The Council was formed as a successor to Central Advisory Council for the Ministry (CACM) in 1966, with the first meeting taking place on 3 May of that year. The main function was 'to promote the most effective ministry, both of men and women, in the service of the Church and to make appropriate recommendations for this purpose to the Bishops and to the Church Assembly'. The majority of the work of the Council was undertaken by Committees, each with their own terms of reference to guide them. A number of these Committees continued the work of similarly named ones of CACM, but a number of newly formed ones were inaugurated, including the Ministry Committee. Working parties investigating a subject for a defined period of time, with the outcome normally a report, were used regularly by both the Council directly and most of the Committees.
By 1982 the Terms of Reference of the Council had widened somewhat, as follows;
1. To promote the most effective form of accredited ministry, ordained and lay, in the mission of the Church, and to make appropriate recommendations for this purpose to the Bishops and to the General Synod
2, To encourage the supply of candidates for Holy Orders, and accredited lay ministry
3, To arrange selection conferences to which the Bishops' Selectors can assess the candidates.
4, To keep under review different forms of training for the ministry, ordained and lay, and to advise on methods of testing and training of candidates for Holy Orders and for accredited lay ministry.
5, To advise of policy concerning the location, establishment inspection and financial support of theological colleges and other courses of training
6, To keep on close touch with other central Church bodies so far as they are concerned with aspects of the Council's work, asd to co-ordinate the work of accredited lay ministry in the dioceses.
A review of the Committees of ACCM carried out around the same time concluded that the above responsibilities mapped onto the committees as noted below;
1, Was not delegated to any committee, except as it remains the overall goal of the whole of ACCM's work
2, Seemed to be the responsibility of the Candidates and Vocations and Publications Committee
3, Was the responsibility of the Candidates Committee
4, Was the responsibility of the Committee for Theological Education
5, Was the responsibility of the Finance and Grants Committee
6, Was the responsibility of the Council, and the Accredited Lay Ministry and readers Committees
Chairmen:
- The Right Reverend L.A Brown 1966-1971
- The Right Reverend L.W. Brown 1972-1976
- The Right Reverend A.R.M. Gordon 1976-1983
- The Right Reverend A.A.K. Graham 1983-1987
- The Right Reverend B Rogerson 1987-1991
ACCM Chief Secretaries:
- Canon Basil S. Moss 1966-72
- Canon M.A.H. Melinsky 1973-78
- Canon John E. Tiller 1979-84
- Canon Timothy G. Tyndall 1986-91
ACCM Administrative Secretaries:
- John L. Reading 1967-1976
- N.J.W. Hagger 1977 -1980
- W.E.D. Scott 1981-1982
- John Newton 1983-1991
The counicl's last meeting was held on the 6 March 1991; its work was then continued by the Advisory Board of Ministry (ABM).
(note: terms of reference of sub-committees are included within the adminstrative history of the committee itself, with each set of terms being drawn, unless otherwise stated, from a paper written for the Council in 1976 numbered C(76)5).
