Shared Ministry in Lichfield Diocese 1. Background to this paper. The Ministry Review presented to Synod in October 2010 called for changes in the mandating process of teams in Lichfield Diocese: a. Mandates are too bureaucratic and have a sense of policing. b. Common Tenure means there is no longer a legal basis for a mandate. c. Selection and training of OLMs has changed which means mandated teams are no longer seen in the same way. The Parish Development Advisers (formerly ALMMAs) have met with George Fisher, Director of Mission, to look at the way forward in this area as they are the ones who have been working closely with parishes and teams. In 2011 the language was changed from Mandate to Covenant, which was a formally recognised agreement made between the local parish (or group of parishes) and the bishop. In 2013 this was further modified to become normal recommended practice for all churches without the formal recognition, expect in the case of there being an OLM in the parish in which case some formal documentation needs to be agreed. These points are reflected in the revision of the Bishop's Regulations for Lay and Ordained Local Ministry in the Diocese of Lichfield by Lesley Bentley. 2. Theological and Scriptural Basis. Shared ministry is something embodied in much of the New Testament teaching, especially in the Epistles where an important picture of the church is the Body with each one playing their part 1. The aim of all this is to encourage every member ministry and for each church member to play their part and reach maturity (Ephesians 4:11-16, Romans 12:1-8, 1 Corinthians 12-14) with Christ as the Head. 1 Van Balthasar holds these together helpfully: As a fellow human being with us, Jesus can do no other than draw other human beings into his unique and incomparable work. And so he calls others to join with him in the special task of continuing his work. From the very beginning, in the call of the twelve, Jesus gave a share in his authority both before the Passion ( Do this.. ) and after it ( Whose sins you shall forgive ) drawing them ever more deeply into his own mission. In this way he made them capable as well of drawing others into his special mission. We must see all these aspect together, as intimately bound up with each other, if we want to perceive, at least to some extent, the mystery of the fruitfulness of the continued life of the Incarnate Word called the Church without abridgement. 1
A preferred term is covenant as this involves participation and commitment both from parishes and Diocese, we do this, rather than you do this. Paul Thomas developed the following biblical points regarding covenants: (a) Covenant implies community. Though represented by individuals it is the community which enters into a covenant collaboration is immediately implied (Deuteronomy 5:2ff, Jeremiah 32:36-40, John 17). (b) Covenant implies mission. It is not an in-house arrangement but is about setting in place conditions that will make it easier to reach those outside the parties involved in the covenant (Genesis 9:8-17, Isaiah 42:6, 49:8, John 15:16). (c) Covenant contains a historical prologue. It is a specific arrangement based on the identity and special circumstances of a group of people it is not a generic or one-sizefits all agreement (Joshua 24, 1 Corinthians 1:26-30). (d) Covenant can imply equality. Not always, but when it does it encourages the idea of mutuality and exchange of resources beneficial to both parties (Genesis 21:22-34, 31:43ff, John 15:14,15). (e) Covenants are costly. Both sides make sacrifices which entail mutual commitment. (Genesis 17, Deuteronomy 29). (f) Covenant needs renewing. The clearest example of that is the New Testament (or Covenant) the conditions of the agreement need to be revisited and refocused periodically (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Mark 14:12-26, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Von Rad summarises the significance of covenant thus: The relationship guaranteed by a covenant is commonly designated by a Hebrew word for which our word peace can only be regarded as an inadequate equivalent. The Hebrew word designated the unimpairedness, the wholeness, of a relationship of communion, and so a state of harmonious equilibrium, the balancing of all needs and claims between two parties. The making of a covenant is intended to secure a state of intactness, orderliness and rightness between two parties. 2 We therefore feel that covenant would be an appropriate term to use. We also prefer the term shared ministry to the unwieldy and more obscure collaborative ministry. 3. Identifying Factors. 2 OT theology Vol 1 page 130. 2
Please see the separate leaflet A Health Check for Lichfield Diocese Churches which the PDAs will use when working with churches. 4. The Covenant Process. a. In order to simplify the process of reaching covenanted status and to make the maintenance of shared leadership more straightforward, the focus is on the PCC. b. The 1956 PCC Measure expects PCCs to cooperate with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the church. Every PCC should be encouraged to understand their remit as including these four areas of ministry/mission 3, and sharing them with the ordained clergy of the parish. Tim Sledge also has an excellent chapter in Mission Shaped Parish on the implications of this role for the PCC (chapter 9). c. Our recommendation is that instead of automatically encouraging the creation of a separate leadership/ministry/vision team, we see the PCC as the main expression of shared ministry/mission. If need be the PCC could co-opt a small number of other people to make this possible, but that is not essential. There are the following advantages to this: i. It helps rural parishes where numbers are small to pursue the idea/practice of shared leadership. ii. It avoids confusion between the role of a separate team and the PCC. iii. It prevents the creation of separate meetings additional to PCC meetings which threaten to absorb the energies of all involved and undermine mission. iv. It meets many of the objections raised to separate ministry teams. E.g. in Andrew Dawswell s Grove Booklet P93. v. It leaves open the option of creating a stand-alone team if the parish/benefice really want to use that model. vi. It should be much easier for congregations to grasp and support. d. There will be a need to help the PCC see its role differently. Traditionally, PCCs have seen to the nuts and bolts business but not embraced the wider issues of church life. How can this be changed? How can we avoid a process that is too complicated and drawn out but which does not simply skim the surface and leave them ill-prepared? Training of the 3 The PCC is to cooperate with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. 3
clergy has been identified as important as well as the training of those who will share ministry/mission with them. The process outlined below can embrace both. We propose a self-administered short course in three sessions 4 : i. WHY dealing with the reason for shared leadership biblical and contemporary. ii. WHAT exploring how shared leadership could work (allowing the parish to examine its own particular needs), and include OLM and accredited lay ministries as a possible development. It would look at what a covenant would involve, using the health check. iii. WHO identifying those to be authorised and how they might be selected. It may be that from within the circle of the PCC the right people could be found and having been elected by the congregation they would be able to adopt their new role without a calling out process being put in place. This course could be a ½ hour slot in the meetings of the PCC, or it could become the framework for an Awayday. The Ministry Department is looking at training for clergy in shared leadership. 5. The differing shapes of shared ministry. a. It is the decision of the PCC how shared ministry develops in the parish and the shape it takes. i. In some parishes the PCC will be the core team but may need to co-opt members. ii. In some parishes a designated sub-group of the PCC will develop shared leadership and the preferred term for a separate group is Parish Development Team. iii. In a Team context the PCC may be the core team or designate a sub group as above, or each DCC may be the core team or designate a sub group. Where there is an United Benefice with multiple PCCs, they may have one designated sub group for the whole benefice if that is considered by them to be the best pattern. iv. Where there is already a mandated team, they will be seen as the designated sub group from the PCC/DCC but those churches will be given the option to review 4 Alternative courses might be: Your Shape for God s Service. No copyright restrictions and materials can be adapted to context. See www.carlislediocese.org.uk/ministry-and-vocation/everydaylife/shape.html, or Better Together by ReSource www.resource-arm.net. Other suitable courses may also be found. 4
their arrangement and re-shape them according to the new guidelines if they so wish. 6. The place of the OLM Ministry. Following the Revised Bishop s Regulations for Lay and Ordained Local Ministry (2013) a candidate cannot be put forward to an Advisory Panel or exercise ordained ministry unless a covenant has been agreed with the local parish or district. For a further discussion of local please see Appendix A. 7. Useful Resources. Healthy Churches Exercise. Natural Church Development. Network Course (gifts) and various shorter and anglicized versions of this. Local Ministry Team Dynamics Course. Appendix A. The Bishop s Regulations for Lay and Ordained Local Ministry in the Diocese of Lichfield state: 2.1.2 Ordained Local Ministers may only be licensed as members of Covenanted Parish or District as outlined in section 2.2 above. Bishop s Advisory Panels require written evidence from the diocese that a candidate is working within a collaborative setting. Covenants demonstrate this clearly. Appendix B. The Bishop s Regulations for Lay and Ordained Local Ministry in the Diocese of Lichfield state: 2.6. The Bishop's licence authorises Ordained Local Ministers to share in the leadership of the Covenanted parish, district, or group of parishes (locality) to which they are licensed or with which their licensed parish has a formal relationship, as defined in the Covenant Agreement eg other parishes within a team or parishes with whom there is a stated intent to work cooperatively. The distinctive calling of the OLM is to a local ministry and therefore they may not, ordinarily, exercise a sacramental or liturgical ministry in other parishes of the diocese. 5
Where circumstances require that priestly ministry is shared with another parish (as, for example, in the provision of holiday or sickness cover), the cover given by the OLM should be limited, as a guide, to no more than 12 main services a year and no more than two event/midweek services per month. The OLM should keep a record of this to be monitored by the Incumbent. George Fisher, Director of Mission. Lindsey Hall, Director of Lay Development. PDAs. December 2013. 6