I have edited this post as it was posted in haste and grammatically a bit rough in places! I hope it now scans in the brain better and the ideas expressed are not clouded, but more clear. Thank you for reading it.
HBT 30/10/14
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Just a brief word on the previous posting where I suggested rekindling the title of Provost, simply because after scratching my head for several years now I can not think of another title for the overseer's that has both historic pedigree and gives a clean break with other current "job titles". Ministers need saving from themselves and the expectations which local oversight of multiple faith communities engenders. A break gives permission for a faith community, in this case in my church tradition, to stop kidding itself that the overseers role is simply a form of "business as usual", but with extra responsibilities. It is not. As I have posted earlier, no one man or woman can fulfill the traditional role, a role which in many communities is as redundant as the now disappeared society that created it...... There mini soap-box session concluded. On with the next bit, which begins with wasps!
My parents live in the countryside in central England. Earlier this Summer they had a wasp problem. The source was identified and dealt with, but amazingly the wasps HQ is as square as a shoe-box! Why have the wasps, who usually build such beautiful rounded nests chosen this new cuboid form? Have they discovered a branch of 20th C art?! The truth is that the wasps started building their nest in a bird's nesting box and after filling the box just kept on building outside following the same pattern and scaffolding structure they had started with, corners and all!
Faith communities can be a bit like this, building with the same pattern over and over again, despite the context in which construction takes place changing.
2. Developing "healthy" faith communities: a new tool kit!
HBT 30/10/14
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Just a brief word on the previous posting where I suggested rekindling the title of Provost, simply because after scratching my head for several years now I can not think of another title for the overseer's that has both historic pedigree and gives a clean break with other current "job titles". Ministers need saving from themselves and the expectations which local oversight of multiple faith communities engenders. A break gives permission for a faith community, in this case in my church tradition, to stop kidding itself that the overseers role is simply a form of "business as usual", but with extra responsibilities. It is not. As I have posted earlier, no one man or woman can fulfill the traditional role, a role which in many communities is as redundant as the now disappeared society that created it...... There mini soap-box session concluded. On with the next bit, which begins with wasps!
 |
| Cuboid wasps nest! Care to guess why? |
My parents live in the countryside in central England. Earlier this Summer they had a wasp problem. The source was identified and dealt with, but amazingly the wasps HQ is as square as a shoe-box! Why have the wasps, who usually build such beautiful rounded nests chosen this new cuboid form? Have they discovered a branch of 20th C art?! The truth is that the wasps started building their nest in a bird's nesting box and after filling the box just kept on building outside following the same pattern and scaffolding structure they had started with, corners and all!
Faith communities can be a bit like this, building with the same pattern over and over again, despite the context in which construction takes place changing.
2. Developing "healthy" faith communities: a new tool kit!
So on one hand I have made my pitch for the emerging role of "Provost" (or Benefice Dean, whatever else you might call it) to be recognised. On the other hand local faith communities themselves, at least in my tradition, need reforming in ways that reflect the "intimacy" circles and will therefore aid community growth, both in the quality and quantity of relationships.
My own tradition, English Anglicanism and to my observation many of my Free church brothers and sisters are struggling in a rural and in many cases urban context. Fewer people practice an active faith and those that do have many pressures in life if young (under 50!) and many options for their time if older (over 50). This means resources of money, time and people hours are often stretched very thin. There is still life in the churches and commitment and a dogged determination to keep the show on the road. There is also a tiredness and a yearning for that other country, just a generation ago when there was more connection between in my case Christian faith communities and the wider community as a whole.
As it is things are as they are. Many programmes for renewal and new "fresh expressions" are available and some are helpful in maintaining the life of faith communities and act as good yeast in the dough of community life, especially where life is tough and marginal.
But I ask myself if in the midst of such plans faith communities are equipped to look at themselves in order to discern if they are functioning as a healthy community, be their faith community a small cell, a gathering of the 12 to 20 committed souls or a larger, wider congregation that reaches out into the local community at many levels.
I also ask if church institutions equip communities and leaders to function with a healthy understanding of what is needful and expected in a situation where multi-centre units are grouped under one overseer. Experience suggests not.
Some interesting work has been done in Australia by the R.C. church (see Rural Theology, Vol 11.1, 2013 p 3-14). Faced with distant outposts a three point strategy has been evolved from the lessons learned through trying to minister with fewer priests. The points are:
Such a training package needs formulating so that it helps overseeing leaders them reorient their gifts to the new situation they will find themselves in. It might be prudent to consider such training a pre-requisite to applying for such posts; something analogous to the course teachers have to undergo in order to be ready to be appointed headteachers.. To see their ministry through the lens of what is possible due to the dynamics of community life and life as a part of many different and distinct communities. Mentoring and coaching will be an important part of this.
My own tradition, English Anglicanism and to my observation many of my Free church brothers and sisters are struggling in a rural and in many cases urban context. Fewer people practice an active faith and those that do have many pressures in life if young (under 50!) and many options for their time if older (over 50). This means resources of money, time and people hours are often stretched very thin. There is still life in the churches and commitment and a dogged determination to keep the show on the road. There is also a tiredness and a yearning for that other country, just a generation ago when there was more connection between in my case Christian faith communities and the wider community as a whole.
As it is things are as they are. Many programmes for renewal and new "fresh expressions" are available and some are helpful in maintaining the life of faith communities and act as good yeast in the dough of community life, especially where life is tough and marginal.
But I ask myself if in the midst of such plans faith communities are equipped to look at themselves in order to discern if they are functioning as a healthy community, be their faith community a small cell, a gathering of the 12 to 20 committed souls or a larger, wider congregation that reaches out into the local community at many levels.
I also ask if church institutions equip communities and leaders to function with a healthy understanding of what is needful and expected in a situation where multi-centre units are grouped under one overseer. Experience suggests not.
Some interesting work has been done in Australia by the R.C. church (see Rural Theology, Vol 11.1, 2013 p 3-14). Faced with distant outposts a three point strategy has been evolved from the lessons learned through trying to minister with fewer priests. The points are:
- Lay people take responsibility for administration, planning social events, repairing the church etc.
- There is a local discernment process to decide who will coordinate the liturgy, pastoral care etc. with candidates being appointed for a set period of time to the roles.
- Mentoring these individuals and the congregations as a whole is a priority for the priests, covering as they do huge areas.
Some of these ideas are common in many churches; however my suggestion is that in my own tradition the articles of inquiry for the health of a local church are focused on the factors which build up the people side of the church's life. My own tradition places great emphasis on a church having "Wardens" who often carry all these responsibilities and especially if there is not a resident minister/priest, when the priests roles can be added to the "Wardenly" ones. Strangely enough it gets difficult to recruit people to these maxed out roles.
Could it be that if local faith communities are re-framed in effect as small religious communities the roles of liturgy, admin and pastoral care, maybe a role "bridging" with the wider community be recognised as requirements for a sustainable faith community as a primary matter of course? This might lead to an audit on community life that allows clusters of faith communities to be helped to build structures that encourage the life of the faith community and build conduits for growth into the life of the community.
This could be a tall order for some faith communities, who through serving a small rural community or being within an urban environment that does not recognise the connection between faith and location findpeople resources are scarce. For example, one of the parishes in my charge only has a population of 235, quite high compared to some I know, but unable as a community to support any public amenities except a church building and a small village hall. New twin strategies are needed to either help faith communities in a palliative way if they have reached the end of their current mission or encourage them to have a positive ministry as networkers of community life and the keepers of the "local shrine" in a stable yet simple existence.
Upon a time of vacancy or if there is "pastoral reorganisation" the current processes to explore the way ahead, in my CofE case, need expanding greatly to support, inform and mentor faith communities through the period of transition. Any new overseeing leader also needs training, mentoring and support in their new role from the point of being appointed, as they take up their new post and get established so that expectations of the role of the leader is clear and well understood.
Such a training package needs formulating so that it helps overseeing leaders them reorient their gifts to the new situation they will find themselves in. It might be prudent to consider such training a pre-requisite to applying for such posts; something analogous to the course teachers have to undergo in order to be ready to be appointed headteachers.. To see their ministry through the lens of what is possible due to the dynamics of community life and life as a part of many different and distinct communities. Mentoring and coaching will be an important part of this.
This is a bit wild I suppose and such a people based plan would require institutional churches to set aside resources to invest in such a growth strategy. At a time of reducing human resources there is a nervousness to do this. However I would make it a plea that experimental areas be set up in different contexts, rural, suburban, inner city, in both provinces of my own church (Canterbury and York). This could give evidence to gauge if there are longer term positive effects on the life of faith communities by such a person shaped approach and their impact for the common good in the wider communities they serve. The budget for such a centrally funded strategy I am sure could be found if it can be seen that the signs of some success in terms of a healthy local church are possible.
Intimate, faithful, outward looking, people shaped community life: life in all its fullness.
So come on Bishops & Co. how about it?
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Well there you are. My Sabbatical finishes now, back to the whirling madness of normal life tomorrow!
I might not post again for some time, until the ever filing "in tray" of life is empty of "urgent and important" stuff. But please, if you want to catch the next posting sign up as a follower (it just means you get an email/tweet/facebook notification etc. when a new post is added). If you have found these Sabbatical ramblings interesting or provocative please tell your friends and colleagues and get them to have a look for themselves. God's blessing be with us all, wherever we might find ourselves to be.... TTFN, Hayboxtheologian aka Simon.
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