What makes a healthy church?

In answer to Eccentric Paul's comments on the Deanery Strategy Group post there have been various pieces of research done to look at the characteristics of "healthy", "successful" or "thriving" churches. The most interesting, from my point of view, are the criteria put forward by Natural Church Development and the Building Healthy Churches process.

The Natural Church Development research looked at a range of churches and attempted to identify the key quality characteristics of growing churches. This research produced the following list:

1. Empowering Leadership
2. Gift-orientated ministry
3. Passionate spirituality
4. Functional structures
5. Inspiring worship services
6. Holistic small groups
7. Need-orientated evangelism
8. Loving relationships

Healthy churches, however, began with research which focussed on twenty five churches in Durham diocese which bucked a general trend into decline by 32%. These churches seemed to have the following marks:

1. Energized by faith
2. Outward-looking focus
3. Seeks to find out what God wants
4. Faces the cost of change and growth
5. Operates as a community
6. Makes room for all
7. Does a few things and does them well

Both NCD and HC do not regard specific projects, programmes or worship styles as significant. The key to these churches' health is the way they operate rather than what they do.

To these lists I could add some thoughts based on the concept of sustainability. For instance, a church should have sufficient professional ministry that local ministry is enabled, but not so much that local initiative is unnecessary. It should be able to pay its' way - but not pay too much so that others become dependent in turn... and so on...

I've also been very interested in the concept of culture change as a learning circle...

I think an interesting project could be set up to help churches identify their specific "sustainability" or "change indicators" and develop a strategy to adopt a "healthy lifestyle".

Deanery Strategy Group

Deanery Strategy Group: Living Faith?

On the 23^rd April the Deanery Strategy Group met to discuss the Diocesan Vision statement, Living Faith for the future. The group wanted to see how our work compared with the priorities set out in the diocesan document and whether it might provide some structure for our thinking.

According to Living Faith:

The vision of the diocese is “the transformation of all life under God.”

The values of the diocese are that we should be:

• Contemplative: attentive to God
• Creative: imaginatively releasing and harnessing all the gifts of all God’s people
• Continuous: rooted in scripture, faithful to the traditions we have received and seeking to give them fresh expression
• Accountable: to God and to each other as we build for tomorrow as well as today

The purpose of the diocese is “to join with God in creating a caring, sustainable and growing Christian presence in every part of the diocese of Oxford, enabling every Christian and every Christian community to live and share the love of God, seen in the life of Jesus Christ.”

The priorities of the diocese are:

• Sustaining the sacred centre
• Making disciples
• Making a difference in the world
• Shaping confident, collaborative leadership
• Creating vibrant Christian communities
• 
  

The Strategy Group discussed the priorities and came to the following conclusions:

Sustaining the Sacred Centre:

Spirituality and prayer must be at the front and centre of the new Deanery Plan. In Milton Keynes we have tended to give a great deal of energy to meetings, structures and general busyness. It is really important that we give more priority to things that lead to rejuvenation, refreshment and self-protection. We can only serve others if we are rooted and sustained in Christ. We need to find deep resources that empower us to be God’s people in this city.

We tend to prioritise activity or meetings, but we need to give some time to God so that the rest of our time is filled with his life.

In practice the deanery needs to lead by example and create opportunities for refreshment. We need to think about how we do this. Could we have more time for prayer when we meet? Should we hold more quiet days or retreats? Should we help churches to keep their buildings open or hold a continuous prayer vigil in one building during Lent? Does Cornerstone have a key role in our prayer life as a deanery?

Making Disciples:

Christ’s command to the Church was that we should be disciples who call other people to join us as fellow disciples. Making disciples is what we do. It is right, however, that we prioritise spirituality and prayer since it is only as we are refreshed by God that we are able to bring refreshment to others. It is only through the work of the Spirit that people are drawn closer to God.

Many of our more vibrant, healthy or growing churches already prioritise discipleship and evangelism, but is there more we can do as a deanery to fulfil Christ’s call? Is there anything we can do to help local churches in this area?

Should we give more energy and support to Alpha? Should we encourage the development of fresh expressions? How do we support pioneers, entrepreneurs, missionaries and evangelists?

Making a Difference in the World:

Many church members are already making a difference in a wide variety of ways. We are involved in the local community through schools, care homes, and a wide variety of work places. As individuals and congregations we’ve supported some significant campaigns on a wide variety of issues ranging from debt relief to the environment. As a deanery, we invest in our mission to the wider community through the Christian Foundation and the Development Chaplain. There are also a number of chaplains in this deanery who do valuable work on our behalf.

On the other hand, there is limited interaction between this work and our congregations and members. There is also a tendency to separate our church life on a Sunday from our weekday life and work. Do we need to spend some time mapping what is already going on and make some connections? What can we do to support our members as Christian disciples in their everyday life?

We also have a number of community-centre style churches that were built to serve local people. Many of these churches have financial difficulties or are struggling in some way. Most of them seem to be declining in membership. This is a pattern that is repeated elsewhere in the country. Is it time to do some serious work looking at the history of community-centre style churches, the challenges they face and the possible solutions that could be considered? Is it worth pulling in some expert support to help us turn these challenges into opportunities?

Creating Vibrant Christian Communities:

The evidence of research gathered by Natural Church Development and Healthy Churches is that when Christian communities function in a healthy way as part of the Body of Christ, they tend to grow in depth and numbers. That is not to say that a “healthy” church is always comfortable and cosy. They aren’t always wealthy or well resourced. Neither do they necessarily embrace any particular style of worship or programme. On the other hand, a healthy Church will be able to embrace challenge and change - and be willing to follow Christ wherever he leads…

We have a number of churches in Milton Keynes which are thriving because they are “healthy” or are striving to become more “fit for purpose”. We need to support these churches and find ways to encourage more Christian communities to adopt a “healthy lifestyle”.

As a deanery, do we need to make more use of the “Building Healthy Churches” process or something similar? What else could we do to make some of our communities more vibrant?

Shaping Confident, Collaborative Leadership:

As disciples we need to be confident in our faith and in our relationship with God in order to fulfil Christ’s call to make disciples and to make a difference in the world. Although many of our churches have made huge progress in developing shared ministry and leadership there is still a great need for development.

What can we do to encourage the development of confident, collaborative leadership in all areas of the churches’ life? Will the Local Shared Ministry project play a role in this? Do we need more local training? Should we offer a “Growing Leaders” course across the deanery? What else could we do to encourage lay people? How will stipendiary ministry need to change?

Supporting the Priorities:

In the first paper produced by the Strategy Group we observed that the 2005 Deanery Plan, A Framework for the Future, was driven by a range of practical issues, including finance, deployment, ecumenism and decision-making. We noted that this felt the wrong way round and that the 2009 Deanery Plan should start with vision and finish with practicalities. We think that the priorities of Living Faith could provide the core of the plan but that they should be supported by a range of policies and statements covering a range of issues including: finance, deployment, ecumenical relationships, decision-making and administration.

What next?

The Deanery Strategy Group will be making a presentation at the Deanery Synod on Wednesday 13^th May. This presentation will focus on the work done so far in reviewing the existing plan and the Diocesan Vision.

Members of Deanery Synod, and the wider church, will then be asked for feedback about the issues that the Plan will need to address. What questions should it attempt to answer? What priorities should it deal with?

The wider church community and our ecumenical partners will also be asked for feedback.

The Deanery Strategy Group will attempt to produce a very rough draft of a new deanery plan for the next Deanery Pastoral Committee meeting on 1st July. This document will then be circulated widely for discussion.

The Strategy Group will receive feedback and will present an amended document at the Deanery Synod on 23^rd September.

This document will be a work in progress and will provide the starting point for further discussions as we work through together our ongoing and ever evolving strategy.

Sustaining the Sacred Centre

We had the second meeting of the Deanery Strategy Group this evening and we spent some time looking at the diocesan vision document "Living Faith". This was a very valuable and creative conversation which I will write up when I have had time to think about it... I begin to sense where this process is going. I think we're going to have a much better deanery plan this time around... or rather, we will have built on the progress made possible by the last plan and will be able to be much more creative, visionary and spiritual. Who would have thought that a diocesan strategy document would actually be useful?...

Deanery Strategy Group

We had a very good meeting of the Deanery Strategy Group last Thursday. We'll be producing a letter to go to parishes in the next couple of weeks, but here are a few notes for those who are interested...

Deanery Strategy Group
Looking Back: Review of the Previous Deanery Plan
In May 2005 the Deanery of Milton Keynes began a process of consultation and reflection which led to the production of a new Deanery Plan. The process included detailed research, visits to PCCs and an away day. A fairly substantial discussion document was produced which was slowly refined into a twelve page booklet entitled: A Framework for the Future. This was approved by Deanery Synod in June 2006.

The Framework had four key strands which were intended to direct the work of the deanery over the coming years. These were set out as a set of “rules” which would help guide decision-making. There was a general recognition that we were entering a period of transition and change.
The key strands of the Framework were:

1. Sustainability: We decided that every church should pay between 80% and 120% of its ministry costs and that the ability to pay would be used to determine the number of stipendiary clergy in each parish.

2. Ongoing Deanery Development: We decided that it was too early to discuss the possibility of splitting the deanery but that it would be worth looking at “anomalous adjoining areas”. We also recommended that final decisions relating to Anglican funded posts should rest with the Deanery Pastoral Committee.

3. Non-Parochial and New Posts: We set out a policy which would define how decisions about non-parochial and new posts should be made and how they should be funded. We were keen that costs should be shared ecumenically and that new posts would only be considered if we managed to reduce our total level of deployment below the maximum set by the Archdeaconry – 18.

4. Encouraging Local Development: We came up with three key ideas which we hoped would help local churches:

a. Supporting Church Development: We offered £500 to each church from our reserves to help pay for external resources, e.g. Natural Church Development or Building Healthy Churches.

b. New Forms of Church and Ministry: We suggested that an ecumenical project group be set up to look at how we support the development of local church ministry.

c. Changing the way buildings are used: We also suggested that an ecumenical project group be set up to look at ways of assessing, developing, mothballing or redeveloping church buildings.

The process of producing the Framework was extremely valuable since it brought people together and helped develop more healthy links and relationships. This seemed to re-energise the deanery and resulted in an increase in creativity and vision.

The impact of the Framework can only be judged by reviewing events over the following three years:

Groupings: The initial discussion document explored a range of potential groupings which were fairly radical and linked churches on the basis of style rather than geography. Although this idea was dropped in the Framework we have seen a growth in creative partnerships over the following few years as Anglican and LEP churches have begun to work more closely with new partners – particularly amongst the independent churches.

Church Development: The offer of £500 per church was not taken up. This may be because those churches that were already pursuing a “healthy churches” agenda didn’t need the money. We didn’t have the capacity to make this offer in a more proactive way.

Use of Buildings: No ecumenical project group was set up to look at buildings or the way they are used. Since there was no-one available to drive this issue it was forgotten.

Financial Sustainability: Although we set ourselves a clear target in 2006 it was not obvious how this would be achieved. The existence of an LEP Funding Schemes seemed to make it difficult for us to set the direction of future share payments. A great deal of work was done by the Deanery Finance Committee in 2007 to understand, model and predict share payments. We then produced a ten year transition plan with the intention that every church would pay 80% of its cost of ministry by 2013 and that we would collectively pay 100% of our cost of ministry by 2018. A new share policy was agreed in November 2007.

Deployment: We recognised that sustainability would only be achieved if we were willing to face a reduction in our deployment of stipendiary clergy. We followed our own “rules” and applied them to a number of parishes including Bletchley, Woughton, Water Eaton and Watling Valley. In 2005 we had 21.2 stipendiary posts. By 2008 that figure had fallen to 16.2.

Parish Boundaries: Although we were not able to address the issues relating to our boundaries with other deaneries, we did tidy up one of our internal boundaries – between Watling Valley and Calverton. This change was made to give clarity to our work in the new area, usually known as Area 10 and 11.

Lay Ministry: The need for greater empowerment, support and training for lay ministry was recognised as a key issue in the discussions of 2005/6. There has been an explosion of lay ministry over the following three years, particularly in parishes where the number of stipendiary ministers has been reduced. Peter Ballantine has started to change the way training is provided, so that he can respond to local needs. Before 2008 there were no authorised preachers in Milton Keynes Deanery. By the end of 2008 there were over a dozen!

Local Shared Ministry: An ecumenical project group was set up in January 2007 to look at the model of ministry known as Local Shared Ministry, Mutual Ministry or Total Ministry. This group reported at the end of 2007 with the conclusion that the “New Zealand Model” was not appropriate for our context but that a more bottom-up approach could be developed. During 2008 the group refined its ideas and began to expand the conversation in early 2009.

In the meantime the congregation of St Frideswide in Water Eaton have become our first LSM pilot and seem to be growing in depth and numbers. This project was reviewed in October 2008 and there will be “a celebration of a new ministry” at some point in 2009.

Fresh Expressions: A fresh expressions project group was set up in June 2008 to look at the development, support and training of those involved in fresh expressions and pioneer ministry. An away day was held in October 2008 and courses were planned for 2009. Although this was not a direct proposal from the deanery plan this development does reflect the Framework’s emphasis on the training and support of lay ministry and the need to engage with the wider community.

Deanery Posts: We started to review our deanery level posts in November 2007. A small group produced the proposal that we should aim for three half-time posts linked to strategy/coordination, mission/enabling and training/nurture. We met with the Bishop, Archdeacon and Parish Development Officer and discovered that we lacked clarity about the vision and values of the deanery. We did, however, decide to use one of our mothballed posts to kick-start further development by setting aside the area dean for ¾ time. This was debated throughout 2008 and finally agreed in January 2009.

These few brief paragraphs are only a summary of the work that has been done by the deanery during the past three years and they represent an incredible amount of work by a number of people. We recognise that similar journeys and processes have taken place in local parishes and we would hope to take note of some of these in our final report.

We are also interested in the way that this process began with issues about deployment and money – and ended with questions about vision and values. This almost seems the wrong way around, although we do note that authors often write the introduction after they have written their book. The next deanery plan must, however, work from vision and values to strategies and tasks – rather than the other way around.

Key Issues and Criteria for Assessment
Looking back at the previous deanery plan, and observing the work that has taken place since then, we could say that the next deanery plan must address the following eight issues:

Engagement with the World:
• We must be able to respond to real needs with loving action.
• We must be able to meet people where they are.

Local Churches:
• Each church should be growing in health and depth of discipleship.
• The boundaries between parishes should be appropriate for our mission.

Local Ministry:
• Responsibilities should be shared between lay and ordained people.
• Each church must have a sufficient number of local members who are trained and supported in ministry.

Enabling Leadership:
• We need a sufficient number of professional ministers to support our people and communities.
• Our ministers must have the skills and abilities needed for enabling and supporting lay people.

Effective Use of Buildings:
• Our buildings must be accessible to non-church members.
• We must be able to engage with those who use our buildings.

Relationships:
• There should be high quality relationships between Anglicans in Milton Keynes.
• There should be warm and productive relationships with other churches.

Functional Structures:
• Anglican structures and decisions should be clear, transparent and accountable.
• Ecumenical relationships should have positive benefits for Christian witness, discipleship and mission.

Finance:
• Each Church should be paying between 80% and 100% of its cost of ministry.
• Local giving across the deanery must be sufficient to pay our costs.

Potential Questions for Local Churches
Using these issues abstracted from the notes, we could ask the following questions:
1. How have you been responding to real needs in your local area?
2. How have you been meeting people where they are?
3. How has your church been growing in health and depth of discipleship?
4. Are the boundaries between your parish and those around you appropriate for your mission? If not, what are the issues?
5. How are responsibilities shared between lay and ordained people in your church?
6. What forms of lay ministry do you find helpful in your church?
7. What training and support do the members of your church need for Christian service?
8. What skills and abilities do you think an ordained minister needs to have if a church is to grow?
9. How is your building accessible to non-church members?
10. How do you engage with those who use your building?
11. How do you relate to other Anglicans in Milton Keynes?
12. How do you work with other churches?
13. How have Anglican decisions affected your church?
14. What effect do the ecumenical structures have on your ministry and mission?
15. Do you know how much of your ministry costs are paid through your share contributions? If so, how much?
16. What challenges are you facing in the payment of your parish share?

Thursday

It was supposed to be a day off moved from Friday - but it didn't quite work out that way...

Went for a quick run on the way back from school.
Dropped Isla off in Kingston while I went to St Mary's Woughton for a rehersal for Cathi's licensing on Saturday.
Back again for some lunch and an afternoon of Admin. Printed off some deanery papers...
First meeting of Deanery Strategy Group in the evening - we reviewed the previous Deanery Plan... lots to reflect on...

Deanery Plan 2

We had a great meeting this afternoon of the Deanery Pastoral Committee with Bishop Alan, Archdeacon Karen and Andrew Gear (PDA). Some of our football focussed members made a real sacrifice to be there!

Our discussion focussed on how we are going to achieve our long term goals as a Deanery. Karen put forward a possible pattern for Deanery posts and Andrew challenged us to think in terms of Vision. I suggested a new Deanery Planning Process which would deal with vision and strategy in way we weren't capable of three years ago. This would fit in with Diocesan thinking about Deanery Planning Stage 2...

All in all, it was a good meeting, but I would have likes some more concrete decisions. The clock is now ticking for me to nail some of these before my sabatical begins in May. This means a lot of extra work over the next few weeks... The particular priority in the short term is to decide how to handle the post of Area Dean...