Paper S/18a/13. Review of the document Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan

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1 Paper S/18a/13 Review of the document Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan Completed for the Diocese of Exeter by Miss Joy Gilliver August 2013

2 This page is left deliberately blank 2

3 Contents Introduction. 4 Section 1 The Vision and Aims of Moving on in Mission and Ministry 6 Section 2 How Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan builds on Moving on in Mission and Ministry. 8 Section 3 Progress with the Priorities in Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan. 11 Section 4 Clarity and Communication. 19 Section 5 Recommendations. 20 Conclusion 22 Appendix Terms of Reference for the Review

4 Introduction In bidding farewell to Bishop Michael Langrish at General Synod in July 2013, the Archbishop of Canterbury commented that he will be remembered for the momentum and strategic direction that he brought to the diocese. Exeter Diocese, he said, really does have a strategy and a plan. It is not just a badge: it is done properly. Having studied and reflected upon the core document, Moving on in Mission and Ministry (2003), which introduced Mission Communities, and having considered some of the subsequent key documents which have led to the current plan for the diocese Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan (TADMAP), I wholly concur with the Archbishop s view. The sense of direction and purpose which is communicated by this work is something about which the Diocese of Exeter should rightly be proud. Growth in the Diocese of Exeter Ten Years on Further evidence of the effectiveness of the strategic approach taken is to be found in the 2009 diocesan document Moving on in Growth, which notes the welcome news that Exeter is one of only 13 dioceses [out of 44] showing growth in All Age Weekly Attendance 1. Moving on in Growth sought to harness this by setting an aim to grow by 25% over a five year period by focussing on: Development of Mission Communities with Mission Action Plans Education for Discipleship for adult Christians Vocations to increase the numbers in licensed ministry Clergy leadership training Stewardship. All of these must be rooted and grounded in a life of prayer across the whole diocese. Moving on in Mission and Ministry stated that it would take 10 years to work through the recommendations of the Report 2. I perceive that there has been a decade of concerted and focussed effort to do this, which has been characterised by a consultative process throughout. It suggests a high degree of ownership of and engagement in the strategic endeavour. The Need for Review The Terms of Reference for this Review are set out in an Appendix. Diocesan Synod requested regular review of the progress of Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan (TADMAP) 3 because in order to remain dynamic, the plan must continue to be developed and refined. 1 Moving on in Growth, Executive Summary 2 Moving on in Mission and Ministry, Referred to in the diocese as TADMAP, an abbreviation used on occasions in this report 4

5 Method of working This review is designed to be a light touch desk based exercise, largely focussed on documentary evidence, augmented by a few telephone conversations. I have come to the material from outside of the Diocese of Exeter. Most of the information with which I have worked has come from the documents which I have studied (listed in the Terms of Reference) and conversations with a few key people (listed at the end of the Terms of Reference). Section 1 will summarise the aims of Moving on in Mission and Ministry, the Foundation or Core document which set Exeter Diocese s strategic direction in I will focus specifically on Mission Communities the main aim of Moving on in Mission and Ministry. This is important since the Review asks how far Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan is consistent with the aims in Moving on in Mission and Ministry. Section 2 will consider both how consistent Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan is with the aims in Moving on in Mission and Ministry and how TADMAP actively promotes the achievement of the aims in Moving on in Mission and Ministry. Section 3 will examine the 7 main priorities of Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan itself, seeking to identify evidence of the extent to which these priorities are currently being addressed. I will make Recommendations for development. Section 4 will address questions relating to clarity and effective communication of the strategic plan, especially with regard to the documentary material. Section 5 will gather into one place the Recommendations in the Report. I hope that this Review will be a useful tool to highlight Exeter Diocese s strategic development over 10 years which should be celebrated. I hope it will also helpfully articulate questions that have emerged during the process, which the diocese might wish to consider further. I will also offer some Recommendations identifying areas where further developmental work seems to me to be needed in order to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of the Body of Christ in this diocese to respond to God s call to participate in his life for the sake of the world for whom God poured himself out in love though Jesus Christ, for this is of the essence of mission. 5

6 Section 1 The Vision and Aims of Moving on in Mission and Ministry Vision 1.1 The vision for the Church in Devon in the 21 st century set out in this key foundation document is that Every human community in Devon should have within it a praying, worshipping and witnessing Christian presence, working to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to bring that community s life into the kingdom of God 4 The Key Aim: Organising the Church in the Diocese as Mission Communities 1.2 The key aim was to find a structure which would enable mission - which is the Church s primary calling - to be the driving force of its life, ordering and development. Such a structure should be locally determined, based on an enduring partnership and utterly mission-focused. Mission Communities 5 were to be established throughout the diocese. 1.3 Mission Communities would reflect the varied types of community in which we live (i.e. not simply geographical ones) and be organized in contextually appropriate ways. There was considerable emphasis on keeping the Church local and the aim was to enable mission to be supported and to flourish, with the shape of the Mission Community determined and agreed locally. 1.4 Each Mission Community must enable the local Christian community to express the fullness of the Church of God 6, with a variety of expressions of ministry shared amongst its members: lay and ordained. It would have the following hallmarks: A Christian group offering regular worship, prayer and witness in every community in the Mission Community s area of responsibility pastoral care leadership to animate the Mission Community and grow its vision the provision of the priestly ministry needed the provision of all ministry needed, in a ministry team, thus equipping both the laity and the ordained for ministry in the Mission Community Opportunities for teaching, learning, training, formation and nurturing of growth for all disciples, whatever their age Mission and Evangelism seen as a priority Involvement in the local community and service especially to those who are poor Youth and Children s work and worship Stewardship of gifts, time and resources (including money) 4 Moving on in Mission and Ministry, Moving on in Mission and Ministry Moving on in Mission and Ministry 6.6 6

7 The provision of appropriate and realistically sustainable buildings Administrative support for the work of the Mission Community. Above all else, each Mission Community exists for the sake of the local community in which it is set. Subsidiary Aims: Shaping Mission Communities 1.5 A series of subsidiary aims were expressed in the report to give shape and order to Mission Communities. (The numbers indicate the paragraphs in Moving on in Mission and Ministry where the main references can be found). A Mission Community should have a clear vision and a 5 year plan. (7.1) It should be financially self sustaining and have the resources to undertake the ministry needed in the community. (8.5.5) It needs to be served by a variety of licensed ministers, lay and ordained, with a focus on self-supporting ministry, not just stipendiary ministry. (8.2, 8.10) Mission Communities should build local ministry teams to enable a wide variety of aspects of ministry to be exercised by laity working together with the clergy. (8.11.1) All the above is predicated upon a commitment to collaborative leadership and collaborative ministry rooted in shared vision and jointly owned responsibility for the life, work and witness of the Mission Community (9.7) All those in public, representative licensed ministers would need to expect to be deployable, so that they can serve where they are most needed and where they can both flourish and enable a community to flourish by the gifts they bring. (9.10) Deanery and Archidiaconal structures would need to be overhauled in the light of the emerging Mission Communities. (10.9) There would be an expectation that Mission Communities would striving to work ecumenically where possible and appropriate. (7.5) Every PCC should ask what, in our locality, could be the basis of a Mission Community which bears the hallmarks set out above. (11.11 and the Preface) Some posts should be available as mission posts specifically to encourage new areas of ministry and mission. (9.9) Diocesan Councils and the Bishop s staff have a key role to play in enabling Mission Communities, supporting their life and sustaining them. It is this which should direct and govern their priorities and work. (The Preface, 9.11) 1.6 Whilst some of the Further Recommendations set out in section of Moving on in Mission and Ministry have been superseded, many appear still to be works in progress. 7

8 Section 2 How Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan builds on Moving on in Mission and Ministry 2.1 In this section I will consider the overall consistency of Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan (TADMAP) with the Foundational document, Moving on in Mission and Ministry and the extent to which TADMAP actively promotes the achievement of the aims set out in this Core document. The consistency of Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan (TADMAP) with the Foundational document, Moving on in Mission and Ministry 2.2 Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan exists to try to ensure that the original vision and aims in Moving on in Mission and Ministry have traction and resonance ten years on. It identifies 7 priorities which are necessary to enable dynamic and ongoing development of the aims set out in the core document. 2.3 The firm commitment to Mission Communities - the primary aim in Moving on in Mission and Ministry - is clear throughout TADMAP. The document states that it exists to grow the effectiveness of Mission Communities 7 by building on previous plans, and, without letting go of our vision, to identify those things on which we are going to concentrate our time and resources 8. Mission Communities are central to each of the 7 priorities. In this respect TADMAP is wholly consistent with Moving on in Mission and Ministry without compromise. Not only is TADMAP consistent with Moving on in Mission and Ministry but it actively promotes Mission Communities as the way Exeter diocese organises it s missional life. They are normative and cannot be regarded as an optional extra. Where Mission Communities remain undeveloped there in an expectation that this will change. There is no alternative. TADMAP emphasises this and in so doing promotes the achievement of this primary aim. 2.4 As it stands, TADMAP has already been though various iterations, so, for example, 23 goals are refined into 7 broader priorities in the light of a wide consultation exercise 9. Above all there was a desire for a document which was clearly expressed and easy to grasp in order that it could be a commonly owned and understood framework for strategic development in the diocese. The aim of the wide consultation exercise which took place in devising the document was to establish this ownership. The fact that participants felt free to speak openly, even critically, testifies to the effectiveness and importance of the consultation exercise and the resulting refined document was clearly seen to have been shaped considerably by this local input. Minutes from the Diocesan Synod of October 2012 recognised that this was truly a consultative process and it was commended for not being a top down approach. This suggests that TADMAP shows considerable 7 See paragraph in TADMAP subtitled Our Mission 8 See paragraph in TADMAP subtitled Our Diocesan Strategy 9 As indicated in Minutes from a meeting of the Bishop s Diocesan Council, September

9 consistency with the aim expressed in Moving on in Mission and Ministry, of keeping the focus on the local Mission Communities. 2.5 Moving on in Mission and Ministry emphasised that the work of the Central Services must be shaped and driven by their primary role in supporting Mission Communities. A sense that the Central Services have not understood or engaged sufficiently with the needs of the Mission Communities has been a source of criticism in the past. For each of the 7 priorities TADMAP emphasises 2 strands. The first identifies what should have its locus in Mission Communities and the second indicates how the Central Services will support and resource this. It is clear in TADMAP that the central structures must be the servant of the Mission Communities. Comments in Diocesan Synod (October 2012) commending the work of the centre suggests that a shift of perception has begun to take place both in the strategic focus of Central Services and in the perceptions in the Mission Communities of Central Services. TADMAP shows that it is consistent with Moving on in Mission and Ministry in this area too. 2.6 The focus on ministry evident in Moving on in Mission and Ministry is clear in TADMAP, and as the Foundation document argued, there is an emphasis on a wide variety of expressions of ministry. Though, as we shall see in Section 3 these have yet to come to developed fruition, the commitment in TADMAP to support a breadth of ministry, including an emphasis on Self-supporting ministry is consistent with the sentiments strongly expressed in Moving on in Mission and Ministry. 2.7 There are, then, no fundamental contradictions between Moving on in Mission and Ministry and the current Strategic document. In fact, TADMAP is not simply consistent with the Foundational document, it sharpens its focus. In so doing it actively promotes many of the aims in Moving on in Mission and Ministry very well indeed. How TADMAP promotes the achievement of the aims in Moving on in Mission and Ministry 2.8 By refining and articulating more clearly many of the key principles in Moving on in Mission and Ministry, TADMAP promotes and enables the achievement of the aims. This can be illustrated in various ways. 2.9 In the first instance, the primary aim of Moving on in Mission and Ministry - that Mission Communities are central to how the diocese is to be shaped for mission - is promoted in TADMAP with clarity and conviction. Mission Communities are presented as the norm. Each of the 7 priorities focuses on them and there is emphasis on the Mission Communities as the primary locus for mission. This is amplified further by the description of the relational shape of the diocese: the people of God gathered around the Bishop to be sent out (as the apostles were) to participate in God s mission. Mission Communities which are central in a diocese must be understood relationally rather than institutionally. 9

10 2.10 The dual concepts of Solidarity and Subsidiarity, which are nascent in Moving on in Mission and Ministry, are helpfully articulated in TADMAP 10. The theologically and Biblically grounded articulation of solidarity, for example, gives depth of meaning to the aim that Mission Communities should be self-sustaining which is promoted in the Stewardship priority in TADMAP. The terminology used is noteworthy. At no point are Mission Communities described as self-sufficient for the commitment to solidarity, as expressed in TADMAP requires as of fundamental ecclesiological importance that Mission Communities support one another. They need to be selfsustaining to do this effectively, but there is no place for self-sufficiency within the body of Christ where koinonia (fellowship) is so central. The witness of the Early Church, where all things were held in common (Acts 2: 4-6) and the significant Pauline commitment to support other Christian communities bears witness to this. Solidarity is based upon a Biblical principle of generosity and support within the Body of Christ where all parts of the Body depend on each other for their health and flourishing. It is not determined by the extent to which one does (or doesn t) share the viewpoint of those in need TADMAP also promotes renewed legal structures for Mission Communities but helpfully emphasises that these structures need to emerge from the local context and give expression to what works relationally and missiologically. In so doing, TADMAP promotes subsidiarity. The diocesan commitment to flexibility about which structure is most appropriate in a given context further promotes subsidiarity The importance of Mission Communities having a clear vision and a Mission Action Plan is helpfully modelled by the TADMAP itself which potentially suggests a framework which Mission communities might take as the starting point for their own plans. Reference to whether a Parish has considered the Diocesan Mission Action Plan in the Articles of Enquiry further promotes MAPs. Conclusion It is important to recognise that the external context in which TADMAP has been written is very different from that of Moving on in Mission and Ministry. The Church of England has to come to terms with the large number of clergy retirements expected in the next few years and, even given reasonable numbers coming into training and ministry, there will be fewer stipendiary clergy. Financial pressures created by various external events, such as the financial insecurity of a substantial period of recession have resulted in poor returns on investments. These have had a negative effect on Church reserves in many dioceses and Exeter will be no exception. The Church of England is not immune from the substantial changes to pensions necessitated across the UK. The contribution to clergy pensions required by dioceses has risen exponentially in way which was not fully recognised 10 years ago. This means that the cost of full time stipendiary ministry for a diocese is very substantially higher than it was 10 years ago. While these examples simply exemplify the changes with which the Church has now to face, it means that a strategic plan has 10 See the subsection entitled Our Common Life: Solidarity and Subsidiarity 10

11 had to be developed in a context rather different from that which existed 10 or 12 years ago. That TADMAP is both consistent with and actively furthers the aims in Moving on in Mission and Ministry, even in the challenging context described above, suggests that the principles upon which Moving on in Mission and Ministry were based were robust and the outworking of them over 10 years and into the present is a considerable achievement. There is an understandable tension over the drivers for change. TADMAP seems to me to indicate a degree of realism about the financial context, and recognises the need to deliver reductions in the overall costs of resources delivered centrally. Yet there is a firm and unswerving commitment to ensure that mission drives all change. This is to be highly commended and celebrated. Section 3 Progress with the Priorities identified in Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan 3.1 Whilst I have been impressed by the TADMAP for its capacity accurately to reflect Moving on in Mission and Ministry and to promote the aims therein, inevitably some of the priorities appear to be better addressed than others. This section will note where priorities seem to be on track and explore any where further development would seem to enhance them Priority 1 Evangelism 3.2 The importance of Evangelism can hardly be underestimated in the Church today and it was regarded as a very important priority by the largest percentage in the Articles of Enquiry. The Central Services Plan points to strategically focussed work with children and young people in schools and with youth and children s workers to support and facilitate good practice. 3.3 The work indicated in items 2 and 3 of the Central Services Plan in supporting and facilitating good practice in school - Mission Community relationships was mentioned as both current and developing work in my conversation with the Diocesan Missioner. Given the significance of Church Schools in mission and the opportunities (and challenges) facing all schools (not just Church schools) in the face of significant educational reform, it is very important that the best possible relationships between schools and their local communities are developed. As indicated in the 2008 Diocesan Schools Strategy, the Diocesan Board of Education recognises that it has a significant responsibility to equip those in Mission Communities to engage with schools 11. It can also help Mission Communities understand the impact of educational reform. 11 A Strategy for Church of England Schools in Devon, 2008, pages

12 I am well aware of the substantial changes to the work of DBEs across the country, and Exeter DBE seems to have a robust strategic plan and Academy programme. In addition, the growth of cross-team working between the DBE and other departments referred to in my discussions with the Diocesan Missioner was also encouraging. Continued developments in this area are not just important, but essential in order to ensure that the DBE remains central to mission in the diocese and, more specifically, to the implementation of TADMAP. 3.4 Other aspects of supporting Mission Communities in their evangelistic tasks by helping people to understand and be equipped to engage in contextually appropriate process evangelism seemed less well developed than work with schools. However discussion with the Diocesan Missioner revealed a different picture. There was evidence of an impressive depth of engagement, partnership working and strategically planned innovation. Given the strategic aim expressed in Moving on in Growth to increase Church attendance by 25%, this was very encouraging. The increasing partnership between the Diocesan Missioner and the Director of Ministry was noteworthy and wholly to be encouraged. 3.5 I was left with two questions: (i) Given the breadth of work required of the Diocesan Missioner, it is important that she is appropriately resourced. Several of the Recommendations made in this report are relevant for the work of the Diocesan Missioner as well as that of the Director of Ministry. (ii) I could not discern the level of cross-departmental working between the Church and Society team and the work of the Diocesan Missioner that I might have expected. I wonder if there is a need to review how these important areas of work interrelate at the time the Central Services Plan is reviewed. Priority 2 Discipleship 3.3 A hallmark of a Mission Community is that disciples are growing to reflect the life of Christ. A disciple is one who learns so it is understandable that this priority emphasises learning about the faith. It is clear from my conversations that the introduction of Exploring Christianity has proved very valuable for many. However, others appear to have found it daunting, given its six-term structure and quasiacademic approach. Growing into the likeness of Jesus Christ is life-long journey and involves heart and volition, as well as head. It is important that in nurturing discipleship, attention is given to the need to bring to a Christian s formation in their faith their engagement with the ordinary theology 12 gathered from their wisdom in day to day life. 12 Ordinary theology is a term developed by Professor Jeff Astley to express the religious understanding of those with no formal theological training, either articulated or implicit but which shapes attitudes and actions. For those tasked with resourcing discipleship in Mission Communities this aspect is important. The Ordinary theology project under the auspices of the North east Institute for Christian Education (NEICE) developed this. 12

13 Reflection, synthesis and integration of learning with experience are key. Resources to deepen discipleship need to reflect this. 3.4 Whilst there is recognition of the need to refresh Exploring Christianity by introducing greater flexibility and more varied styles of learning and delivery, the evidence of the progress on the Central Services Plan suggests that this remains in need of development. When budgets are pressurised the resourcing of discipleship can come under pressure in the face of other urgent calls upon finance. However, the urgent can sometimes obscure the important. I would suggest that it is, therefore, crucial that this work is resourced adequately and imaginatively. 3.5 It is also important to avoid presenting discipleship as the need of the laity rather than the whole Laos (all the People of God). It is not a stage of development that precedes ministry, from which one graduates when entering ministry. Deepening discipleship is, therefore, as important for those in ordained and licensed ministry as it is for the laity which do not exercise public ministry. I would want to invite the diocese to explore to what extent Continued Ministerial Development for clergy and licensed lay ministers includes a discipleship focus. 3.6 A focus on local delivery in Mission Communities or Deaneries necessity of requires the systematic calling and training of local group leaders. Given the role of Readers as lay theologians and teachers, might a focus on a Reader s role in catechesis and in enabling the learning of others give a distinctive focus for at least some Readers in some Mission Communities? Recommendation 1 I recommend that attention be given to equipping Mission Communities more effectively to develop and deepen discipleship with flexible and diverse resources Priority 3 Vocations 3.7 In contrast to Evangelism, Vocation was rated as important by the smallest number in the Articles of Enquiry. Given the expectation in Moving on in Mission and Ministry that Mission Communities will foster vocations this is, perhaps, surprising. TADMAP refers in this priority to the need to encourage and nurture a wide range of different vocations, supported by Central Services. However, there appears to be little evidence yet of a systematic plan to articulate and encourage a range of vocational opportunities. Whilst it is difficult to interpret why vocation was not widely rated as a high priority, it might be related to a limited perception of vocation perceived as relating mainly to priesthood. 3.8 I am aware of a decision in Exeter diocese to focus on calling to the distinctive diaconate a few years ago. I was surprised to find no reference in recent documents 13

14 to this development and was left wondering about the place of this decision in the diocese s strategic thinking. 3.9 I was also surprised that despite references to the call of all Christians to offer their lives in service, evident in Moving on in Mission and Ministry and TADMAP, there appears to be little visible work on articulating the significance of the baptismal calling of all Christians. Recommendation 2 I recommend that systematic work be planned to develop a wide and inclusive understanding of vocation rooted in the foundational calling of all the baptised to service in order that Mission Communities might be better equipped to discern and call out people into a wide variety of expressions of ministry and service Clergy and other Licensed ministers might be better equipped to assist members of Mission Communities to explore vocational questions. Priority 4 Ministry and Leadership 3.10 There is ample evidence of a commitment to develop clergy as leaders and both my conversations and the Central Services Plan evidence a well-developed programme of leadership training for clergy The development of ministry teams as one way of enabling a wide variety of expressions of ministry to serve the needs of the Mission Communities is a consistent theme in the documents I have read. TADMAP specifically states the establishment of effective ministry teams as an aim which the Central Services Team would support. However I could find relatively little evidence of this priority having been developed. I wondered whether Mission Communities feel fully equipped to develop teams themselves. I suggest that the provision of guidelines to help clergy and lay leaders in Mission communities discern, grow and shape such teams can be permissive in its own right and can help those with little experience of developing teams to begin. Providing (or signposting) training resources is also needed. However, I suggest that there needs to be greater clarity in the diocese about the various kinds of teams that can serve mission and the differences between them. The difference between task based teams and leadership teams, for example needs to be clarified. There is also a need to explore how any team relates to the legally required ministry team in every parish or Mission Community: the PCC and its Standing Committee. Recommendation 3 I recommend that resources be established to Enable Mission Communities to consider the kinds of teams which might meet their missional needs 14

15 Support clergy and leaders in the process of discerning nurturing and developing parish-based teams Equip PCCs in Mission Communities to develop effective informal team approaches 3.12 TADMAP also emphasises leadership training for lay ministers. However I could find little evidence of this having been developed and I wondered what lay behind this. In fact the development of lay ministry beyond that of Reader ministry seems to be a further area where development is needed if the Church in the diocese of Exeter is to meet the needs of mission and ministry in the 21 st century. Recommendation 4 Given the focus articulated in Moving on in Mission and Ministry and confirmed in TADMAP, on the importance of developing other forms of lay leadership and ministry, I recommend that attention is given to considering both theologically and practically what lay ministry is needed what training is needed to equip lay ministers what authorisation, if any, is needed, apart from that of baptism for the exercise of ministry and that plans be put in place for appropriate resourcing of whatever is discerned. A Collaborative mind-set 3.13 Paragraphs 9.7 and 9.8 of Moving on in Mission and Ministry emphasised the importance of collaborative working (though this term is not specifically used). Priority 4 Ministry and Leadership recognises this by beginning with a quotation from Ephesians emphasising the variety of gifts necessary for the building up of the Body. The benefits of working in partnership are evident in the excellent process of consultation which gave rise to TADMAP as the diocese now has it. All of this is predicated upon a commitment to collaborative leadership and collaborative ministry rooted in shared vision and jointly owned responsibility for the life, work and witness of the Mission Community Essential to a collaborative mindset is an appreciation of the distinction and differentiation of vocation, of roles and responsibilities within the Body of Christ. The mandate for this is baptism through which we are united with Christ s death and resurrection and brought into membership of the communion of his Body, the Church. Collaborative ministry is about relationships: it focuses on people not structures. This is a key characteristic of the diocesan strategy indicated in TADMAP. Collaborative ministry is about trust, mutual consent and reciprocity. Collaborative ministry is, therefore, more about a mindset rather than any single model or pattern of ministry. Collaborative ministry is not about lay people helping the clergy because they are 15

16 overburdened. This implies that if there were more clergy, the calling to service of the whole people of God would be redundant. In God s own Trinitarian life there is communion and relationship; there is equality as well as distinction and diversity. The communion that exists within the heart of God must be reflected in the Church s ministry. Collaborative ministry matters because it reflects the nature of God. However, collaborative ministry is demanding. At the heart of the communion of the Trinity lies the cross of Christ who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself (Phil 2: 6-7). Collaborative ministry requires learning again and again what it is to let go of power and control Because this shaping of ministry, reflecting the missional nature of God, is a necessary corollary of the strategy adopted by the diocese of Exeter, I would wish to encourage energy to be given to embedding collaborative approaches into the lifeblood of the diocese at every stage of its life. The partnership working and commitment to consultation evidence in the documents I have seen and the witness of 10 years worth of working on a Strategy which has collaboration as its root suggests that the diocese of Exeter probably has a good deal to teach others about this. However, the lack of specific or developed reference in TADMAP leads me to wonder whether there might be benefit, at this stage in the life of the diocese, in giving attention to articulating the commitment to collaborative working more specifically. This would help realise Recommendations 3 and 4 above. It was also identified as an area for further work in the Terms of Reference which gave rise to Moving on in Mission and Ministry. Recommendation 5 I recommend that at this stage in the development of the diocesan strategy, energy to be given to articulating the nature and importance of collaborative ministry and to embedding collaborative approaches into the life-blood of the diocese. Pastoral Care Support 3.16 I was impressed by what appears to be effective pastoral care support for clergy, both stipendiary and self-supporting, and for staff working at the Old Deanery. I did wonder, however, why Readers appeared not to be able included in this service and wondered if this was simply a typographical oversight? 3.17 I also note the commitment in Moving on in Mission and Ministry 13 that all those in public, representative licensed ministry would need to expect to be deployable, so that they can serve where they are most needed and where they can both flourish and enable a community to flourish by the gifts they bring. However, I cannot detect whether this has been realised for Readers, and conversations have confirmed this. Given the different patterns of training for Readers (for example they do not have a 13 See paragraph

17 formalised IME 4-7 programme or a Title parish) I recognise that there are specific challenges here. The rightful emphasis on Mission Communities calling out the vocations which they need also leads to a potential tension here. However I wonder whether a concerted effort needs to be made, at this stage in the life of the diocese to build an expectation of deployability into discernment, selection and training for Readers, and to expect a Reader as the norm to be licensed to and used widely in a Mission Community, not just one parish or church within a Mission Community. Priority 5 The Local Community 3.18 It is clear from TADMAP that work with schools to engage in mission with the local community is well established and developed. There is also reference to the need to resource other aspects of Church and community engagement for the sake of the world and the Central Services Plan indicates in item 19 the breadth of areas which form the locus for this. It is a dense and rich paragraph, covering a wide range of issues in society. I wonder whether it would be clearer to those outside the Central Services if the kind of support which the Church and Society team offer was amplified. Whilst recognising that the Mission Communities are best placed to know and respond to local needs, I suspect that Central Services have a wider support role than simply providing information. This part of the Central Services Plan might benefit from greater specificity. I am aware of the high quality work associated with the well established Shrinking the Footprint strategy in Devon: another area of work about which the diocese should be proud. Priority 6 Stewardship of Finance and Buildings 3.19 This is a priority which requires considerable support from the Central Services and both TADMAP itself, the Central Service Plan and subsequent conversations evidence that Stewardship of Finance is well on track. I am aware, however, that this is an area of ever-growing challenge. The diocese should be commended for the progress made, but encouraged to maintain and redouble its efforts to achieve self- sustaining Mission Communities I am pleased to note the commitment in TADMAP to addressing the often vexed question about church buildings. Decisions regarding change of use or even closure of buildings inevitably involve grieving for church members and local community alike, since our buildings are associated with our identity. The mission of the Church can be immensely enhanced by effective use of buildings but it can also be stifled where commitment to maintain a burdensome building saps energy. I was pleased to hear about an innovative partnership project to seek to address some of these matters which appears to be missiologically grounded Given the legal complexities involved in change of usage for church buildings effective, well informed and sensitive support from Central Services is crucial. Addressing questions relating to buildings is a long term project and the working out 17

18 of decisions can often take years. Effective and sensitive communication is also of key missiological importance. Decisions relating to buildings must not detract from the aim of enabling there to be a praying and worshipping body in every community in fact all decisions regarding buildings should consciously address how mission is to be furthered by such decisions. Equally not facing difficult decisions can have detrimental missiological consequences. Recommendation 6 Given the long-term significance of decisions regarding church buildings, and to ensure that all such decisions are missiologically driven, I recommend that every change to church building use is accompanied by development of a locally owned and articulated expression of the missiological benefits. Priority 7 Structure 3.22 It is clear that Mission Communities are at varying stages of development. That this should still be the case after 10 years is hardly surprising. The suggestion in Moving on in Mission and Ministry that the working out of this project would take 10 years was, perhaps unrealistic. The journey is both long-haul and ongoing. Nevertheless, the diocese should take pride in the fact that up to 95% of the parishes are in commended mission communities and up to 45% in celebrated ones. Clearly this is work in progress but the journey has been significant and should be celebrated at this significant moment in the diocese s life, as you await a new Chief Pastor Both TADMAP and my conversations have emphasised the importance of formalising the legal structures of Mission Communities. Though I detect a certain resistance to structural changes, there are importance considerations to be borne in mind where a Mission Community is not legally recognised, not least regarding public liability and other insurance arrangements. However structures must always express the relational reality of a local community. The evidence that I have seen suggests a real commitment to this and a willingness to work flexibly with a variety of different structures according to need I note the decision to put on hold a review of deaneries except where these emerge organically and concur with the view that this is not an urgent priority at this stage in the life of the diocese. Nevertheless there is a need to keep on the agenda the question of how to free up bishops for their primary work of mission and teaching. The arrival of a new diocesan bishop may provide an apposite opportunity to focus upon this. Further Points from the Central Services Plan 3.25 TADMAP indicates how important it is that the Central Services set their priorities in relation to the needs of the Mission Communities. The Central Services Plan lists the areas of work which, of necessity, need to be done centrally, either for legal reasons or because subsidiarity determines that this is the best place for such work to reside. 18

19 Clarity of communication would, however, be assisted if these sections of the Service Plan included specific reference wherever possible to how Mission Communities benefit from these central aspects of the work and how these areas of work further the priorities in TADMAP. Such a suggestion would encourage those working in Central services constantly to review their work through the lens of the Mission Communities. It would also have the benefit of helping those in Mission Communities to develop a better grasp of the work which is located in the centre and to appreciate how they benefit from it. Thus it would help foster transparency and understanding of the role taken by Central Services in those areas less immediately visible to Mission Communities. Since a formal review of the Central Services Plan is scheduled for 2014 I have not included this suggestion as a formal recommendation I note that in the scoring of the significance of various aspects of centrally sourced work, Safeguarding does not score as highly as I would have expected. I suggest that this needs to be revisited. Section 4 Clarity and communication 4.1 Coming to these documents from outside the diocese has, inevitably made it difficult to inhabit the landscape which has given rise to them over a ten-year period. It is clear that the diocese has been on a journey as it has sought different ways to realise the vision and aims set out in Moving on in Mission and Ministry. The process of understanding what has taken place might be seen as akin to the process of trying to move from the outside of a family s DNA to inhabit its life internally. Inevitably one cannot do that simply though documents and a few conversations and over a short space of time. 4.2 Nevertheless, despite familiarity with the process of strategic planning from other Church-based work, I found that in order to hold onto some of the stages in the developmental process I had frequently to revisit what I was encountering. This was particularly the case when trying to understand the convergence and differences between terms such as strategic framework, priorities to foster, objectives, goals, aims, and vision. This meant that some of the documents seemed to lack clarity. Comments related to an earlier draft of TADMAP suggested that I was not alone in this, since others within the diocese, not involved in the drafting processes commented on lack of clarity. 4.3 That said, on arriving at TADMAP, the degree of clarity was very much greater which made it possible not only quickly to grasp its content but to retain an understanding of its framework. Its stated aim of bringing the key documents into a coherent whole 14 seems to me to be achieved. 14 See the susbsection entitled Our Diocesan Strategy of TADMAP 19

20 4.4 Clarity both of the written word and the key proposals are essential if what is proposed is to resonate and catch the imagination of readers. This is key to how the proposals will be received. New proposals can only excite interest and passion if they are clear, easily understood, and lodged within a framework of existing understanding. It is only within this context that new and challenging ideas can be grappled with. The journey into new and perhaps unknown territory must start from the stepping stone and security of what is clear and comprehensible. Clarity, therefore, includes paying attention to language is it expressed in accessible language or does it appear jargonised to those on the outside of it? It is also requires paying attention to images and analogies used, and to the tone that is communicated. If a document appears to invite the reader to participate in a journey which includes them, it is all the more likely to be owned. If its structure is transparent it is more likely to be memorable. If it is memorable it is more likely to influence mind-set, attitudes, and decision-making. I would, therefore urge that close attention is given to checking that further iterations of the strategic plan build upon the clarity now evident in TADMAP so that future iterations and developments do not flounder upon the rocks of apparent incoherence. As part of the ongoing communication process I hope that the diocese will include a range of formats for communicating the key elements of the Strategy which include the use of digital media and visual forms of presentation. Recommendation 7 I recommend that priority is given to checking the transparency and clarity of all further strategic documents in order to ensure that they are comprehensible and engaging to those who come to them from outside the strategic development process. Section 5 Recommendations Recommendation 1 I recommend that attention be given to equipping Mission Communities more effectively to develop and deepen discipleship with flexible and diverse resources. Recommendation 2 I recommend that systematic work be planned to develop a wide and inclusive understanding of vocation rooted in the foundational calling of all the baptised to service in order that Mission Communities might be better equipped to discern and call out people into a wide variety of expressions of ministry and service Clergy and other licensed ministers might be better equipped to assist members of Mission Communities to explore vocational questions. 20

21 Recommendation 3 I recommend that resources be established to Enable Mission Communities to consider the kinds of teams which might meet their missional needs Support clergy and leaders in the process of discerning nurturing and developing parish-based teams Equip PCCs in Mission Communities to develop effective informal team approaches. Recommendation 4 Given the focus articulated in Moving on in Mission and Ministry and confirmed in TADMAP, on the importance of developing other forms of lay leadership and ministry, I recommend that attention is given to considering both theologically and practically what lay ministry is needed what training is needed to equip lay ministers what authorisation, if any, is needed, apart from that of baptism for the exercise of ministry and that plans be put in place for appropriate resourcing of whatever is discerned. Recommendation 5 I recommend that at this stage in the development of the diocesan strategy, energy to be given to articulating the nature and importance of collaborative ministry and to embedding collaborative approaches into the life-blood of the diocese. Recommendation 6 Given the long-term significance of decisions regarding church buildings, and to ensure that all such decisions are missiologically driven, I recommend that every change to church building use is accompanied by development of a locally owned and articulated expression of the missiological benefits. Recommendation 7 I recommend that priority is given to checking the transparency and clarity of all further strategic documents in order to ensure that they are comprehensible and engaging to those who come to them from outside the strategic development process. 21

22 Conclusion I hope that it will be clear from this review that there is much to commend and celebrate. The diocese of Exeter has a strategic framework which is as robust as it is exciting. It is clear that mission-driven Mission Communities are here to stay. They are designed to enable the whole People of God in Exeter diocese to participate in the life of God. Mission Communities might perhaps be seen as an ecclesial way of deepening the Discipleship of the whole Body of Christ by enabling it to realise its apostolic calling to be the Body of Christ in the world. The Recommendations included in this report are designed to assist the growth of Mission Communities and are offered for consideration for that purpose. The diocese will never reach a stage where it can say we have Mission Communities sorted since there will always be the need for contextually appropriate development. I hope that this Review is helpful at this staging-post on the journey. Since the diocese has much to be proud of I wonder how this can be celebrated, for the diocese of Exeter will have a considerable gift to offer to the new Chief Pastor, as you begin the next stage of the journey together. Appendix: Terms of reference sent by Hannah Galvin Review of the document Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan Background In October 2012 the Exeter Diocesan Synod approved the document Towards a Diocesan Mission Action Plan (originally referred to as the Strategic Plan) which seeks to develop a plan for the diocese as a whole, mirroring those developed at parish and mission community level. It sets out in general terms what we are, what we aim to do and what we will prioritise in order to achieve it. It draws on, and is designed to complement, a number of key policy documents, the most important of which is Moving on in Mission and Ministry. However, it is recognised that and mission action plan is not static and synod adopted the following motion: This Synod commends the work undertaken on the Strategic Plan (S/13/2012) approving it as a basis for moving forward towards formal agreement at its meeting in March Synod affirms that as the plan needs to be dynamic it must continue to be developed and refined. Accordingly, Synod asks that development work on the plan, and progress on meeting the goals identified in it, be reported to Synod on an annual basis (emphasis added). At the May meeting of BDC it was decided that a light touch review was required and that this would most usefully be undertaken by a single reviewer from outside the BDC who would be able to bring a dispassionate and fresh view. Purpose of review The reviewer is asked to undertake the review requested in the Synod motion focusing on two areas: 1. Consistency of the document with the core diocesan policy document Moving on in Mission and Ministry and comments arising from BDC and Diocesan Synod (supplied). Importantly, does it actively promote the achievement of the aims set out in this 22