Leadership under development

One of the greatest influences on my thinking about leadership was a woman called Trish who worked for SCM in the early nineties. She was really interested in anarchistic organisational theories - which may sound slightly contradictory. She then went on to be a consultant to radical campaigning groups who wanted decision making structures to fit their egalitarian beliefs - rather than the power ethic of big business.
Her basic argument was that in order to allow each person to be heard - which is basically what an anarchist would want - you actually need tighter rather than looser structures of organisation. Anarchist organisation is not an oxymoron, it's actually essential - and prevents a slide back to "he who shouts loudest gets heard!"
She demonstrated her theory through a very neat decision making game which I've used at various time since then - once enabling a ministry team on the brink of crisis to actually talk to each other!
As I said yesterday, I believe that the Spirit is active in each person, so the leading voice of Christ can be found in each church member. This is a kind of Christian, anarchistic, democratic, pneumatological theory of leadership. Each person is a leader, whether they know it or not. Their actions, words and ideas contribute to the life of the whole - even if it is by withdrawal or abstention. The task of "leaders" is to enable the collective voice to be heard - which includes the voice of minorities or individuals. This is not majority rule - all must be heard, since it is often through the forgotten or seemingly unimportant that Christ's Word can be received. The Magnificat is a great warning to those who seek power or control.
I've just been reading the chapter on leadership in "Emerging Churches" which talks about participation, gifting, servant leadership, leading as a body, etc... It's made me reflect on our journey in Watling Valley. When John left there was a general desire to reform the Ministry Team as a "leaderless group" - that was the majority view. In the end we decided to have a Team Chair/Leader - which is the role I found myself in. From the beginning this was a challenging appointment since I was tasked with facilitating or enabling collective leadership in the Team without acting as a leader. Over time I developed a number of techniques for doing this, including listening, chairing, structuring conversations, reflecting back, etc... I also did a certain amount of "servant leadership" - through the Service Planning, central admin, etc... Through it all I made many, many mistakes as I found myself slipping into traditional roles, or taking the easy options. At the end of this period I think I've learnt a lot about collaborative leadership whether I was any good at making it happen or not.
I've also used a non-directive approach to leadership in a number of churches - which has not always been fun. Refusing to act as the mediator or ultimate authority can be unpopular with people who want you to impose their will on other people! Ultimately I agree with Rolland Allen who insists we "tell it to the church" - rather than sort it out for them.
The negative side of non-directive, facilitative leadership is that you can be seen as weak. The negative side of enabling and empowering ministry is that you are no-longer seen as the hero. More and more, I find myself less central to the stories of ministry that I'm involved in. Others get the praise, the status or the respect. I begin to wonder if people think I'm any good myself? All this, of course, is the necessary side effect of "lifting up the humble" and "bringing down the mighty from their thrones". We would all like to be the downtrodden poor who get lifted up, but sometimes we need to be the rich who are sent empty away. As an ordained, professional minister, "I must decrease that he may increase" - to borrow the words of John the Baptist.
So what is leadership in the church today? It is, I believe, the gift of each church member, but some individuals will act as focusses of that leadership at particular times. We all have our "leadership moments" so to speak. There are some, however, who are called to make that collective leadership possible. This is a challenging and sacrificial calling which involves a real responsibility to listen for the authentic voice of Christ - wherever it may be found..
Power does corrupt, but through the grace of Christ leaders can lay it down at his feet, perhaps recovering their own lives in the process...

The problem of ecclesiatstical language

I've been thinking about ministry again today - in particular the key principles of ministry as it develops in the twenty first century. Not too big a job then!
I've also been thinking of some of the odd conversations I've had over the years that have tended to indicate that I wasn't always speaking quite the same language as the people around me. We have some funny words, like "service" which can sound like a function provided as part of a religious service industry, or can imply a deep call to seek the good of another person. I have often been struck by the fact that Jesus came to serve and yet his greatest act of "service" was to die for people who didn't want anything to do with him. When we ask people how they would like us to "serve" them, we may be missing something...
And then there's leadership... I was fascinated by the way a number of people connected our Growing Leaders course with leading worship. Having done it twice I can confirm that there is nothing in the course about leading worship, and yet it seems that our concept of church leadership is intertwined with the function of leading worship - but I still can't see why it should be... although there are some interesting links between liturgical role and community function. Of course, it all depends on what you mean by leadership. I still have this sneaking suspicion that all God's people are leaders - my pneumatological, democratic leanings are still there... If the Spirit is present in each member, then the Spirit will speak through each member - what, therefore, is the function of those we call leaders?
Anyway, I'm rambling... The basic issue is that the words we use can be really tricky. I say one thing, and I know what I mean, but another person may use the same words in completely different ways - and then, of course, there are exceptions and complications which may be more important to some people than others. Navigating your way through such a fog of meaning can be quite tricky. I've often had the experience with some of my ministry team colleagues (naming no names) of saying one thing and then be attacked for what I hadn't said...
Of course there are times when I have chosen to be naughty with words. I went for a job once and was asked by one of the interviewers what I thought was wrong with the world. I kind of sensed that he wanted me to talk about sin, but I suddenly felt disinclined to use the S word. I'm not sure why, looking back. Maybe I felt it was too easy to drop in a throwaway line about sin, faith and justification. The evangelical in me could easily produce the words, but my post-evangelical side wouldn't let me... Oh words... Didn't get the job, by the way - but it was only a gap year thing.

Making and Sticking

Isla was at work today so I spent a very productive day with the girls. We went to Ikea for breakfast where we bought a new desk for ten pounds and a couple of swivel chairs - one red, one blue. After a quick trip into town, we returned to the house for an entertaining afternoon of flat-pack construction.
I had just completed a major sort of my study, so had created a nice space for them to use. It was perfect for the new desk. They spent the rest of the afternoon doing craft in my study - a small zoo of fuzzy creatures was created...

A Damp Cub Camp

This day was dominated by the collection of cubs from a very damp camp. Mud everywhere. The clean-up will last for days!

Mursley

This is the first Sunday in my sabbatical when we haven't had something planned, so we decided to do church. I did a quick scan of "Church near you" to find a service in one of the villages outside Milton Keynes. Only one of the churches I looked at had included full details of the services at a time we could make, so we headed off to Mursley.

I knew the previous rector and curate fairly well but have yet to meet the new guy. He now has five villages to contend with, so was off somewhere else doing communion (I guess).

The family service was small but friendly, with a great feeling of community. We could tell that people knew each other pretty well but were also willing to pounce on us as visitors - "Who are you visiting?". The service was led by one of the church wardens and her husband who between them delivered an engaging piece of all age worship with a sermon which was clearly part of a series on the creed. Music was provided by two younger people with guitar and violin.

Obviously in a small community like this you are not going to get a seven piece rock band and a nationally recognized preacher, etc, etc... This was a small local congregation not a mega church - but it was good to see the church doing what it does best - building deep, committed local Christian community. More churches like this, please!

The church warden's husband was pleased to hear that I'd found them through "A Church Near You" since he'd only got the password two weeks ago...

Night out with the boys

I tried again to organise a dads' night out. There's always some enthusiasm about the idea of a curry night, but no-one seems to have the time or the energy. Three of us managed to go to Stony last night and had a good evening. It is important to create space for this kind of thing but really hard to make it happen. I'll try again soon...

Iona "Newton" in a Collar

Today's school collective worship was based on year 4's trip to Olney this week. They had taken part in one of the wonderful days produced by Duncan Barnes, Bridgebuilder, etc... about John Newton and the Slave Trade. I had seen a bit of the drama (at Trinity Fishermead last year) and must say they have produced a very splendid package. 

Iona dressed up as John Newton (in one of my clerical shirts!). She did a super take of John Newton at his desk.

It was a good assembly and I'm a proud parent - but it was a bit odd to see my daughter in vicar gear... 

Early up - Six miles again

Was woken at 3 this morning by a badly behaved mp3 player. Couldn't get back to sleep so finished off the first draft of my write up on ministerial theology. It was good to feel I'd achieved something.

Ran another six miles - not in the rain this time - a few minutes faster than last week. Sore legs...

Wednesday Morning

It's sunny but cool in Milton Keynes. I've been to the gym again and braved the torture machines and the cross trainer. My aim today is to finish the writing I started on Monday. Time for some concentration!

The danger, of course, when you're sitting at your desk is that the world wide web is only one mouse click away...

Drive-Through Church

Here's a great video from the US demonstrating the potential of drive-through church. This is what happens when you get what you want...

New ways of being gym

Went to the gym today and tried to change my work out. I was brave and experimented with some of the strange torture machines with weights attached - I think I remembered my induction training...

I was aware today that I'm comparing myself with those around me. It intrigues me that I seem to have this inbuilt need to compete or lead - is it not possible to merely belong? As usual with such experiments, I'm learning more about myself and about church than I am about other people...

I've spent most of the day working on the question of priesthood. This has been a big theme of my discussions with others over the past year, since it has an impact not only on the ordained ministry but on a useful theology of lay/shared ministry. I've been trying today to put some thoughts down on paper, but struggling to do it concisely. After a few hours of concentration I need a break but may go back to it later...

Ministry-shaped Questions...

I spent most of today wrestling with a thorny question, principally the need for an appropriate theology of ministry to help us with developing shared ministry in MK. It's not as easy as you think.

As far as I can see most approaches are either dualist - dividing the visible church from the invisible, the professional from the lay - or functional - identifying different roles for different individuals. There is also a tendency to focus on the "minister shaped hole" believed to be at the heart of every church...

Hence Robin Greenwood gives us an excellent theology of priesthood and our own John Pritchard tells us how it should work. I've also been looking at some fascinating books from the 1980s which are still relevant in many ways, but a million miles from the kind of collaborative ministry that we need to build...

I am drawn to Steven Crofts', Ministry in Three Dimensions, but am inclined to develop his concept of three "dimensions" as a model for understanding the expression of Christ's ministry through all creation - as a circle rather than a box...

As you can see, I'm having fun!

This evening it was time for another non-sabbatical activity - a wedding interview that should have happened a few weeks ago. It was a good session.

Running

Run: 3miles in 27:41

too much BBQ food on Sunday (and pimms, wine, cream, ice-cream, crumble and chocolate with Solloways...)

Popped into school. Anne and Tracy said I seemed to have recovered my bounce!

Sunday Scouts

As I continue to find out how the other half live, today we once again avoided normal church life and opted instead to join a scout treasure hunt. 

This turned out to be a mad drive through the wilds of north Bucks following clues as we went. You'll be pleased to know that there were some ecclesiastical elements to the journey:

Which road in Little Horwood might the Vicar live on? (actually I happen to know that the Vicar of Little Horwood is the Rector of Mursley) - Church Street.

Who made this tree (photo provided) famous in Stony Stratford? Wesley (Unfortunately the photographed tree has been removed).

Where is the home of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost? - Holy Trinity Wolverton (the Car park was full so there must have been someone in).

We finished at the Quarries Scout Camp where I helped with the BBQ - swapping my normal Sunday Communion Table for a flaming altar of meat. I'm sure I was more in diaconal that priestly mode... but ministry was performed...

We weren't the only potential church attenders present (names and addresses will be provided to the appropriate Bishops).

Once again there were interesting parallels with usual Sunday practice. A group of people met, engaged in an activity through which learning took place. They ate corporately and tried to make small talk. Some people knew each other better than others and there was an inner group with their own established code of language and behaviour. Belonging could be achieved by making yourself useful - hence the cooking gear.

What am I learning about church and culture? - lots! How do I feel about it? - a bit confused...

How do we as Christians step out of our boxes and connect with the world around us? Does high-maintenance church prevent us from doing so? You tell me...

Fresh Expressions of Gym

Saturday gym visit: Running - 20mins at 11kph and Rowing - 5k in 26mins.

This is my third Saturday morning gym session. 

At CRE this week Mike went to a Fresh Expressions talk where he was challenged to think about stepping into unfamiliar territory. The woman leading the session said she had asked a friend to church. The friend couldn't come, but invited her to Bingo. She went along and found it an alien experience; not knowing what to do and how to behave. She compared this to the experience of a visitor in church. Mike was quite taken with this image and wondered if it would be a good challenge for a congregation? - go to a place you wouldn't normally visit and see what it feels like.

Going to the gym has been this kind of experience for me. I was very uncertain when I went for the induction, feeling like a fish out of water. Everyone else seemed younger - or fitter - and obviously knew what they were doing... Even after three weeks I feel very self-conscious - am I too fat or too slow? Am I doing the exercises in the right order? Am I wearing the right thing?

As I track my weight, time and speed, I also ought to track my inculturation. Am I becoming part of this "community" of body-improvers? What sort of community is it? What does it teach me about church? Lots to ponder

After Sunday

I've just been looking at the web site of an organisation called After Sunday. It focusses on the vocation of Christians to serve God in their normal lives. It looks quite helpful, but I only had a brief look. Check it out for yourself.

When I was living and working in a Root Group in Southampton I was, for a while, the one who worked full-time to support the group (and pay off our debt). At the time, some of my fellow Rooties thought I was missing out, but I soon came to realise that I was learning more about being a Christian in my working life than I was in church. As a library assistant I learnt how to serve joyfully  - with a focus on the needs of another rather than my need to get the job done. As a monorail driver (!) I was a chaplain to the line - stopping off at the stations to cheer up and encourage the hard-trodden staff...

At the time I wanted to explore spirituality in the work place more, but there were no organisations to help me. I joined one but it wasn't quite what I was looking for. 

As the Church we need to refocus our attention on those who are the Church in the World - there's a great Dave Walker cartoon on the After Sunday site which I can't reproduce - go have a look...

Clergy Stress: Childcare vs. Ministry?

Today's Church Times contained the following question: Are there guidelines for stipendiary clergy (male and female) with a working spouse and young children about the ratio of their "Parish" to their "childcare" time?

Isla was witness to my initial response - which wasn't polite!

This question brought to mind a colleague who was criticised for not working hard enough, although he was active in the "parish" during the day and the evening. His "boss" came up with the innovative idea that the "ladies of the parish" come to the house in the early evening to help his wife with bathing and putting the children to bed - then he could be available for "parish" work all day! How's that for thinking outside the box!

I'm sure better legal brains will be able to give a more accurate answer to this question, but my response would be something like this:

No, there are no guidelines for stipendiary clergy about the ratio of time they give to the church and the to their family, but they must take both responsibilities seriously. They are both callings under God. Clergy also have a duty to study, meet God in prayer and look after themselves - enabling them to be effective servants of Christ and "fully alive" human beings. They are not bond-servants to the PCC but love-servants of Christ and must prioritise this calling expressed through the catholic witness of the Church.

Clergy must do their job (and will be called to account if they are neglectful) but this accountability must also consider reasonable working hours and good practice. I was once encouraged to think in terms of working 40 hours per week (equivalent to a normal employee) and volunteer a further 20 (because that's what church members do(!)). If a minister cannot fulfill their "duties" within this time-scale the fault is with the post not the individual!

I suspect a very human story lies behind this question. My instinct is to side with the minister against a dehumanising campaign of bullying and emotional blackmail. I could be wrong in my assessment of the situation, but I've been around long enough to fear that I'm probably right... My prayers are with the family in the firing line.

Back to the Sabbatical

Spent most of the day writing. It was good to get back to the main sabbatical project.

My aim at the moment is to write a first draft - 11,000 words so far...

The Future of the Parish System

edited by Steven Croft

If you're looking for one book about the development of the church in England then this may be the book for you. It contains a series of essays by some of the key thinkers in current debates about Fresh Expressions, Church and Society, Mission, Ministry, etc... Graham Cray, Grace Davie, George Lings, Michael Moynagh, and others, who provide good summaries of their thoughts about particular subjects (or rather summaries of their books).  In a couple of instances they actually expand on what they have said elsewhere, developing their thinking in new and intriguing ways... Worth a read...

I particularly like Steven Croft's proposal for a set of key Anglican Values:

1. a commitment to Scripture
   
2. a commitment to the dominical sacraments of baptism and Eucharist
   
3. a commitment to listening to the whole of Christian tradition and seeing that tradition expressed in the historic creeds
   
4. a commitment to the ministry and mission of the whole people of God and to the ordering of ministry through the threefold order of deacons, priests and bishops
   
5. a commitment to the mission of God to the whole of creation and to the whole of our society as defined and described in the Anglican Communion's five marks of mission
   

Now that's a Covenant I'd be happy to sign!

Ministry in the Local Church

Edited by Howard Belben, 1986

I've been challenged to look seriously at Methodist thinking about Local Ministry, so when I saw this book in SPCK in Cambridge (quite an achievement to find a book in SPCK these days) I picked it up.

It's a collection of essays about local ministry from a variety of methodist theologians and practitioners, including my old New Testament prof, I. Howard Marshall. His essay was the most interesting and I've already passed it to few others to look at. It's basically a challenge to traditional concepts of ordination which raises some very significant questions. He points out that many people in the NT were set aside for particular ministries through the laying on of hands. Why do we limit such "ordinations" to a few "professionals"?

He was writing in 1986, of course, but this is a useful discussion to run alongside Steven Croft's Ministry in Three Dimensions, which focusses on a dynamic understanding the traditional "orders" of deacons, presbyters and bishops (1999).

Six miles in the rain

We decided to go on a six mile run this morning as part of Isla's preparation for the Race for Life. This seemed like a really good idea until we got to Emerson Valley and the heavens opened. We were so wet, it was like running with weights.

Despite the elements being against us, we made it round in about an hour; wet but pleased to have done it.

Sandown again

This was the second and final day of my sojourn with Scripture Union at Christian Resources - another two and a half hour drive to Sandown Park to talk about SU resources in the Royal Box. 

I met Dave Walker from the Church Times (who does those funny cartoons) and tried to introduce him to Light for the Lectionary - in the hope that a few more anglicans might find out about it...

It was a good day, filled with interesting encounters. I'm already looking forward to next year...

Christian Resources

As part of my sabbatical I was invited to join the Scripture Union team at the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park. We spent the day in the air-conditioned Royal Box talking to people about their work with children and young people. We were also trying to promote the new online resource LightLive which makes all of their regular youth and children's work material available for free online. To help us with this we had a computer set up with a (very slow) mobile connection.

It was great to meet all sorts of interesting people who are trying to develop their work. I met one older couple who were hoping to put on an all-age service in their village church. I also spoke to a pentecostal pastors wife about their hope to move their congregation on from 1950s pentecostal worship - isn't it interesting that these themes are repeated across denominations? All in all a useful day - I hope...

CRE is an interesting event. I only had a short opportunity to roam but it's always astonishing to take in the massive variety of resources and projects that Christians are involved in. You can come away feeling overwhelmed by the range of things that you are not doing (or failing to do) or you can be inspired to try something you've never thought of before. I came away with a bit of both - and a pile of bargain  books...

I'm a winner!

Blogging finally pays off! I have won ten tshirts from Webjam - the system I've been looking at for a number of possible uses. All I had to do was update my profile before May 1st and I'm now one of the five winners. Is it too geeky to wear a tshirt saying "I'm a Webjammer"?

Local Shared Ministry

A very good Project Group meeting today. We spent time looking at action plans in connection with our new remit.

Run

Ran 3 miles in 27 minutes. I'm beginning to get my speed back but need to do a few longer runs for endurance - or drink less beer...

New Minister Appointed

Today we had the good news that Nick (the visiting URC minister) has agreed to come as the next Chaplain at Christ the Sower. Good News!

Preach with a View

Working morning: Preach with a view - still waiting for result

Saturday

Gym trip: 20 mins running and 2k rowing.

Very hot day!

Preach with a View Weekend

Today marks the beginning of the "Preach with a View" weekend for our URC Special Category Minister. The candidate's first challenge was to lead collective worship at Christ the Sower School this morning. This is a key element of the weekend because (if called) he will be the chaplain.

Visit from Eastern Europe

Dave visited this afternoon and bought some trousers.

We learnt all about Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna and Ischia.

He brought the girls some chocolate carrots from Italy!

Ministry in Three Dimensions

by Steven Croft

Steven Croft is currently well known for his work in fresh expressions, but he's also penned a number of extremely helpful books, including Transforming Communities which I loved... 

This book is about ministry and contains some very helpful wisdom - which I wish I had read back in 1999 when this was published. It's a great statement of vision about ordained ministry in the local church and really should be a "must read" for all clergy.

His central message is that ministry should always be seen in three dimensions, following the pattern of the traditional three-fold ministry: diakonia, presbyteral ministry and episcope. He explores each in depth and successfully weaves them together, suggesting that all three are needed in the local church in one form or another. Ministers need a "portfolio approach" which adopts different aspects of these callings at different times and in different ways.

While I loved the book, I was disappointed by the focus on individual, ordained ministry. Although Steven Croft talks about lay people and does say a lot about how the minister might share their ministry with others, I felt that this book ultimately stops short of delivering a coherent vision for a fully collaborative local church. It was helpful, but my gut feeling is we need more...

Six Miles

I went for a three mile run at 7:30 this morning. Isla then wanted me to run home with her. I have now done 6.5 miles today. (Not fast)

The Substance of Church

I went to see the Cramps this morning for home communion - I know I'm not supposed to be working but they couldn't give me time last week. The number of jobs still hanging over from pre-sabbatical work is slowly diminishing...

I had a very interesting conversation today with John Punshon (Quaker historian and conveener of the MK Theology Forum). He wanted to discuss the remit of the Theology Forum in relation to its work on Local Shared Ministry. 

The issue that they are wrestling with is how we can develop Local Shared Ministry in an ecumenical context. Each denomination has a different approach to ministry which is both functional and theological. This makes it extremely difficult to develop coherent and radical local practice. It's easier to go for a lowest common denominator approach - what must you do, rather than what can you do.

John's suggestion was that the Theology Forum look at the way different traditions express the same basic features of church in their own way. By doing so, it may be possible to give LSM Ministry Units a bit more clarity about how they relate to the wider church and how they exercise their own ministry... Some simple guidelines may be produced.

I look forward to seeing how this work progresses...

After coffee with John, I went to the gym and rowed another 5k and ran for another 20 minutes. Home to do some SU work until it was time for bed.

Getting Fresh

This is the first proper day of my "study leave" but was fairly familiar.

I started the day with a three mile run, then tackled the emails piling up in my computer. I had a long conversation on the phone with Mary Coates about churches, and then attended a meeting in Oxford.

Although this sounds like an ordinary working day, there were some important differences:

1. I had time to get to Oxford in plenty of time, so was able to raid a useful library. I came away with four interesting books which will be very helpful...

2. The meeting was the Fresh Expressions Oversight Group (technically part of my sabbatical programme). We discussed a rather useful list of questions to be considered when looking at Pioneer Ministry  - not "guidelines" as such, but ways of making sure that those involved connect with the right people and groups. I thought this was a very useful meeting and could become really significant for future conversations in MK and beyond...

3. When I got home at half past five I didn't have to do any more work! Alleluia! I have forgotten the joy of evenings. I mowed the grass, watched and episode of Monk and went to bed. Very nice.

May Day

Bank Holiday Monday: We went for a walk at Stowe, with picnic and a long sit in the sun... lovely...

Party for me!

My first Sunday on sabbatical!

I had the choice that most of our members/attenders have every week. Do I go to church or do something with the family. I chose family. 

We had a great party with the Solloways and Catherills (who had also skipped church) organised by Jane to celebrate my sabbatical. We had a great time with lots of good food.

Saturday

This is the first full day when I'm officially on sabbatical - hooray!

In fact it was like any other quiet Saturday without a wedding or special event.

We did music centre and Iona had a birthday party. I cut the grass.

In the morning I had my first proper visit to the local gym. I ran for 20 minutes and rowed 5k.

The big difference was that I didn't feel the need to check emails and deal with a dozen minor items of admin - the normal process of sneaking work in around family life... An I didn't feel the faintest bit guilty - well, not much anyway...

We took Izzy in to see the Colectomania stalls. She was excited to see anything to do with Star Wars. I bought the Trivial Pursuit Star Wars set for £5 and we played it with Iona in the afternoon. We nearly finished the game before Doctor Who started. It was the second part of a Sontaran story. I've been looking forward to seeing Sontarans since the new run of Doctor Who started. They were my monster as a child. The first Doctor Who monster I remember and the one I hid behind the sofa to avoid. Great fun!

Ken Moore

It was the first official day of my sabbatical today. We went for a run on the way back from school and then popped into town.
The main event of the day was Ken's funeral which was quite an event.
Chris Purdue's funeral also took place today.

Time to go

Went for a three mile run this morning - my first since we went to France and I got a cold. Still not feeling great and my running reflected this - not quick.

Met Chirs Batten from the Methodist Circuit this morning for "wide-ranging talks" as they say on TV... It was good to catch up and think together about the next stage of our shared history in Milton Keynes...

This afternoon we had a good Local Shared Ministry Project Group Meeting. We tidied up our proposal for the Exec next week - a new remit for the group which will make it a more active project in MK - very exciting!
I am involved in no-less than four major proposals that will all be put forward while I'm away: LSM, Miniterial Support in LEPs, Strategic Planning in the Deanery, and the creation of a part-time Area Dean post - all big and interesting projects... I hope people remember to let me know what happens.... This evening was my farewell service - combined with Ascension Day festivities. Jesus went on sabbatical on the first Ascension Day - after all, he did promise to come back! Mins will only be three months and I'm not going anywhere...
We celebrated with Bucks Fiz and non-alcoholic drink served by an ecclesiastical barman (above). Time to go...

Standing in

Today I had to go to Cumnor near Oxford to learn how to be a surragate. No, it's got nothing to do with giving birth! It's about standing in for the Archdeacon, etc... so that couple's can swear at you - that they are free to mary. It's all about common licences and legal stuff...
There were eight of us there. A couple were friends of mine. We looked at each other and wondered why we were there:
a) we didn't say "no"
b) we've been around for a while
c) we've not blotted our copy book too badly - yet
All very interesting. I learnt a lot about the other people's wedding registers...

In the evening we had our first joint church council of the new year - St Mary's Church Council and All Saints' Servant Leadership Team. A laid back evening.
It's interesting to watch All Saints' construct a leadership team. It would be good to compare notes between the churches doing similar things - e.g. Water Eaton. There may be some lessons to learn...

(One day to go...)

Last full day

This was one of those days when meeting followed meeting. I literally had to chase the Minstry Team out the door as the Deanery Leadership Team were arriving... Four hours of meetings were followed by a supervision session with Liz Baker at which we discussed her plans for years 2 and 3...
In the early evening we had a friendly gathering at Becky's house as Alison Dew passed through MK. This was another one of those bizarre gatherings: Becky, Alison and Isla all grew up together in East Malling. Becky now lives just a mile from us, round the corner from the school - so they had this strange opportunity to gather together with their own children... It's a small world... Kent meets MK again...
I had a wedding interview in the evening as Isla finished off her 5000 word essay on the connections between dyslexia and dyspraxia... We celebrated with a bottle of wine and an espisode of Monk.
(two days to go...)

Getting on with it...

Jessie's interment was this morning.
The diggers were began to arive as we waited for everyone to arrive. Work seems to be starting on the drains!
This was a day for getting on with all the jobs that need to be done before the sabbatical starts. I made good progress, but probably not enough...
Alastair Wood's support group this evening...
(Three days left!)

Exit Strategy

This afternoon I popped out to to see Jean Potter (Chair of Governors at Christ the Sower School). She was doing much better and seemed very chirpy after her emergency operation.
We had our quarterly Service Planning Meeting at which we planned Christmas Services, and then it was time for the AGM.
We did a tribute to Ken Moore at the start. I had been struggling to find a good photo for this, but hadn't got very far. I have a great video of Ken flapping his ears, but this didn't seem very appropriate. At last minute Steve Nelsey came in with a memory stick which contained the following picture. It was only after I'd inserted it into the presentation that we all noticed Jessie, tucked away in the background... This was the perfect image of them both... (Note the Marmalade) This AGM was, of course, a day I have been planning for the last five years - since I (unlike Mr Bush) have always had an "exit strategy" in mind. It always seemed to me that finishing well as Team Leader was the most important thing I could do. From the beginning I wanted to have a properly organised handover to someone who would have a clear job to do.
At this point in our history, the Watling Valley is healthy, functional and working well. The members of the Ministry Team are getting on with one another. As a Partenrhip there is a good sense of vision, direction and hope... This is the right time to hand over to someone else...
And so tonight I passed the (soon to be traditional) Team Leader's Bible to Mike - who will have a really good time as Team Leader. The next few years could be really exciting and I wish him and the rest of the Watling Valley well!
Of course, I'd never really thought beyond April 2008 - so it's probably a good time to go on sabbatical and think things through. What am I going to do next?
(Four days to go...)

Whaddon Way

I did the eight O'clock communion this morning - my last Sunday service in Watling Valley for a while... Roger did his duty as church warden and sent me on my way... I preached about Paul in Athens, comparing his experience with that of Izzy in the Greek zone at Parc Asterix.

Then it was off to Whaddon Way church for a pulpit swap with Alan Bird. The theme of the service was taken from the Sermon on the Mount and involved murder, hate, adultery and lust - hard to pick any good hymns on this theme! It was good to be there and see some old friends.

The Birthday of the Watling Valley

Emails were in circulation this morning about our Joint Council. It's one of those issues that has been circulating for a while so I decided (on my last full day as Team Leader) to sort it out. So off I trotted to Holy Cross where I descovered the Sharing Agreement, which tells me who should be on a Joint Council - job done. All I need to do now is twist some arms and we'll have one by tomorrow evening.
While I was delving into the files I found a copy of the Service of Inauguration for the Watling Valley Ecumenical Partnership. I now know that the Watling Valley began on Sunday 21st April 1985 at 10:30am at St Mary's in Shenley Church End. I also have a copy of the words used by our people to declare their unity. This means that the 25th anniversary of the Watling Valley will be in April 2010. We are officially 23.

Beginning and End

Today the web is filled with messages about Zimbabwe. Bishop Alan has blogged - and emailed - about Zimbabwe and reminded us of the need to pray for this country at a very significant time of both hope and fear. The statistics and information about Zimbabwe are deeply concerning and it seems to me this is a time to pray for all the people of that nation.
Ironically, I was called upon to be more celebratory today with a wedding at All Saints' for a couple of African origin. Zimbabwe was mentioned. It was a time of joy with great ululations accompanying every amen.
Tears and laughter can often sit closely together and they do for Zimababwe. As we pray for them we must also find a way to rejoice with them. It is important that they are honoured as people and not treated as vistims. We will pray. We must also hope.

After the wedding I had to join the sons of Ken Moore to plan the service on Friday. They are discovering marmalade everywhere! The latest plan seems to be to dish out marmalade to all those who attend the funeral - a fitting memorial I suspect.
Once again, sorrow and joy are intertwined - there often seems to be an overlap. How can you mourn when God has given so much? How can you laugh when someone you love is taken away?
In the end we laughed because the hope of Christ does make a difference...

Please pray for Zimbabwe this weekend and for all those who live with hope and fear; conflict and peace; beginning and end.

Farewell to the Fish

When I was a child, growing up in Milton Keynes (between the ages of six and thirteen) I remember the city centre being a wide open space with miles and miles of empty car parks. They're not so empty these days. Often when we went into the town centre we would park by the fish at the garden centre. It was all free in those days. This was a great treat and we would often stop to peer into the murky depths. I'm not sure if I ever took myown children to see the fish, but in recent years there have been more bottles and junk in the fish ponds than anything else.
The fish are now gone and the garden centre is a brown field. My past is being demolished to make way for something new. Is this how people in the villages felt when their hedges began to disapear?

Clergy Stress

I've been thinking a bit about clergy stress over the past few days; partly because I've had conversations with or about ministers who have reached the end of their teather - if not crossed it. It seems to me that we are still imposing incredible pressures on some of our people, often for no more reason than habit. It's like the training incumbent who treats (bullies) the curate in the same way that his incumbent treated him - and every so often I hear a fresh tale of behaviour that is frankly unbelievable and I really can't quote such stories in a blog like this...
Some people might say that I complain too much but it upsets me to think of the top quality ministry that is simply squandered because of the way we treat one another and the stresses we accept as normal. I find it difficult to say "that's just the way it is" - it just shouldn't!
I picked up a book in one of our churches this evening while I was waiting for a wedding couple, "Pressure Points: How to Survive with the World and the Church on your back" by Peter Meadows. The wedding couple were very late so I had quite a thorough skim. It's a good book about stress - fairly familiar to anyone who's looked at these things before, but well written.
I noticed that the sticker in the front identified it as belonging to one of my predecesors - who did leave after life went a bit pear-shaped. It was interesting to think of him reading these words and to ponder how helpful they may have been in his time of crisis.
Of course, I then started thinking about my own stress. I'm responsible for the same church that he was - plus two more - with a number of other responsibilities besides... What's different? Why am I still standing? Am I still standing?
One difference, of course, is that we are more aware of the symptoms and effects of stress these days, so I'm sure we are able to manage it better. I suspect we have also benefited locally from eight years of development in shared ministry - this is not the same place that my predecesor served in. We are not the same people and don't have the same expectations...
And yet we still have a long way to go. There are some big lessons still to learn about letting go and finding a more peace-filled model of ministry - for all of us, ordained and lay alike. As I head towards my sabbatical I am hoping that this time will give me space to reimagine a ministry that is life giving rather than life draining - and I hope that when I return I will remember to live it too - for all our sakes...
(One week left to go...)

Welcome to Anytown

Julian Baggini, journalist and philospher, decided to spend six months in the most "normal" place in Britain as part of a quest to discover more about the English mind. This turned out to be a postcode area in Rotherham - S66 - and the book tells the story of his time there and his reflections afterwards.
It's a great book, particularly when Baggini (who reminds me all too much of people I knew at University) encounters average working class Brits in the places they like to use - pubs, working men's clubs, shopping centres and holiday resourts. He somehow managed to be himself while getting to know ordinary people with genuine emapathy and understanding. You get the feeling he really likes the people he meets. This book can sometimes be a bit like Louis Therou with philosophy.
He concludes that British people like "fair play" but that this doesn't mean playing by the rules. It means getting your due - which may be technically illegal. He thinks that we are "conservative communitarians" who believe that rights are not universal but dependent on our commitment and membership of English society. In other words, we have no real problem with removing those rights for those considered "outsiders". He finds himself liking popular culture and argues that good art does not become good art because you need several degrees to understand it. He thinks we consider food to be fuel and sex to be dirty, and we are too busy thinking about how much we can get - or how little we should be allowed - that we don't really enjoy either. He's stunned by how inflexible gender roles have turned out to be, and he thinks we like to gamble because we like to think the universe is talking to us... The "good life" for the English is defined by comfort, familiarity and niceness. Julian Baggini suprises himself with the observation that this is not neccessarily a bad thing!
The word "heft" is one he finds very helpful. Hefted sheep don't need to be herded or penned, they know where they belong. We are all, he says, "hefted holidaymakers who believe in finding what we like and sticking to it" - and he recognises something of himself in this...
It's a great book and does have a great deal to say about the English mind. Having read Jeremy Paxman's effort, I have to say, I prefer this... but...
Baggini is at his best when he's talking about his own experiences and his own thoughts. The chapter on food is powerfully familiar. I could see myself somewhere in there. He was also at his best when talking about the people he met, the places he visited and the effect this had on his own journey. Occassionally, however, he slips into a more bookish mode. The chapter on sex was little more than a list of facts, and the chapter on gender differences read like a post-feminist essay. I was particulalry disapointed with the chapter on gambling and religion - which actually had a great title "Gambling on Reality". He quickly slipped into accademic philosophy and restated what sounded like a pre-set position. There was a great chapter to be written here about the English approach to faith - but this wasn't it. The title was right and I think there is a great deal of truth in what he says, but it wasn't personal and therefore missed the mark somewhere...
All in all, a great book and well work picking up if you want to find out more about the people who inhabit this place some of us call home.
It's only by accident I publish this on St George's Day - but there you go, perhaps the Universe is talking to me too...

End of an Era

Jessie Dundas was one of the first people I met when I arrived in Milton Keynes eight years ago. She was a small scottish lady who for came to our 11 o'clock family service. I wondered to start off with why she came, until I saw her huge grin. I think she liked coming to that service because it was fun - plus she'd never really acclimatised to this strange English habit of weekly communion...
Jessie had come down with her husband Don, just after the war to make a new life in the village of Loughton. Don's brother Robert had married a local girl, Olive, and the four of them soon became part of village life - although, like many ex-pat scotts, they seemed to bring a bit of Scotland with them. Jessie would often try me out on a Scottish word or phrase that she thought I should know - and luckliy I often did!
Through Jessie I came to meet Don (who was better known in the pubs than the churches) and when I moved to Loughton I got to know Olive and finally Robert (often known locally as Jock) who eventually chose to give up the pub on occassion to share communion with Olve and myself in their flat.
These four people lived through a massive era of change; moving from Scottish mining towns, to agricultural England; finnaly watching that English countryside transformed into a twentieth century city. They held on to the things that were valuable from their past, but also became part of the future. There is now a huge familly who can trace their beginnings back to those brave poineers... (And I've come to know many of them too.)
During the past few years, I've had the strange privilege of celebrating the end of their journies. One by one I have said goodbye to each of them; first Olive, then Robert, last year Don and five months later, Jessie - who clearly didn't want to go on without him... They were all different, but all much loved. Jessie, who we morn this week, has been called one of the "nicest" people you could know - and that word is appropriate on this occassion. I will remember her smile.
It is the end of an era - but it has been a good one. Farewell and God's speed to them all.

A New Day

And so the normal term began...
I popped into school this morning and then dropped a memory stick off at the printers. Voices is ready to go!
This was a day for hard work and I powered through the emails, phone messages and small jobs that were sitting on my desk. I had some very intriguing messages, which may lead in interesting directions... One example is a message from Trish who I prepared for marriage in Tasmania in February. I've just had a message from her to say that the man who set up a Local Shared Ministry Project where her mum is a local priest is now living in the UK and she gave me his email address. I dropped him a line right away.
In the afternoon Paul and I went to Oxford for a meeting about one of our churches. This seemed to go very well, and then we drove back again. It was good to chat in the car and catch up. We both felt very positive about where things are going in MK at the moment. It feels like things are beginning to change...
I got home and had a quick bite to eat before the All Saints' Worship Team meeting. We reviewed Easter and discussed preaching.
I'm coming down with a cold...

Ken Moore

A Tribute for Ken Moore
by Phyllis Bunnett

I remember Ken as he was when he first came to a Sunday Service; his smart appearance, the spring in his step, his benign smile. He was so polite, patient, painstaking and paternal.
While all this was obvious, it was only gradually that we came to experience the hidden depths. He had, we learned, come from a very warm Christian home, he was well educated and loved projects to research; these gave him an excuse to spend hours delving into his amazing library, writing letters to authorities both church and secular, and organising his material for presentation.
But deeper than that was his love and care for people, especially young people down on their luck. He had, over the years, helped to put some people back on their feet, with great self-sacrifice, and some of his neighbours will remember him with gratitude. He was proud of being our church warden—and made a real job of it.
But in spite of these onerous and time consuming labours, I think he will be remembered by many as “The Marmalade Man” - he also excelled at jam making and many other culinary arts. All his jars and goods were labelled very precisely, even to the extent of times and natures of our services. Whilst he didn’t reach the height of “by Royal Appointment” he certainly could say “Purveyor to the Bishop” - and he did! - very proudly.
There was no aspect of Church Life in which he was not actively involved, Toddlers, Lunch Club and catering, Prayers, Lent Groups, etc, etc…
Physically he had suffered a great deal in recent years; on two occasions through accidents on his boat, which he regretfully had to relinquish.
Just a fortnight ago he chaired our AGM but he was really very unwell, he had been laid low by a severe cold and cough, but true to form, refused to give up.
However he was taken into hospital, the following day, his condition worsened and he died in the Critical Care Unit on Friday 18th April at 2:30pm.
Already today - Sunday 20th - he is much missed, there are so many gaps to fill… and although I know he suffered some disappointments due to our stubbornness, and his too, I think relationships were strengthened by the outcomes - he bore no grudges.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his three sons and their families; to Simon and Louise, and their three daughters, to Andrew and Sarah and their two little ones and to Michael.
We would like you to know how much we appreciated him and also how proud he was of you all.
We are thankful that the end came gently and peacefully.
In loving memory,
Phyllis

Voices sprint

This month's Voices was never going to be easy, coming as it did at the end of the Easter Holidays... All three editors were due to be away which doesn't make editing very easy...
I had a short window between a busy Sunday and a busy Monday during which I could edit the magazine. I warned people about this before hand, but it was still a risk; there would be no time for chasing articles or commisioning new ones. Whatever was in my inbox by 10:00pm on Sunday night would be the magazine!
It took five hours, and a lot of juggling, and a bit of space filling, but I got there! Voices on ice! - whoosh... All done.
Not shore it's any good, but I will get it to the printers in the morning.

Back to Work

Today was my first day back after the Easter Holiday. I hope to insert some missing days soon to fill in some of the gaps...

I had to get up early for the 8 o'clock service, which turned out to be a good thing since I picked up a notice sheet which informed me that Ken had died on Friday. He will be greatly missed. It was certainly useful to know this before going to Holy Cross where he had served as church warden.

The mood was quiet and reflective at Holy Cross. I presided at the 9 o'clock communion and then preached at the 9:45. The hymns were strangely appropriate even though I'd picked them over a week ago, and the story of Stephen had wonderful resonance. Both Ken and Stephen were people who sought to serve in practical ways, reaching out to people on the edge - often with food. We gave thanks for Ken this morning.

It was a bit of a shock to the system to leave Holy Cross and go to St Mary's at 11am for a big baptism service - a high energy show! The church was packed with visitors who needed to be given a real celebration - which we seemed to deliver. At 2pm I had to do the same at All Saints - three families, four children. It was important to deliver a BIG event for the five baptism families and their friends - but a bit of an emotional rollercoaster after the two services at Holy Cross...

I had three hours at home this afternoon. We all sat down for dinner and I watched last night's Doctor Who with the girls. It was a fairly blatant story about the very human habit of slavery - in one form or another - but it worked pretty well. After all, you can't go wrong if the episode has Ood in it. We learnt today that Ood have three brains: one in their head, one in their hands and one that they share in a collective consciousness. This is a great image to play with! They must cooperate and trust each other because if you are holding your brain in your hands you are pretty vulnerable... To what extent are we like Ood? There's a question to think about...

Growing Disciples was at 6:30pm. Mike's away so I had to lead it by myself. We all missed Ken's presence. He had been really enjoying this course. We had a good discussion about the cost of discipleship and went home. It's now 10pm and I am starting work on Voices. I must finish by tomorrow morning...

Oh I am glad to be back...
(And my sabbatical starts in 11 days...)

The Lourve

Day Five: Trip to the Louvre which included the obligatory visit to that Da Vinci painting.

From a personal point of view, I was able to visit the Moabite Stone which I spent a term studying at University. It basically marks the victory of Mesha of Moab over the Israelites...

... and some of the tablets from Ugarit which contain the Baal myth. (I also studied Ugaritic for a year which was great fun).

And so it was time to go home...

Parc Asterix

Day Four: Family trip to Parc Asterix. A great day out. It was actually fairly quiet with very few brits arround (They're all in Disney I guess). The girls had a wonderful time. Isla and Iona went on all the big rides - although Isla considered eight loop-the-loops less terrifying than the Paris ringroad... The big highlight for me was a live show with legionnaries recruiting the gaulish spy, Nitro Gliserene. All good fun.

Versailles

Day Three: Trip to Versailles. More struggles with Paris ringroad! Parking a nightmare!

Paris

Day two of the holiday. Trip into Paris. We visited the Eifel Tower and the Muse D'Orse. (Sorry, can't work out how to add accents...)

Off to France

We set off bright and eary for France, catching an early ferry. The drive down was OK but a little wet. We arrived in Maisons Lafitte by mid afternoon which gave us time to check out the local shops (expensive) and settle into our caravan, on an island in the Siene. Here's the view from our bedroom window...

Annual Meeting and Away...

Today was an interesting day. I attended the AGM at All Saints' which included a discussion of the new Servant Leadership Team and the buidling plans... All we need is 100K and we're there.

After church we headed up the road to Kent to stay overnight at grandma's.

Thursday

Worked during the morning while girls were at a fun day.
Went to see Jessie's family this afternoon. We reflected on the changes that she had seen in her long life, particularly in Shenley. It feels like the end of an era.
Stewart rang this evening to say that Ken had been taken ill. Went to see him in hospital.
Am having an interesting break...

Wednesday

Jessie Dundas died today.

Oxford

Took girls to Oxford. We did the Ashmolean and the History of Science Museums.
Worked in the evening.

Easter Holiday

And finally the actual Easter holiday starts...
Iona and Izzy are on holiday. Isla is still at work. I'm (officially) taking my post Easter break-ish - but will probably do some quiet catching up...

We went to see Nanny and Grandad in Nottingham today. Grandad has been doing some research for me in New Zealand where he had a meeting with Barbara Weseldene, who is the coordinator of Local Shared Ministry in Auckland Diocese. It was good to get his feedback from this visit, since it confirmed some of our observations in the Project Group.

Went to see Jessie Dundas this evening.

Sunday

Another Sunday in the snow! The world was completely white when we got up but began to melt later.
I was at Holy Cross for communion first, followed by their AGM. Zipped across the St Mary's to lead them in communion after their AGM. Finished the morning (at 2:00pm) with a lunch time meeting with the St Mary's 11 O'clock team...
Took girls for an afternoon walk...
Managed to finish the Watling Valley AGM video in the evening...

Recognition

Jeff preached a great sermon at Holy Cross today. He spoke about the disciples on the road to Emmaus and about how they failed to recognise Jesus until he did his thing... To demonstrate this he preached with a paper bag on his head - we knew it was him!

Saturday

Spent most of the day working on my fees and expenses. I need to tie these off for the end of the financial year. Various people hastling me for information. I'm hastling various others. I'll be glad when it's done...
Lunch with the Solloways - good pie!
Wedding in the afternoon. We had the reading from the Song of Solomon about the rain being past - and it was by the time the bride left the church. "Many waters cannot quench love, nor the floods drown it" - never have these words felt more true!
Family treat in the evening: Doctor Who is back!

Friday

Very long day! We had an informal visit from a potential URC SCM minister for Christ the Sower. By "informal" read "significant discernment process".
It seemed to go very well and I'm greatly encouraged.
(Went for short run with Isla)
I didn't get back until quite late. Izzy didn't want to settle down until half way through the final episode of Torchwood. The beer was alcohol free - and someone rang for pastoral advice. All on my day off... I'm not popular. The pile of work to be finished before my sabatical starts continues to grow...

Thursday

Plans for the morning had changed serveral times during the week, so a number of potential events were cancelled. I went for a short run with Isla and then strated tackling some of my big jobs...
We had a very good Local Shared Ministry Project Group session in the afternoon as which we reflected on some of the things going on and (I think) made some really significant steps forward in thinking about how a process-based approach could work. I think I'm finally beginning to see how we could move beyond the highly structural approach offered to us from Auckland.
In the evening I managed to see half an hour of Izzy's ballet lesson before rushing off to the two-for to get a table for our evening session with a potential candidate for the URC chaplain at Christ the Sower. Good evening.

Interview Day One

The first big day long interview of the week: deputy head at Christ the Sower. Long day. Sadly no appointment was made.

How to be in three places at once

9:00am Team Meeting (Two Hours)
10:00am Ecumenical Oversight Group (Hour and a half)
11:15am Ministers West (Hour and a half)
1:00pm off to shops to get lunch and tea for Isla (ill) and girls...
2:15pm Start my work for the day...
2:30pm Finish work. Go get girls...
4:00pm Music Centre Concert at Cornerstone
6:00pm Iona due at school for Gospel Show
6:16pm Left Cornerstone (with 20 minutes still to go) to Iona to School for the Gospel Show...
6:30pm Dropped Iona at school
6:45pm Got to St Mary's for Wedding Rehersal
7:00pm Wedding family arrived for rehersal
7:30pm Finished rehearsing procession... WVEC members begin to arrive...
7:45pm Finish rehersal...
8:00pm Ecumenical Council
11:00pm Tea...

Am I an April fool?

Monday

Ran home from school.
Sorted various jobs...
Started work on booking sabbatical visits...
Isla at home ill...
Vocalis concert in evening, plus supervision with Derek and a wedding interview...
Didn't sleep well...

Parochial Vision

Parochial Vision
The Future of the English Parish
Nick Spencer

The basic logic of this book is that if it has four legs, sharp teeth and a tail, it's probably a dinosaur. This is an unfortunate argument that spoils an otherwise excelent description of the English Parish since Christianity first arrived on these shores.

Nick Spencer is an enthusiast for the "minster model" and he derives from his study of English church history a wide variety of reasons why this model is both desirable and inevitable. I actually have a lot of sympathy for his arguments and think he makes a lot of sense. The only problem is that he picks one possible solution from a raft of possiblities. There may well be minsters in the future of the English Church, but I'm not convinced it will be quite as dominant as he suggests.

So I say yes to his analysis that we are now in a mission environment akin to the post-Augustinian period. I also agree that the existing parish model is unsustainable since it is built on the assumption that every church should have it's own full-time minister. I also have a great deal of sympathy for his argument that ministerial specialisation and greater team work would be a good idea, but...

I'm not sure that churches are going to sign up to a plan which gives certain churches greater symbolic status, neither am I convinced that this is the only way of supporting small churches. My biggest issue is that there is copious evidence that team ministries and LEPs have not delivered the goods over the years and I am not convinced he gives suficient grounds for for saying that the minster model will be any more succesful.

The issue with team ministries (and LEPs) is that they generate an extra layer of administration, and often bring together ministers who are culturally inclined to work against each other. Unless you are prepared to put a great deal of effort into building relationships and creating a common vision and strategy (as we have in WVEP) they often fall apart or become administrative mission killers. (See Bob Jackson for more on this...)

I was intrigues by Nick Spencer's description of a report by Leslie Paul in 1964 entitled The Deployment and Payment of the Clergy. It seems to me that Paul envisioned an approach to team ministry that was more collegiate and lay-focussed than the half-hearted system we enentually got - such is life. I'd like to get hold of this report at some point.

My issue with Nick Spencer is that he leaps from some fairly good evidence about change in English Christianity to the Minster Model without considering other options. As the Church in England moves into a mixed economy approach I suspect this may be a mistake.

We looked at the Minster Model in Watling Valley back in 2001, alongside twining, closures and network. The big issue with the Minster Model was that very few people actually wanted to try it. It made no sense to members of our churches that they would effectively give up their own status and became satelites of another church. This wasn't just asking turkeys to vote for Christmas, it was asking them to see themselves as second class turkeys. Nick Spencer will undoubtedly take issue with the way I word this, but it's how people felt and feelings are crucial when it comes to strategic planning with churches.

In the end we borrowed the concept of the collegiate team without creating a Minster Church. We now have a multi-functional, collaborative, integrated team which functions accross five churches, and this works because we also picked up the concept of network - which enabled us to gain the advantages of the Minster without the oppostion and bad feeling it would have produced.

At the end of the day, I would say that Parochial Vision is worth reading, particulalry if you don't have time or energy to work through some of the more accademic books about English parish history, and I think he makes some valid observations about the future development of the church in Britain, but if it has four legs, sharp teeth and a tail... it might be a quadraped.

Second Sunday of Easter

Clocks jumped forward. I rejoiced that someone else was doing eight O'clock!
Not many people turned up at nine (Holy Cross), but there were loads of people at St Mary's for the 9:30 sung BCP communion. One choir member arrived at 10:00am...
Alastair Wood preached an excelent sermon.
The eleven O'clock service was a bit chaotic since we decided to move the pews five minutes before the start. We created a small "circular" worship space at the back which was more than big enough for the dozen people who were there at five to, but not quite big enough for the twenty people who turned up at 11! We had a good, if slightly informal, service which fitted in well with the reading about the disciples gathering in a room on the first Easter day.
One of the reasons so many people were away was that they were in Wembley for the big match. the Dons won 2-0, so there will be great celebrations in MK tonight!
Some of us had to work however, and I was with Mike and Liz at wedding prep - six out of seven couples turned up which isn't bad.

Team Away Day

We had a very good Team Away Day today. We spent some time thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of the esisting team, which could be helpful when it comes to thinking about filling some of our vacancies... We alse discussed Local Shared Ministry, which provided some useful insights into how ministry is developing in WVEP and might develop further. There were some intriguing thoughts which we will need to follow up...
In the afternoon I took a wedding blessing...

Wednesday

I had a meeting with Alison in the morning to plan the team's spring away day.
I then met with Margaret and Veronica to plan hymns for St Mary's. It's always a mind bending exercise but has enourmous value: it means that the choir, organist and pewsheet editor get the hymns before Saturday night; it reduces unnecesary repitition and it releases creativity since we can be more adventurous. In theory we can now relax for the next five months - except I'm only taking two of the services and will still need to choose hymns for other churches... such is life...
I had a long hard mind bending afternoon trying to put together some draft proposals for the DPC. Our deployment working group can't meet before the end of April, so we will be doing it all by email. This is never ideal and means you need to produce thorough drafts and then ammend them several times before everyone is happy...
In the evening I attended the Holy Cross Church Council at Ken's. This was the first time I've seen the great marmalade maker in his own house. We had a fairly good evening and finished at 9:10 which I consider a win!
I had intended to work when I got home, but got drawn into the Apprentice. All I can say is, I would have fired him...

Tuesday

Back to work with a day of meetings: Team Space, Deanery Leadership Team, Liz Baker and a wedding interview...
Managed to crunch my wing mirror while backing car out of the garage - ouch!

Easter Monday at Bletchley Park

Had a great family trip to Bletchley Park. The first time we've been. Isn't it strange that you never do the tourist things in the places where you live?
It was great to see this place where some really important history took place - right here in Milton Keynes - but I'm not sure Izzy is ready to appreciate it yet...
I've also noticed that the BBC often says Bletchley Park is in Hertfordshire. Not sure I've worked out why yet... Maybe this was a war time trick to confuse the Germans...

White Easter

Dawn on Easter Day: There I stood with guitar in hand singing Abba Father as the snow fell... These are memories I will not forget in a long time...
What a day! Seven Paschal Candles lit, communion celebrated three times, Easter celebrated... Lamb eaten - and chocolate...
A White Easter enjoyed by all...

Egg Rolling

On Holy Saturday All Saints' Loughton held their annual egg rolling and decorating competition. Numbers were a little low with the bad weather, but we all had a great time. Izzy won the egg decorating competion (ages 5-9) and Iona won her rolling heat. Two more chocolate eggs to their stash...

Good Friday

We don't really have a good place on the west of the city where we can hold big open air events or services, but the City Centre is a very good public space and it belongs to us all.
This Good Friday some of us joined Cornerstone and Woughton in their Act of Witness. The band was good, Duncan was a very convincing centurian and hot cross buns were dished out on mass... Next year we'll try to push this event and pursuade more people from across the City to take part...

Maundy Thursday

On Maundy Thursday I had did a special Easter service at Killkenny House, and then met with Richard from New Life North.

In the evening we had a Maundy Thursday Service at which three Nelseys were appropriately dressed...

Wednesday

Went to an interesting meeting in Oxford today about clergy housing - particulalry in retirement. The basic issue is that because ministers are often required to live in tied accomodation (i.e. vicarages) they can find it difficult to find somewhere to live when they retire. This problem is increasing as the gap between what clergy can afford and the cost of buying a house becomes ever greater. Few clergy can afford to start a morgage at 65, and many find it difficult to get into the house market when they're younger.
Various solutions are being looked at, including greater use of housing allowances and the possibility of allowing clergy to buy into the diocesan housing stock. It will be important for us to find ways of resourcing clergy in the years to come that are both fair and realistic...

Rushed back to MK to prepare for Taste and See. It wasn't the easiest of sessions. Various people were away and a number of items didn't turn up. I finished the session early. Several hours work but not very satisfying...

Compline at St Giles in the evening.

Tuesday

Team Space - lots to discus.
Holy Cross Team - reorganised AGM Sunday.
Lunch with Mike Archer from St Mary's Bletchley.
Corporate Communion with Mothers' Union.
Compline at Servant King.

Still working on Easter services...

Monday

Ran home from school. Three miles in 27 minutes.
Spent the morning working on Easter services - nearly there...
In the afternoon we had a Voices editorial meeting. Liz Morris is doing the April edition - her first.
In the evening I went to Woolstones for a meeting that turned out to be very significant.

Palm Sunday

9:00am Holy Communion at Holy Cross
10:30am All Age Worship at All Saints' with ring blessing for Margaret and Len

Went to Shenley Leasure Centre for an induction session for the gymn. Enjoyed the rowing and running machine, but still suspicious of the various instruments of torture associated with stretching and pulling... Had a good twenty minute run on a treadmill.

Annual Report

The Watling Valley Annual Report for 2007-8 is now out! This is our second major joint production! It looks pretty impressive...

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...

Thursday

I've been feeling rough for the past couple of days, but managed to run to school with Izzy and around the wood with Isla. Not sure if this was a good idea, but managed to get round in a reasonably good time.

Easter is rapidly approaching and there are some services to plan. I worked with Jeff this morning on Easter Day dawn. We think we have a good plan. We just need to make it happen.

Met with Alastair Wood at lunch time. We had a good conversation about Pioneer Ministry and he's going to give me some possible Fresh Expressions contacts for my sabatical.

Popped into Kilkenny House this afternoon. They weren't expecting me for Communion but it was useful to have a chat about next weeks Easter service.

In the evening we had our final Viewpoints session. It went very well, but didn't feel like a tidy end, which I supose is what we wanted - sending people off on their own journeys. Two recruits for next years "Growing Disciples"...

WordLive

The good people of Scripture Union were telling me today about their new internet project, WordLive. I was very sorry to say I hadn't heard of it yet, and was disapointed to say it hadn't reached our churches yet....

But when I got to St Mary's this evening I discovered fliers for it on every pew. I think our Becky (who works for SU) has been doing her job...

Have a look:
www.wordlive.org

Wednesday

This morning I had Jenni's review in the Office with Mike and Steve. This was a significant review since Mike is taking over as Team Leader in April and will therefore become Jenni's line manager. We spent some time discussing the flow of advertising and notices through the office and agreed to set up a system of pidgeon holes. We also spoke about the need to find volunteers and holiday cover, and about the need to change the way we deal with office support.

At lunch time I went to the Scripture Union offices in Bletchley for a focus group session relating to a new project. This was interesting, but I was a little concerned to be the only Anglican present...

This evening we had our second joint meeting of St Mary's and All Saints. It was another high energy pacy meeting. Last time, St Mary's inspired All Saints' with their building work. This time All Saints' inspired St Mary's with their organisation. There seems to be real synergy in this experiment.

Tuesday

Woken at four by small person. Couldn't get to sleep, so I got up and did some work on the Annual Report Video - now one minute long...
This morning we had Team Space. We were trying to work out some brain stretching AGM questions...
I had a funeral later in the afternoon for Molly, and older lady originally from Cumbria who had moved to Milton Keynes in 1972.
Then off to the Post Office to send a birthday present to Zoe in New Zealand.
Home for lunch, and now I've got to try to get things done before end of school...

In the evening - Mission Partnership Assembly. Not the most exciting of events, but we were missing our main speaker.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

TiWe've been slowly emptying our junk room to make it useable. Seven bin bags and two car loads have already gone out as rubbish, but I have managed one trip to a charity shop so far - at least one more to go.
I had a free half hour this afternoon, so I took some old computer games into town. I think the man in the shop wondered why I was bothering since some of the discs were worth only 5p in resale value, but I persevered and came away with over £30 on in-store credit, which can't be sniffed at. The most vaulable item was my old Sega Megadrive, which he took for a whole £6!
I came away feeling I'd achieved something.

Supporting Clergy in LEPs

Had a good session this afternoon with some colleagues from the Mission Partnership. We were discussing the thorny issue of Ministerial Review in LEPs. In the past the MP has asked two questions: 1) Is this post needed, and 2) is this the right person for the job - and these reviews have been tied to licence/term renewal.
The only problem with this is that these are the two questions we really can't ask. No one is going to say that a post isn't needed - it's up to the denominations to decide what posts they can afford and where best to put them - and there are a huge range of employment related problems related with decisions about renewal of posts...
We got to a good point in our discussion when we agreed that the main concern of the Mission Partnership is to provide support for clergy working in LEPs where the issues of different denominations intersect. I'm going to write this up as a concrete proposal for the exec...

More Tea from the Vicar

I'd been tipped of at the weekend that one of our older members fancied a visit, so I popped in. We had a great chat - as always - and I made her a cup of tea. It turns out she finds it difficult to use her kettle which probably isn't designed for her. I did say phone me whenever you want a cup of tea, but I'm not sure how many cups she would want in a day...

Early Morning Stormy Share Session

I woke up at four this morning with the storms and wind. Couldn't get to sleep again, so ended up answering the call of temptation to do some work...
It's great to get going on something at this time of the morning. You can get things done without interuption, so I spent a productive hour and a half tweaking our Deanery Share spreadsheet to incorporate the key principals that we decided to add at the last Deanery Finance Committee - in particular the decision to share the "Poverty Allowance" between the parishes according to the number of ministers and the decision to share the cost of "Deanery Ministry" on the same basis. This might sound like a small matter to you, but this is the kind of thing that will add a bit of transparancy to our finances and give us a process for funding Deanery mission and work...

Plus, I'd had plenty of sleep having colapsed into bed early after a dose of LOST...

Passion Sunday

It was a long day today, but here are some of the highlights...

8:00am: Holy Communion at All Saints' Loughton - I preached on Lazarus with an emphasis on the place of the story in journey of Jesus towards the Cross

9:00am: Holy Communion at Holy Cross Two Mile Ash - I preached a similar sermon, but with an emphasis on resurection which I extended to the rest of the service

10:30am: Holy Communion at All Saints' Loughton - We rejigged the service so I could preach before the reading. I spoke about Rolland Allen, making links to the journey of our churches towards Local Ministry - with references to St Mary's Worship Leaders and the new experiment at St Frideswide. The link with the Lazarus story is the way Jesus chose to take the risk of "retiring" (pinching Allen's phrase) from the events in Bethany for the long term good of the Gospel... I left them listening to the reading with Tim Hadden to preside at Communion.

11:00am (actually 11:10am): AGM at Water Eaton - got to Water Eaton ten minutes late having torn down the A5 at 70 (which is legal on the dual carriageway). I was supposed to be chairing their AGM, but it was inevitably a team job since they knew how they do things better than I ever will. It was good to be with them, and the whole meeting was very positive. It was good to affirm what they've achieved during the past year. The discussion about Malcolm and Gail's proposal ("Toward a Local Shared Ministry") was positive but thoughtful. There is a general feeling that this is the right thing to do at the moment, but a concern that we have contingency plans and are open to other possibilities in the long term. The vote was nearly unanimous, with one person voting against, but it turned out he really wanted to make sure there were sensible checks and ballances included, which we agreed to require.
And so the next stage of the Water Eaton experiment begins. We will now need to make sure proper guidelines for the team and the reviews are set up. We will also need to speak to Bishop Alan. In the meantime, they can continue with a bit more stability and confidence.

Afternoon: Izzy needed some attention. Long walk. Lunch.

6:30pm: Growing Disciples part 7 - I hadn't had any time to prepare for Growing Disciples so it wasn't the smoothest of sessions. This was the session on Groups and Teams that we had issues with last year. The CPAS Growing Leaders material makes an artificial distinction between Groups and Teams which we suspect was motivated by their desire to use concepts from "Five Disfunctions of Teams". Unfortunately, we think there is a difference between groups and teams and buy into the idea that in a Team your work has an effect on the work of the whole, but a Group can meet without mutual responsibility.
On the other hand, it was a good evening.
Mike and I are beginning to think about next year and are starting to consider names of people to invite. Years one and two have been so significant as we have seen people grow, develop networks and find new confidence. This has been an important programme for us as a Partnership and is clearly a key part of our discipleship strategy.
One of our next thoughts is to do more with our "Alumni" - we will have 22 by July. One idea that we're considering is to organise a trip to the Willow Creak Leadership Conference in the UK - and to get hold of the videos. This would give us a way of continuing to build up and develop our leaders...

Happy Birthday Paul

This evening, we joined Paul to celebrate his 50th Bisrthday at the Horwood House Hotel. It was a great celebration, which we shared with his friends from work, family and church. I fear he might read this, so I'll avoid saying all the things that I know his friends would like to say about him... But I hope he does know how much he is appreciated. Happy Birthday Paul - and many more...

From my point of view, it was great to be inside the Horwood House Hotel - after all, we were once the Norwoods of Little Horwood Road, Great Horwood...