Tense editor, after taking religious instruction, had a shot (5)
I believe the answer is:
tried
'had a shot' is the definition.
(to try something is to give it a shot)
'tense editor after taking religious instruction' is the wordplay.
'tense' becomes 't' (abbreviation used in many dictionaries).
'editor' becomes 'ed'.
'after taking' indicates putting letters inside.
'religious instruction' becomes 'RI' (abbreviation).
't'+'ed'='ted'
'ted' placed around 'ri' is 'TRIED'.
(Other definitions for tried that I've seen before include "heard in court" , "Endeavoured" , "Made an attempt" , "Proven by experience" , "checked out" .)