Becoming Ministering Communities in Mission Formation for Deacons & Priests in Local Mission in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle November 2010
Acceptance of a Candidate for Ordained Local Ministry Following participation at a vocation discernment conference the Bishop may invite an applicant for ordained local ministry to become a candidate for ordained local ministry, to be examined in due course as to his/her preparedness to serve as a deacon or priest in local mission. Candidates are formally recognised in their parish, and receive a commission from the Bishop as a Candidate for Ordained Local Ministry. In addition to the normal expectations for all members of a Parish Ministry Team, candidates are required to make a commitment to participating in the OLM formation process, and to entering into an ongoing relationship with a spiritual director based outside of the parish. Appointment of a Supervising Priest Following the Bishop s acceptance of an applicant through the Diocesan discernment process as a candidate for ordained local ministry, the Bishop will appoint a supervising priest to work intentionally with the candidate in preparation for and in due course following his/her ordination. The supervising priest will normally be the priest who supervises the Parish Ministry Team in which the candidate is to minister. Candidates who have not Completed the Bishop s Certificate If a candidate has not completed the Bishop s Certificate in Theology for Ministry, he/she will normally be invited to undertake the following prior to entering the pre-ordination year: Complete the Bishop s Certificate in Theology for Ministry (Mission, Anglicanism, Bible, Pastoral Care, Liturgy, Ethics); Complete a ministry skills stream related to his/her area of ministry leadership; Lead a ministry area and participate fully in the Parish Ministry Team. Candidates who have Completed the Bishop s Certificate If a candidate has completed the Bishop s Certificate in Theology for Ministry, he/she will normally be invited to enter the pre-ordination year and undertake the following: Complete the Bishop s Diploma in Theology for Ministry (Old Testament, Church History, Gospels, World Religions, Doctrine, Epistles); Complete the Exploring the Diaconate ministry skills stream; Complete the pre-ordination ministry skills portfolio; Continue to lead a ministry area and participate fully in the Parish Ministry Team; Engage in a process of guided reading and reflection in the parish relating to diaconal identity with reference to the Diocesan competencies for ordination; Practise the liturgical role of a deacon under the direction of the supervising priest. In some situations it may be agreed that a candidate will complete the Bishop s Diploma and the other requirements of the pre-ordination year over more than one year. Page 2
The Role of the Supervising Priest during the Pre-ordination Year The supervising priest will work with the candidate to ensure that by the time of his/her examination for ordination to the diaconate he/she: Has engaged in the guided reading programme, and has an understanding of the nature of ordained local ministry, and the distinctives of diaconal identity; Has completed areas of the pre-ordination ministry skills portfolio regularly throughout the year and engaged in deep reflection on the exercises at regular meetings with the supervising priest; Has reflected deeply and regularly on the personal changes that ordination will bring in his/her life and has made preparations for these changes personally and in relation to his/her family; Has developed, and is able to articulate the key areas of a personal rule of life ; Has studied the Biblical passages relating to diaconal ministry on page 809 of A Prayer Book for Australia and has reflected upon them; Is confident in the use of the lectionary and calendar; Has practised the liturgical role of being a Deacon at the Eucharist at a number of practice sessions, and is able to describe the meaning of the actions; Has practised baptising babies and children; Has practised administering Holy Communion to the sick; Has practised ministering to the dying; Has practised presiding at funeral services in a Church building, in another building, and at a grave side; Is able to articulate the variety of ways of leading the Daily Offices from APBA, and is able to describe the normal way of leading the Daily Offices in the Parish; Is confident about how to undertake the ministry of visiting someone who is sick at home or in hospital. Supervising Priests will ensure that: A ministry contract (to reflect the situation after ordination to the diaconate) has been negotiated and signed by the Bishop, supervising priest and candidate; Plans are in place for the liturgical roster of the parish to reflect the presence of a new deacon in the parish community; The parish community has been given the necessary teaching to be able to receive a deacon in local ministry into its midst. Page 3
Orientation Meeting for Supervising Priests At the start of the pre-ordination year all supervising priests will meet with the Bishop, examining chaplains, MDO and DDO to agree the expectations for the year and to discuss the resources available. Orientation Meeting for each Candidate The MDO will meet with each supervising priest and candidate to outline the process for the year and to discuss the ministry skills portfolio and guided reading programme. The MDO will meet periodically with candidates and their supervising priests to review progress and offer resources as necessary. Examination for Ordination to the Diaconate During the pre-ordination year an examining chaplain will meet twice with a candidate for ordained local ministry, and report directly to the Bishop after each meeting on the candidate s progress. The Bishop and Assistant Bishop will also meet formally with candidates at least once each year. The examination of a candidate prior to the Bishop making a decision about his/her preparedness for ordination will include the following components: Assessment of the candidate s pre-ordination portfolio by the MDO and an examining chaplain; Detailed report from the supervising priest; Initial and final report from the examining chaplain; Recommendation from the MDO. The Bishop will meet with the examining chaplains and MDO to receive advice in relation to the examination of candidates. Following this meeting the Bishop will decide whether to interview the candidate or whether to defer the decision about ordination for a period of time. The final decision about whether a candidate is prepared for ordination will be made by the Bishop alone. First Year of Ordination to the Diaconate Following ordination to the diaconate all deacons (distinctive and transitional) will normally be invited to enter the First Steps in Ordained Ministry formation year and undertake the following: Participate in two learning weekends and the Annual OLM retreat; Complete the Preaching ministry skills stream; Complete the post-ordination ministry skills portfolio; Continue to lead a ministry area and participate in the Parish Ministry Team. Page 4
Additionally for transitional deacons: In addition, transitional deacons will normally be invited to: Engage in a process of guided reading and reflection in the parish relating to priestly identity with reference to the Diocesan competencies for ordination; Practise the liturgical role of a priest under the direction of the supervising priest. First Steps in Ordained Ministry Formation Year The learning weekends of this formation year will normally include the following sessions, developed from the great themes of the priestly ordinal, supported by the guided reading programme: Learning Weekend One: Friday Evening Session Managing Time for Life, Ministry and Study Learning Weekend One: Saturday Programme Being a Sign: An Anglican Understanding of Priesthood (the nature of public and representative priestly ministry in an Episcopal Church within a Parish Ministry Team, with reference to the Biblical passages on page 809 of A Prayer Book for Australia ) Being a Person who is Dependent upon God (the nature of vocation and the call to personal holiness) Being a Person who is Sustained by Prayer (finding a pattern of sustaining prayer through the Daily Office of the Church as a foundation for leading God s people in prayer) Being a Person who is Nourished by the Scriptures (being grounded in the scriptures as a foundation for preaching the word of God) Being a Person of the Sacraments (living out, participating in and drawing others into the sacramental life, faithfully ministering the sacraments of God s grace) Being a Person of Good News (modelling the sharing of a personal faith story in the light of the good news of the Gospel, encouraging and building up the Body of Christ) Learning Weekend One: Sunday Programme Preaching the Gospel of the Year (being a teacher) Learning Weekend Two: Friday Evening Session Overview of Diocesan Ordinances (taking part in the councils of the Church) Learning Weekend Two: Saturday Programme Being a Person who Leads and Follows (the ministry of an OLM within a Parish community, leading the people of God as a servant of Christ in mission, loving and serving the people with whom you work) Page 5
Being a Person of Care, Healing and Forgiveness (representing the Church in times of need, declaring God s forgiveness and blessing) Being a Person of Theological Reflection (remaining committed to disciplined reflection on the practice of ministry) Being a Person for the People (living out a public ministry that strives to connect with the wider community and to speak for justice, watching over and caring for the people committed to them, being a pastor after the pattern of Christ the great Shepherd) Being a Person of Spirituality (taking further steps to engage with the breadth of Christian spiritual traditions) Being a Person of Discernment (discerning and nurturing the gifts of others, and modelling the sharing of ministry) Learning Weekend Two Sunday Programme Introduction to Faithfulness in Service Learning Weekend Three Annual OLM Retreat The Role of the Supervising Priest during the First Year of Ordination to the Diaconate The supervising priest will work with the deacon (distinctive or transitional) to ensure that by the end of the year he/she: Has completed areas of the post-ordination ministry skills portfolio regularly throughout the year and engaged in deep reflection on the exercises at regular meetings with the supervising priest; Additionally for transitional deacons: In addition the supervising priest will work with the transitional deacon to ensure that by the time of his/her examination for ordination to the priesthood he/she: Has engaged in the guided reading programme, and has an understanding of the nature of ordained local ministry, and the distinctives of priestly identity; Has reflected deeply and regularly on the personal changes that ordination will bring in his/her life and has made preparations for these changes personally and in relation to his/her family; Has developed, and is able to articulate the key areas of a personal rule of life ; Has studied the Biblical passages relating to priestly ministry on page 809 of A Prayer Book for Australia and has reflected upon them; Has practised the liturgical role of being a Priest at the Eucharist at a number of practise sessions, and is able to describe the meaning of the actions; Page 6
Has practised presiding at a wedding and is aware of the policies of the Diocese in relation to marriages; Has practised praying with a penitent using the rite prescribed in APBA. Supervising Priests will ensure that: A ministry contract (to reflect the situation after ordination to the priesthood) has been negotiated and signed by the Bishop, supervising priest and deacon; Plans are in place for the liturgical roster of the parish to reflect the presence of a new priest in the parish community; The parish community has been given the necessary teaching to be able to receive a priest in local ministry into its midst. Orientation Meeting for Supervising Priests At the start of the First Steps in Ordained Ministry year all supervising priests will meet with the Bishop, examining chaplains, MDO and DDO to agree the expectations for the year and to discuss the resources available. Orientation Meeting for each Candidate The MDO will meet with each supervising priest and deacon to outline the process for the year and to discuss the ministry skills portfolio and guided reading programme. The MDO will meet periodically with deacons and their supervising priests to review progress and offer resources as necessary. Examination for Ordination to the Priesthood During the first steps of ordained ministry year an examining chaplain will meet twice with a transitional deacon and report directly to the Bishop after each meeting on the deacon s progress. The Bishop and Assistant Bishop will also meet formally with candidates at least once each year. The examination of a transitional deacon prior to the Bishop making a decision about his/her preparedness for ordination will include the following components: Assessment of the candidate s pre-ordination portfolio by the MDO and an examining chaplain; Detailed report from the supervising priest; Initial and final report from the examining chaplain; Recommendation from the MDO. The Bishop will meet with the examining chaplains and MDO to receive advice in relation to the examination of deacons. Following this meeting the Bishop will decide whether to interview the deacon or whether to defer the decision about ordination for a period of time. The final decision about whether a deacon is prepared for ordination will be made by the Bishop alone. Page 7
Ongoing Continuing Formation Programme A deacon or priest in local mission will normally participate in the continuing formation programme for a further four years after the First Steps in Ordained Ministry formation year. During each of these four years he/she will: Participate in two learning weekends and the annual OLM retreat; Complete a ministry skills streams; Participate in annual diocesan conventions; Participate in regional MCiM gatherings; Continue to lead a ministry area and participate in the Parish Ministry Team. The continuing formation programme will seek to assist deacons and priests in local mission to build on their initial learning in the Bishop s Certificate and Diploma programmes, and further develop their practical ministry skills by focusing on the following six areas: Knowing God; Understanding ourselves; Understanding and leading others in worship and teaching: Understanding and serving the Church; Understanding and engaging in God s world; Understanding and caring in God s world. Page 8
OLMS and the Annual and Long Service Leave of Parish Priests OLMs are eligible to function in the parish in which they are based as Sunday-supply clergy in the absence of their parish priest. When a parish priest is on annual or long service leave for a continuous period of 14 days or more it is a requirement that an interim supervising priest is appointed to supervise the Parish Ministry Team, including acting as convenor of team meetings. Such arrangements should be negotiated in the first instance between the parish priest and MDO prior to the commencement of the period of leave. With the approval of the Bishop (normally through the office of the MDO) OLMs may be given permission to function as Sunday-supply clergy in another parish in the absence of that parish s priest for a specific period of time. OLMs and Deanery Meetings The membership of an area deanery includes: Stipendiary clergy engaged in parish, specialist and chaplaincy ministry; Clergy acting as locum tenens within the deanery; Stipendiary lay leaders employed within the deanery. Attendance at meetings of an area deanery is normally limited to the membership detailed above except: At meetings when the Bishop or Assistant Bishop will be present, when clergy in local ministry within the deanery are also invited to participate; At Deanery social events, when invitations are normally extended to retired clergy living within the deanery and clergy in local ministry within the deanery. The primary places for collegial support for clergy in local mission are the Parish Ministry Team and the OLM learning community when it gathers for ongoing formation. Membership of Diocesan Synod Fourteen deacons or priests in local mission, with a maximum of three from any one area deanery, are eligible to sit as members of the House of Clergy at the Diocesan Synod. The representatives are elected through an election involving all of the clergy licenced for local mission. Page 9
Overview of Expectations for Stipendiary and Self-supporting (OLM) Clergy Clergy Licenced for Clergy Licenced for Stipendiary Ministry Local Mission Expectations of our Collegial Life Primary Ministry Supervisor Primary Place for Collegial Support Opportunities for External Support Workload Expectations All clergy are expected to pray the daily offices of the Church using an authorised liturgy such as APBA and the diocesan prayer diary, where possible in a local church building; All clergy are expected to robe and join the procession at diocesan ordinations, the annual Synod Eucharist, a Chrism Eucharist and, where time permits, at the induction of new incumbents within the area deanery. In first years after ordination: training incumbent or person appointed by Bishop. Meetings of the stipendiary clergy of the area deanery. Spiritual director and/or confessor; Professional supervisor (this is required for priests supervising teams); The Bishop and his staff. Stipendiary clergy should aim to minister no more than three working evenings each week; One day off per week, one additional day off each month and four weeks annual leave per year; Public holidays or a day in lieu of a religious holiday may be taken where appropriate; Long service leave as provided for in the Long Service Leave Canon. All clergy are expected to pray the daily offices of the Church using an authorised liturgy such as APBA and the diocesan prayer diary, where possible in a local church building; All clergy are expected to robe and join the procession at diocesan ordinations, the annual Synod Eucharist, a Chrism Eucharist and, where time permits, at the induction of new incumbents within the area deanery. Ongoing supervision: parish priest or supervising priest appointed by the Bishop. Meetings of the Parish Ministry Team, and the OLM learning community when it gathers for ongoing formation. Spiritual director (requirement for OLMs) and/or confessor; Professional Supervisor; The Bishop and his staff. OLMs must negotiate a ministry contract with the supervising priest and Bishop, including workload expectations and patterns of ministry; OLMs should establish a pattern for ministry in consultation with the Parish Ministry Team, supervising priest and Bishop; The workload of OLMs must not exceed that of stipendiary clergy and may include a number of days each week not involved in ministry in the parish. The agreed workload will vary by negotiation with each OLM. Page 10
Normal Formation Prior to Ordination Clergy Licenced for Stipendiary Ministry Bachelor of Theology programme through the University of Newcastle; Weekly formation programme during university terms for three years; Pastoral placement for three years; Clinical Pastoral Education; Clergy Licenced for Local Mission Bishop s Certificate and Diploma in Theology for Ministry through the Newcastle School of Theology for Ministry; Guided formation in parish through pre-ordination ministry skills portfolio in year prior to ordination to diaconate. Formation in First Years after Ordination Guided formation in parish through pre-ordination ministry skills portfolio in year prior to ordination to diaconate. One day each month in CME programme for first five years. Two learning weekends and three ministry skills stream days each year for first five years through NSTM; Guided formation in parish through post-ordination ministry skills portfolio in first year after ordination to diaconate. Annual Retreat Annual mid-week retreat. Annual retreat at the third learning weekend. Ongoing Professional Development Annual diocesan leaders conference; February and November professional development days; Annual joint clergy day with the Roman Catholic Dioceses; Annual diocesan convention; Additional resourcing opportunities offered by the Bishop; Seven days and a small allowance are available for study leave each year. Regional MCiM conference days; Annual diocesan convention; Additional resourcing opportunities offered by the Bishop; OLMs are warmly invited to participate in the February and November professional development days and the annual joint clergy day with the Roman Catholic Dioceses if they are able to do so. Page 11
Ministry Review Safe Ministry Training Ethical Conduct Terminating an appointment Opportunities for Further Study Ministry Fees Expenses Clergy Licenced for Stipendiary Ministry Clergy are subject to a formal review at the end of their first year in an appointment and then each subsequent four years. Completion of safe ministry clearances; Participation in a safe ministry training course every three years. All stipendiary clergy are bound by the provisions of Faithfulness in Service A member of the clergy may give two months notice of resignation to the Bishop; The Bishop may give clergy other than Rectors two months notice to terminate the appointment and may, in some circumstances, terminate an appointment, including that of a Rector, immediately. Graduate Programmes through the University of Newcastle. All fees and gifts received in the course of ministry are to be held in a discretionary account. Expenses are paid from discretionary accounts. Clergy Licenced for Local Mission Clergy are subject to a formal review at the end of their first year in an appointment and then each subsequent four years. Completion of safe ministry clearances; Participation in a safe ministry training course every three years. All OLMs are bound by the provisions of Faithfulness in Service. A member of the clergy may give two months notice of resignation to the Bishop; The Bishop may give two months notice to terminate the appointment and may, in some circumstances terminate an appointment immediately. Individual units, Diploma, Bachelor or Masters of Theology through the University of Newcastle. All fees and gifts received in the course of ministry are to be forwarded to the parish ministry account. Expenses are to be budgeted by the parish and paid to OLMs from the parish ministry budget. Page 12