Director of the Theological Institute
Revd Canon Maurice Elliott
MA, BTh, MPhil, PhD
Maurice Elliott studied languages, linguistics and theology in St Andrews, and theology through both Dublin and Belfast. His academic interests include homiletics, the theory and practice of contemporary Christian leadership and Anglican Reformation ecclesiology.
Prior to taking up his current post as Director of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute in 2008, he spent fifteen years in parochial ministry in Northern Ireland. In terms of training and ministerial formation, his passion is for mission and church growth, leadership and team ministry, biblical preaching and personal spiritual development.
Research Interests:
Homiletics, Christian Leadership, Anglican Reformation ecclesiology.
Memberships and Affiliations:
He holds memberships of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Evangelical Homiletics Society, the Academy of Homiletics and the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology. He has been a visiting lecturer at the Methodist Ministries Centre in Edgehill, Belfast, and in various theological colleges across the Anglican Communion. He is a contributor to various journals and has acted as an External Examiner to the Belfast Bible College. He has been a member of the St. Augustine Seminar and currently serves as a Practical Theology Paper Reviewer for ETS and on the Theological Commission for the Anglican Communion.
Central Church Committees:
General Synod (1996– ).
Standing Committee (2000–2003, 2006– ).
Bishops’ Advisory Commission on Doctrine (2004– ).
Covenant Council (2002– ).
Church in Society Northern Ireland Legislation and Politics (2003).
ARCIC II study and response groups (1998, 2006).
Liturgical Advisory Committee (1999–2004).
Church of Ireland Youth Department Board (1999–2002).
Anglican Covenant Response Group (2007–2009).
Anglican Affairs Working Group (2006–2024 ).
Commission on Ministry (2008– )
Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue (2016–2019).
Pioneer Ministry Council (2024–)
International and Ecumenical Involvement:
Member of The Anglican Communion delegation to the Global Christian forum, Bogota, (April 2018) and Accra (April 2024)
Member of the Commission for Theological Education in the Anglican Communion (2022–)
Celtic Anglican Churches’ Representative to the Meissen Commission (2020–)
Member of the St Augustine Seminar planning Bible study materials on 1 Peter for the Lambeth Conference, November 2018.
Dublin University Mission to Chota Nagpur Field Trip to Ranchi and Hazaribah, July 2018 and August 2023.
Member of the Anglican Communion Delegation to the Global Christian Forum in Bogota, Columbia, 23–29 April, 2018.
Anglican Consultative Council (2006– ); participant, ACC–14, Jamaica, May 2009; ACC–15, Auckland, November 2012, ACC–16, Lusaka, April, 2016.
Anglican Communion Theological College Principals’ Consultation, Canterbury (May 2011).
Church of Ireland representative, the General Synod, the Scottish Episcopal Church (2007, 2010).
Church of Ireland Representative, General Assembly, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (2008).
Church of Ireland Representative, Conference of the Methodist Church in Ireland (2006).
Dissertations Supervised:
(2012) ‘The Methodology and Praxis of Effective Preaching’
(2012) ‘The nature and expression of servant leadership among contemporary Church of Ireland clergy’
(2012) ‘Leading the Church of Ireland parish beyond Maintenance towards Mission’
(2014) ‘ Pastoral Implications of a Theology of Vision’
(2014) ‘Christian formation within the Working Class Communities in the Church of Ireland : The Purpose and User of Liturgy’
(2015) ‘Equipping older women for active involvement in Church’
(2015) ‘Intergenerational integration and missing millennials’
(2015) ‘“Until Christ is formed in you”: What is the significance of the intergenerational worshipping context for the Christian formation of the community of faith? What are the implications of this for the shaping of worship, initiation and nurture in the Church of Ireland today?’
(2016) ‘End of life care within a palliative care setting: a consideration of the theology and praxis of appropriate pastoral care’
(2016) ‘“He who has ears to hear, let him hear”: examining adult need and responsibility to listen’.
(2016) ‘ Pastoral Care through the Church of Ireland’s Book of Common Prayer’
(2017) ‘“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”: Christian mentoring as an effective tool in developing disciples and leaders in the Church of Ireland’
(2017) ‘Mind and ministry: to what extent is secular psychotherapy compatible with Christian pastoral care?’
(2018) ‘Cosy Clubs or Christ–like Communities? Fostering authentic discipleship in the contemporary Church of Ireland context.’
(2018) ‘Teach Us O Lord: An Investigation into the Relationship between The Church of Ireland and Education.’
(2018) ‘ Jesus calls his followers to ‘go…and make disciples of all nations’
(2020) ‘Servant Leadership: A biblically compatible model for future deployment in the Church of Ireland.’
(2021) ‘For Better or Worse’ – The Rite of Marriage in the Service of Mission: A Critical Evaluation.
(2022) ‘Encountering the Living God: A Critical Examination of Charismatic Pneumatology in relation to the Worshipping Life of the Church’.
(2023) ‘The Formissional Paradigm’
(2024) ‘In what ways can the Church of Ireland funeral service bring hope to a secularising world’.