Category Archives: ministry

Episcopal and congregational

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John Richardson has written a series of very interesting posts about ministry, see here, here and here.

This is an issue I’ve been thinking a lot about on my sabbatical (including reflections on the conference at Westcott I attended, and finally getting a chance to read Justin’s book) but I’ve held off from writing anything up as it has felt too much like ‘work’, which is something that I have been religiously avoiding. I’ll write something on those aspects in the New Year.

All I wanted to raise here is that, whenever talk about congregational funding of ministers is mooted – it is something which I feel is both inevitable and right – the spectre of ‘congregationalism’ is raised. We are Anglican, therefore we cannot be congregational!

So far as I can tell, this is a nonsense. To be an Episcopal church is to be governed by Bishops – to have ministers licensed by bishops acting under their authority, where the local priest represents the wider church to the parish and vice versa. The funding arrangements by which that minister is paid are irrelevant to whether a church is Episcopal or not.

Nor is it to say that there shouldn’t be a transfer of wealth from those that can afford it to those that can’t. Yet this does not have to be done on the model of state socialism; after all, we are Christians, and it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect people to give to worthy causes like spreading the gospel. Frankly, I can’t see any fundamental structural reform of the church being possible for as long as a parish share system is in place.

I also find it theologically dubious to see ‘inner city’ parishes as more demanding of resources than suburban or rural parishes. Having worked in both settings my principal reflection is that those in poorer areas rub much more closely against reality and limits, and this makes for a greater openness to the claims of faith. Those in comfortable, insulated, “rich” areas are a much harder field to plough. As John says, once a particular limit is reached – a limit which I would say is between 120 to 150 people in a congregation – then no further growth of ministry is possible, by a particular priest. (Of course, what this means is that the model of ministry needs to change: George Herbert must be killed.)

One last thing: John did a survey of parishes in his Episcopal area (which is the same as mine) and says “…there was actually a correlation between electoral roll size and parish population — but only until the parish population reached about 4,000. Below this number, a smaller parish population correlated with a smaller electoral roll. Once the electoral roll reached (on average) 110, however, an increase in parish population saw no corresponding increase in the electoral roll. Parishes of 7,000 and parishes of 17,000 still tended to have churches with electoral rolls of around 110.” This applies to Colchester Deanery, where the average ratio of full-time stipendiary to congregation is 1:110, but not to Mersea, where the ratio is 1:320 (total population c.9,000)! I had a long chat with my bishop about this, and we agreed that a) my ministry cannot replicate what has gone before (and it is self-destructive to try), and, b) Mersea is something of a pioneer, in that what is happening here is going to happen everywhere else before long.

Some relevant older posts: on workload, killing George Herbert and specifically on the size of this benefice.

Starbridge insight

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One of the things that I have done with my sabbatical time is re-read the six Starbridge novels of Susan Howatch. I first read them in 1994, and I am sure they played a large part in driving my unconscious towards realising my vocation. They have been equally stimulating this time. I particularly liked this description of Jon Darrow, with whom I was once compared by a colleague and friend, and with whom I do identify myself somewhat (especially given these sorts of thoughts):

“Let me now say something about the qualities that made Jon such an original priest. He was a mystic – by which I mean he was one of that army of people, existing in all religions, who understand themselves and the world in the light of direct experiences of God. Such people do not fit easily into conventional ecclesiastical structures, as their individuality is at odds with institutional life, but the best Christian mystics, the ones who have been able to explore their special knowledge of God to the full by attaining a holy, disciplined life, are always those who have managed to integrate themselves into the institutional life of the Church. The mystic who insists on steering his own course runs the risk of isolation, self-centredness and delusions of grandeur, and this is never more true than for those mystics who are psychics…”

Some of my resolutions from the sabbatical are: a renewed commitment to attaining a holy and disciplined life, an acceptance of the institution (for better or worse) and, indeed, a desire to avoid isolation, self-centredness and my delusions of grandeur.

God is good.

Two excellent links…

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Both from Maggi:

Some fascinating photographic interpretations of Jesus and his teaching; and

This talk from +Kenneth Stevenson, which I found helpful, especially this:
“A bishop is a Prime Minister – because he is there to initiate and articulate policy, and to respond to what is going on; and that means listening carefully to colleagues and others, as he tries to engender an atmosphere of trust where creative things can happen, as well as challenge the system – and people – when necessary. A bishop, too, is a Monarch – someone who has to handle the symbolism and the language of public liturgy and occasion, a sign and embodiment of catholicity, and therefore at times a little distant from the particularities of the Church. Then, a bishop has to act as Speaker – this is about ensuring fair play, like the other roles, not always easy or straightforward, especially in a culture where some are rather more ready than others to cast themselves in the role of oppressed minorities! And a bishop also has to be a scapegoat – someone who is the butt of frustration and sometimes aggression, and who gets blamed when things go wrong, sometimes with every justification. I knew all these roles as a parish priest, and I took them with me when I became a bishop, all too aware that one never gets them right.”

TBTM20090911

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“Get a move on you ‘orrible lot! You’ve got another three miles of sand to run in, now watch your step! Move it, move it, move it!”

Not quite the exact words I heard, but close enough.

Is it wrong to occasionally wish that churches could be led like an army? More could be achieved in some ways, but doubtless that means that the mistakes would be huger alongside the successes, and I suspect a muddling through, soul by soul, is more what the Lord has in mind for us. In his patience is our salvation.

(NB Ollie was most excited to see them, thought it was great fun. I don’t plan to run along with a pack on my back any time soon though.)


Another glorious cartoon from ASBO Jesus

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I should add, in the interests of accuracy, that lots of people have been asking how I am recently. That’s because there is a rumour going around that I am mentally ill 🙂

I’ve taken a day off today, partly because I’m severely knackered, partly because I’ve got a fairly major meeting tomorrow night. You probably noticed that the number of blog posts has risen!

On not wanting to be a Bishop

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Every so often, someone who knows me reasonably well – as opposed to extremely well – will either ask me if I want to be, or suggest that I will end up being, a bishop. The trouble comes when they don’t take my denials at face value and think I’m coming on all Heseltiney, but I really don’t think it’s an attractive job, and I don’t feel any particular vocational call in that direction (for which I am most grateful, thanks boss). I am an ambitious person, but my ambitions lie in different directions, partly all the material associated with my book, partly in (and this is my real deep dark secret) a desire to one day run a theological college and train priests for the ministry. The sort of priests I most admire tend to be like John Keble who turned down a Bishopric (and whose feast we celebrate today – which partly provoked this post) and David Hope who gave up being an Archbishop in order to return to parish ministry.

However….

Having said all that, I do occasionally see things that make me question my certainty on the topic – and this post from Nick Baines is one such. Perhaps being a Bishop is not the muzzle that I perceive it to be!!