Dr Maurice Elliott
Director of the Theological Institute
The Reverend Dr Maurice Elliott is appointed Director of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute
The House of Bishops of the Church of Ireland today announced that the Revd Dr Maurice Elliott is to be the new Director of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute.
Dr Elliott is currently the Rector of Shankill Parish, Lurgan in Northern Ireland. He will take up his new appointment in Spring 2008.
Widely respected in the Church of Ireland, Dr Elliott is a member of the Standing Committee of the Church of Ireland and serves on both the Doctrine Commission established by the Bishops of the Church in 2004 and the COI/Methodist Covenant Council. Dr Elliott also represents the Church as a member of the Anglican Consultative Council, the largest representative and decision-making body of the Anglican Communion, and sits on the committee appointed to respond to the draft Anglican Covenant.
Dr Elliott has studied at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, Trinity College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast.
Dr Elliott said:
"It is a singular honour to have been appointed by the Bishops to this new post of Director in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute.
"The recently published Ministry Formation Plan has created an exciting new context for training at every level of church life. My hopes for the new process are that, under God, it might usher in a new era of growth across all our parishes; that there might be a deeper commitment by Church of Ireland people of all ages to worshipping and serving Christ together; and that more (especially younger) men and women might be enticed by the challenge and the privilege of leadership within ordained ministry.
"I genuinely believe that God has called me to this role. I therefore look forward to doing my very best in seeking to serve the whole community of the Church of Ireland, and to working along with the Bishops, the Board of Management and many others in delivering on the potential of this God-given opportunity.
"On behalf of my wife and family, I know that we would greatly appreciate the prayers, the support and the goodwill of everybody concerned."
Dr Elliott is married to Kirsten, and they have three children.
Shankill is one of the largest parishes in the Church of Ireland made up of approximately 1400 families. The Parish Caring Association, runs the recently completed £2.5 million Jethro Centre, a unique venture in Christian community outreach which has brought together funding from religious and government and civic elements and provides community resources.
Curriculum Vitae for Dr Elliott
RESEARCH
| 1992-1993 | Trinity College, Dublin | |
| Master of Philosophy (Reformation and Enlightenment Studies) | ||
| Seminar Courses: | ‘The European Reformation, 1520-1550’ ‘Elizabethan Ireland’ ‘Early Religious Printing’ ‘The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes’ ‘Seventeenth Century Deism’ | |
| Thesis: | ‘Cranmer’s View of Authority’ | |
| 1997-2001 | Queen’s University, Belfast | |
| Doctor of Philosophy | ||
| Thesis: | ‘Episcopacy in the thinking of Thomas Cranmer, 1489-1556’ | |
PUBLICATIONS
| ‘Cranmer’s View of Authority’ | |
| published in Churchman Journal (Vol. 109, 1-4), (Watford: 1995) | |
| ‘Episcopal Orders: Insights from Cranmer’ | |
| published in Search (Vol.28,1), (Dublin: 2005) | |
| ‘Scripture and Revelation’ | |
| published in ‘The Authority of Scripture – report of the Church of Ireland Bishops’ Advisory Commission on Doctrine’, (COI Publishing, Dublin: 2006) | |
| ‘Ecclesiology in the thinking of Thomas Cranmer’ | |
| to be published in Search, Autumn 2007 | |
EMPLOYMENT AND CHURCH EXPERIENCE
| 1987-1988 | John Lewis Partnership (Edinburgh) Graduate Management |
| 1988-1989 | St. Paul’s and St. George’s, Edinburgh Church Lay Assistant |
| 1992 | Visiting Summer Chaplain, St. George’s, Tunis |
| 1993-1998 | Curate Assistant, St. Patrick’s, Coleraine Assistant Chaplain to Coleraine Hospital |
| 1998-2002 | Rector, Church of the Holy Name, Greenisland |
| 2002-Present | Rector, Shankill Parish Lurgan Church of Ireland Chaplain to Lurgan Hospital |
AREAS OF CHURCH INVOLVEMENT
| Diocesan: | Connor Diocesan Council Connor Diocesan Episcopal Elector Connor Diocesan Committee of Patronage Connor Diocesan Advisory Group for Training and Ministry Down and Dromore Diocesan Council Down and Dromore Diocesan Honorary Secretary Down and Dromore Episcopal Elector Down and Dromore Doctrine Tutor for Lay-reader Training |
| Central: | General Synod (since 1996) Standing Committee (2000-2003, 2006- present) Bishops’ Advisory Doctrine Commission (since 2004) Covenant Council (since 2002) Church in Society NI Legislation and Politics (2003) ARCIC Study and Response Groups (1998 & 2006) Liturgical Advisory Committee (1999-2004) Church of Ireland Youth Department (1999-2002) Anglican Covenant Response Group (2007- present) |
| International: | Anglican Consultative Council (elected 2006) Church of Ireland Representative to the General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church (2007) |
| Other: | Arrow UK Leadership Programme 5 (2003-2005) Arrow Ireland Board Member (since 2006) Fields of Life Programme Director, Luwero Diocese, Uganda (since 2001) Church of Ireland Evangelical Fellowship Committee Member (1998-2002) Centre for Contemporary Christianity in Ireland Advisory Group (since 2003) Scripture Union Children’s Mission Leader (1982-1996) Primary and Secondary School Governor (since 1998) |
INTERESTS
Current affairs, sport (in particular golf, football, rugby, swimming, gym), wines, Christian children’s work.