pages of reading, and a brief written response to the readings. These assignments will not be graded, but they will be read and discussed either in small groups or in an online chat space. Every assignment is designed to be highly practical, answering the question, “How might this idea influence or affect the way I lead in my local context?”

Readings/Videos: Expect 500 pages of reading per course—so about 50 pages of reading per week, mostly excerpts from books and articles and often original source material. We estimate about two hours per week depending on how fast you read. Each course will also include video content—about 10 minutes per week—consisting of experienced leaders in the diocese reflecting on the ideas participants are discussing.

Plan on at least two hours per week to engage all reading and video material on your own. Each course will conclude with a final paper—approximately five pages—on how you will practically apply what you’re learning to your life and/or ministry, or on significant questions that the material has raised for you.

Our criteria is participation and engagement. If you participate in all the small group discussions and complete the final written assignment, you will most likely satisfy course requirements.

More questions? Contact Jason.