Over

We just got back from holiday today. (I'll post some pictures soon)
This marks the end of our holiday and the end of my sabbatical...
Only ten years till the next one - sabbatical that is, not holiday!
Back to work tomorrow. 1500 emails to filter tonight...

10. What next?

Sabbaticals are funny times, as this one comes to an end I have a lot to think about...

I've learnt a lot and have had a chance to think about my own sense of identity and direction. What next? It's fairly traditional to leave for pastures new after a sabbatical, but do I really want to?

There's a lot to do in Milton Keynes and I want to be part of it. There are new communities for us to reach out to; we have an LSM project which is really exciting and now we have to potential to push forward a Fresh Expressions agenda. Is this the time to walk away? The deanery is on an interesting journey with the possibility of proper strategic planning on the horizon - and a ten year financial plan under way. Is this the time to give it up?

It's largely up to other people what role I will find myself in, but I do want to be part of the continuing MK story - I want to know what happens next...

Personally I do want a certain amount of change. I don't want to go back to over-work, unrealistic responsibilities, stress and guilt. The more I think about ministry, the more I feel this is unnecessary and unhelpful - so change is on the agenda... but not running away. We all need to be part of a better way of being church - for the sake of the whole. I'm up for some serious change. I wonder what we can achieve?

What next? Let's just see...

9. Blog on

I started blogging in 2006 as an experiment in diary keeping. I was encouraged by my experiences on Iona and thought it was worth giving it a go. I lasted a month. I enjoyed the process of writing a blog but didn't have the motivation to keep it up. It was part of a push to run and write which didn't stand up to the pressures of everyday life... but some of my 2006 posts are still available on this blog.

I thought about it again in June 2007 and registered with Google's blogger - but didn't post many entries.

Later in 2007 I started blogging in a more systematic way. The motivation for this arose from a need to manage time more accurately and gain a greater sense of accountability. I was aware that fulfilling multiple roles was an issue but was also feeling stressed with too much to do. People asked me to write down a list of what I did in an average week so they could help, but I had a sense that an "average" week would be a rare occurrence. It struck me that blogging would provide a mechanism for achieving something more realistic. And so during November 2007 I kept a fairly detailed record of how my time was used and let people know where to find it should they want to find out.

Fairly rapidly the blog took off. I enjoyed the process of collecting my thoughts at the end of each day and reviewing what I was up to. Other people began to respond and comment. It wasn't long before I started adding photos and longer comments. (See To blog or not to blog for my thoughts about why blogging was a valuable thing to do, and Church for the Facebook Generation for more about online church.)

Since then, the blog has grown, and has proven extremely useful. It's provided an amazing mechanism for communiction and networking, and has helped build a sense of community. Thanks to people like Margaret and Barry, even those without computer access have been involved. Sermons have been written collaboratively, ideas shared, and some interesting people have made contact with with me...

Is it worth doing? I think so, even for the occassional nugget of value. In terms of statistics, there have been 92 visits in the past six days, so someone must be reading it - if only cyber stalkers...

I have every intention of continuing the blog since it's been so useful, but what about the future?

I think all clergy should blog - especially those who work with multiple churches. It's a great way of building community and becoming part of a wider network - sometimes it feels a bit like being a traditional vicar.

But blogging could also have value as a tool for all church members - to stimulate growth and nurture community. Some people have said that they don't think their thoughts would be of any interest to other people, but I beg to differ. Imagine an intentional community of people who write blogs and agree to read each other's. This would be a fascinating experiment. There are already groups of people who do this out of interest, but what if members of a church decided to do so? It would be a bit like facebook updates, only with more depth. (For an example of another Watling Valley blog, see Peter Leeson's - are there any more? Anyone else want to join the party?)

In conclussion, I think blogs are great tools and I think we should use them. I fully intend to.

8. Local Ministry

The theme of Local Ministry was always going to be a key element of my sabbatical. I won't bother to list all the blog entries that mention it...

At the end of my sabbatical I simply want to reflect that local / mutual / shared / total / collaborative forms of ministry are absolutely key for the future of the church and that I will continue to prioritise this area of work over the years ahead.

7. Fresh Expressions

The term "fresh expressions" has become very trendy at the moment, but there is still a great deal of confusion about what the term actually means. It can also become entangled with other themes and movements in contemporary church life (see Some Definitions).

The basic issue is how the church in England connects with the culture of England (see Sunday Scouts). This is not a question of style or content but of form: how should church life be arranged so that it connects with people where they are?

Part of the problem is that much of church life happens behind real and metaphorical walls. Rigid structures prevent us from sharing the hope we find in Christ. We need approaches to church which are more liquid; in which questions of in or out become irrelevant.

This was the challenge Tim Clapton raised with the LSM Project Group. It is not enough to speak about getting "out there"; we need to remodel church so that there is no "out there" to reach out to. The Christian community needs to be immersed in the community around it so that it can be incarnate salt and light...

The issue of faith in the workplace is crucial here - and in the home and in the sphere of entertainment and culture. God's people are already present in the world, although they may not realise it... This is a challenge for preachers and church leaders, but there are also structural and strategic issues...

We do need more fresh expressions in Milton Keynes - new forms of Christian community that connect with the culture of the city - alongside inherited models of church in a mixed economy church. The question is how?

The next steps undoubtedly involve the slow development of a shared vision, but there will also need to be some education and training (see Fresh Expressions in MK). We may also need to find ways of setting aside some people and resources for the task. I wonder if we may need some form of fund or advisery group to encourage the development of emergent Christian communities?

The whole issue has particular relevance and urgency in MK because of the high number of "new communities" which have been built over the years and will continue to be developed in the years ahead...

This will be an interesting area of growth in the next couple of years. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out...

6. Collective Leadership

During my sabbatical I've been looking back at my experiences of leadership and ministry. The theme of collective leadership has been a significant one:

I was deeply influenced by Derek Hanscombe and Peter Price as an 18 year old Root Group member. Derek's commitment to community was powerful and his use of group organisation tools was inspiring. Peter's demonstration of Liberation Theology in biblical studies was life-changing and I was fascinated to discover when I went to Bristol (see Mutual Ministry in Bristol) that they were still working together a few years later and founded New Way of Being Church. As I pointed out to Alister Palmer, It's fascinating how my journey has taken me back to my early mentors and influences... I am amazed, looking back over the past twenty years, how often I have used the lessons I learnt with USPG.

The second key infuence was my time with SCM in Aberdeen. I was convener of the local university group for three years, on the scottish and national exec - briefly - and represented SCM at the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland in 1992 - where I first met Bev Hollins. This was a time for radical thinking about community, political action and theology. We dreamed about networks and collective action. It was here that I began to develop my interest in alternative worship - which had sadly been neglected during my time with the C of E. One of the more significant elements of that journey was the input Trish gave about anarchistic organisational methods (see Leadership Under Development). I have used and developed these in practice in Milton Keynes.

The concept of Cell has been a key part of my thinking since 1986. Although Richard Davis discovered it in 2004 and got very excited, I've been thinking in terms of small communities for a much longer period. I first noticed it in the writings of Paul Yongi-Cho from Korea. Even in the nineteen eighties I was beginning to wonder how it might be adopted and developed for a more traditional western context. I looked at our local anglo-catholic church and began to see how each group within the church provided some form of micro-community within the body. I wondered about cells as a strategy for SCM in Aberdeen - although it didn't go further than that... The concept of small, intimate, active communities was part of the inspiration for joining Root Groups, where I learnt an enormous amount. In Watling Valley, we have done little more than hint at the possibilities of cell - or small self-managed micro-churches. I have tried to introduce the term "cellularisation" to indicate that this is a process rather than a structural goal, but with little success. Steven Crofts, Transforming Communities, is a good example of fresh thinking on small groups. I am also encouraged by my experience of small churches (see Mursley).

In Slough and Watling Valley I was able to try out some of my ideas about collective leadership and develop some processes. Finnishing my MA gave me an excuse to raid libraries and give myself a mini-course on management and strategic planning. SHIFT was the main play ground for experimentation and I wrote this up in my MA dissertation. Since then I have been able to reflect on experiences and refine my thinking. Each new tool gets added to the collection. I am grateful for the opportunity this has provided.

As I said in Leadership under Development, collective leadership has alway been a key element in my thinking. It was neccesary in the Watling Valley. In my vision leadership does not rest with Ministers or even the Ministry Team but with the people, and should be expressed through councils, congregational meetings and discernment processes. Three months of reflection and study have given me a chance to develop my thinking about collective leadership (See The Wisdom of Crowds, Wikinomics and the Folly of Teams.) As I return to work I hope to develop this further in practice.

When I put forward a suggested theology for Local Shared Ministry, James Cassidy agreed with most of the things I was trying to say, but challenged me on the concept of collective or circular leadership. I am very grateful to him for doing this since he has encouraged me to really give this issue some proper thought and get reading! I finish my sabbatical convinced that collective leadership is both possible and necessary. I also have a whole new set of theological and practical tools to play with. What fun!

5. Running for Life

Exercise has been a key element of this sabbatical. I joined a gym (see Fresh Expressions of Gym) and ran a half marathon (see Half Marathon). I have really enjoyed stretching myself a bit more than usual and getting into a regular pattern of exercise.

But this shouldn't be a once in ten year event. We are all told that we should exercise four or five times a week. Having done this I must say I feel fitter and more positive. I'm sure I function better if I have regular exercise.

The question is, as I return to "full-time" work, do we want vicars to put in 80 hours a week because there's so much to do? Or do we want them to be functional? This is a real choice which clergy need to take responsibility for themselves and their congregations need to support...

When I look back at these notes in a few months time, will I have managed to put this into practice? Only time will tell...

And it's not just vicars who need to exercise, we could all do with a bit more physical activity. What could you do?

4. Plant and Grow

We have tended to avoid further church planting in MK, since it has been seen as a way of weakening already fragile congregations, but the figures would tend to suggest that planting might be a useful strategy.

Firstly, the areas of the country that have lowest church attendances actually have the largest churches - but fewer of them. We have relatively few churches per population in MK. Is there a connection?

Secondly, churches have a glass ceiling. Once they are more than 60-80% full it becomes more difficult to increase congregation size. Some of our churches are relatively small. In Watling Valley, I suspect that most congregations (with the possible exception of Servant King) have already crossed it. Do we need more congregations in order to grow more Christians?

Thirdly, planting new congregations does produce new members. According to MA Bing (who analysed 90 church plants) the original team usually make up 20% of the new community, 16% transfer in from other churches but a staggering 64% are converts, reconnections and fringe. In other words, planting a new congregation increases the overall number of members.

Fourthly, you don' actually need a huge planting team in order to generate an effective Church plant. According to Bob Jackson a team of 5-9 generally produce around 600% growth; a team of 10-19 produce around 300% growth; 20-34 around 150% growth; 35 onwards 'only' around 100%. Planting teams between 1 and 4 produce an average growth of 3,000%! In other words, the smaller the team, the more significant the growth.

I know that some people will respond to this by saying that the concept of 'church' planting represents a fairly traditional approach to mission. Shouldn't we be more creative: what about getting 'out there' or developing new forms of Christian community? My answer to this is 'yes' - that's precisely what I mean. Planting 'churches' doesn't mean creating new fourteenth century churches with inherited patterns of ministry, worship or buildings - although there's no reason why we should completely reject the past. This is about fresh expressions of church which are relevant to the communities in which they are set. It's about Christian communities serving together in collaborative ways. Just because I use the word 'church' don't assume I mean a clone of inherited church.

I would love to put forward the phrase 'a church in every grid square' as an expression of a radical church planting agenda for Milton Keynes. I see no reason why such a vision should not be possible and every reason to assume it would be fruitful!

(Figures from Hope for the Church by Bob Jackson)

3. Mutual Ministry Methods

I've spent a lot of time investigating the way people do Mutual / Total or Local Shared Ministry. It is probably impossible, if not unwise to import and adopt such methods wholesale, but there are a number of tools worth borrowing:

• Discernment Processes: Why not use some of the collaborative discernment processes used in Mutual Ministry? Calver Calver has been experimenting by giving out lists of members and asking which individuals would make good church wardens. She thinks this was reasonably successful. Why not extend this further and do an annual ministry discernment process? (See The Wisdom of Crowds for my reflections)
• Deploy Enablers: I met Alister Palmer who served as an enabler in Tazmania - in fact he set up the system there! He sees himself as an Enabler in his work in Bristol and is doing interesting things. There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't employ clergy as enablers and give them appropriate job descriptions. David Robertson tells us a lot about how to do Collaborative Ministry in a traditional setting, but it is possible within Anglican structures to appoint clergy in creative ways...
• Do Collaborative Ministry: Likewise it is possible to go for a fully collaborative model within existing frameworks, as long as everyone has a shared understanding. Experiments at Water Eaton, Loughton and elsewhere are already proving this in practice...
• Practice Withdrawl: Clergy need to avoid the tempatation of dependency. It is possible (and extremely wise) to back off and try not to be there all the time. This is the only way that congregations can grow towards maturity. Once again, it is possible. Why aren't we doing it more?
  

In summary, we can achieve quite a bit by borrowing from the Mutual Ministry tool-kit without neccessarily adopting the whole model.

2. Ministry in Life

One of the big criticisms against collaborative or mutual ministry is that they tend to draw attention on "churchy" ministry - in an effort to maintain the institutions of the Church, we end up turning lay people into mini vicars.

As an antidote to this some speak about ministry in the church, vs. ministry in the world - the clergy exist to enable lay people to serve God in their work places... It's all about equipping the people of God for mission...

I've got a couple of problems with this. Firstly, I'm not sure that collaborative ministry is ultimately about sustaining the church, so much as recognising the ministry of all God's people, whether it be in church or in the World. All ministry needs to be given equal status as a fulfilment of God's call - this is surely what the mutual ministry movement is trying to achieve!

And yes, there is a distinction between an enabling ministry which equips God's people for service and the service of God in creation that such ministry enables... I'm less sure that this is a clergy/laity divide. We are all members of the "laos" - the "people" of God - whether we are ordained or not. Many NSMs and OLMs carry out most of their diaconal/priestly ministry in the workplace - not the church.

Against this backdrop, there is a real need to change the way we relate to the world of work. I am concerned about the way we focus so much attention on new ordained ministers when they start work, but don't acknowledge our members when they begin a new job. This is a form of clericalism and dualism which we probably should try to avoid. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Liturgy of New Beginnings: We could do with a simple liturgy which we could use during Sunday services to bless, pray for and commission those who are beginning new jobs - or voluntary appointments. We could, for instance, use oil and the laying on of hands. We could also present people with a pocket cross and a bible as symbols of their call the take the Word of God into the World of Work.

2. Celebration of Work: We could have an annual celebration of working people - not sure of an appropriate date - on which we celebrate the work that people do. This could also include some theological input about the relationship between faith and work.

3. Living in the Workplace: We could put together a short course which equips people for the task of being a disciple in the workplace. This could deal with spirituality, ethics, mission and relationships.

4. Supporting Working People: There are networks which attempt to help people in their working lives. We could draw attention to these, or create our own...

I think this is a really important issue if we are to move forward as a missionary organisation. What do you think?

See After Sunday

1. Spirituality

Spending three months without the burden of the Vicar persona has been liberating. I had forgotten in many ways how life changing it was to put on the collar for the first time - eleven years ago.

For most of the past twenty years I have lived alongside people who have tried to indoctrinate me into their favourite forms of spirituality - on the basis that their approach to prayer was somehow more authentic, helpful, Anglican, ecumenical, intelligent, contemporary or ancient. As an open minded person, I have generally gone along with everything I've been introduced to and often learnt a lot from it, but I am increasingly aware that my own sense of spirituality must remain my own. I can't borrow other people's.

Of course, I've had to do so to convince the Church of England that I am Anglican enough to be employed. So I've sat through interminable celebrations of morning and evening prayers which were little more than poetry readings. I've also endured the more informal "thought for the day" approach which doesn't do anything for me. As a clerical professional I've even delivered such things for other people - but were they authentically me? or was I just providing a service to someone else?

My sense of spirituality was nurtured within the charismatic and pentecostal movements. My childhood pattern of prayer is not based on written prayers, liturgies or books, but on an informal relationship with God, often expressed through simple songs. This basic spirituality remains core to my prayer life, although it has been marginalised by the need to demonstrate a broad-church Anglican Vicar Persona.

As a teenager I discovered ecumenism and began to work with Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists and Catholics. Before long, I didn't feel so welcome in my native tradition. It wasn't until I moved to Edinburgh and then Aberdeen that I began to delve into the Charismatic tradition in more depth; absorbing the key texts and histories of the movement. An encounter with Quakerism was profoundly influential. The concept of the inner-light and the need to listen for the authentic voice of the Spirit in community provided an important counterpoint for me to the more individualistic exuberance of Pentecostalism.

Deep in the bowls of the Queen Mother Library in Aberdeen I slowly constructed my own Charismatic theology based on the concept of faithful human action, creating space for divine engagement. It is not that we act and God must respond - or that the Spirit takes control - it is that we agree to work with God and he decides to work with us. The two strands of human and divine activity are mutually dependent on each other because that's how God wills it to be. I believe in partnership - a collaboration with God in ordinary life.

Praying in the Spirit is therefore mutually empowering. As we begin to speak, not knowing what to pray for, the Spirit provides the words, and it is as if God were praying through us... At the same time, God will not act unless it is in partnership with human beings. The same goes when we step out in faith, trusting God to guide our feet... Actions and words; God and humanity, interwoven in an incarnate mission...

I'm not asking other people to share my spirituality, because I recognise that everyone is different, but I would probably like a bit more space to live out my own spirituality during the next ten years, rather than other peoples...

Sabbatical: Thoughts and Reflections

As my sabbatical draws to a close, I've been trying to think of an appropriate way to round things off. Over the next few days, therefore, I'm going to offer a few thoughts and reflections arising from the last few months. They are put in no particular order:

1. Spirituality
2. Ministry in Life
3. Mutual Ministry Methods
4. Plant and Grow
5. Running for Life
6. Collective Leadership
7. Fresh Expressions
8. Local Ministry
9. Blog on
10. What next?

Please feel free to ignore the next ten days of blog entries, but I would also value any further thoughts and reflections if you want to click the "comment" button. This sabbatical has been great fun, but I also hope it's been useful. It would be great to have some feedback...

A sunny day

All three girls have now finished "school" for a couple of weeks. Time for a few days of freedom. Hope the sun keeps shining....

Ikea and Swingball

Went to Ikea with the girls for breakfast. Bought swing ball - no injuries yet...

Doctor Who Prom

We went to London today for the Doctor Who Prom. It was an amazing event!

We had to travel via Bedford because of weekend "improvements" on the line but we made it in time. The girls didn't know what we had planned - they thought we were going to the science museum!

The concert was spectacular with Ood, Jadoon, Sontarans, Daleks, Cyberman and Gelf appearing at various points - plus Davros himself! We saw Martha, Donna, Micky and Rose's mum and we were seated just beneath Russell T, Peter Davidson and Catherine Tate!

The girls really enjoyed the event and the music was quite something. David Tennant is being Hamlet at the moment but made an appearance through the magic of TV. It was a fantastic event to be part off and well worth a look when it's on.

Quiet day in the sun

Spent a quiet day with family enjoying a rare summer day...

Birthday Celebrations

We had a visit from our friends Al and Jo who came over for lunch. It was good to see them. Especially since they are soon off to Devon for a Al's new job. He will undoubtedly put more about this on his blog: New Kid on the Blog.

Finishing off...

Spent the morning finishing off some work; printed off some papers and sent some emails. My sabbatical is rapidly slipping away...

Beginnings and Ends

It has been a busy day. I popped into Bletchley this morning to buy my own Birthday present, then attended a meeting with the Methodist Superintendent(s). It was then time for the leavers assembly at Christ the Sower at which I presented Bibles to the year sixes and sunflowers to the departing staff.

Since this was end of term I took the three girls out for tea at the harvester.

Blog update

I've just spent forty minutes updating the blog design. The main change is the introduction of a third column, which should make it easier to view links and updates.

The site meter is still non-functional, but I've checked the provider site today and they promise to have it up and running again within 30-40 days... In the meantime, I should be able to keep track of some stats...

Meetings

I had lunch with Alastair Wood and we talked about Fresh Expressions and Pioneer Ministry - and how Scripture Union might get involved in Fresh Expressions in MK. It looks like they might host one of the Mission Shaped Intros and possibly help with some admin. This will be good.

I then had a session with Tim Clapton to discuss the use of computers and on-line communions. Our minds were bubbling...

Quiet day

I spent a quiet day at home recovering from the half marathon and writing.

Half Marathon

Isla and I finished the MK Half-marathon today - hand in hand.

Here are some more pictures by family and friends:




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Last day together

Isla and I spent our last day together (without kids) before the summer break. We went for a final run and then went into town for coffee. It was good to talk...

My time in gaol

I spent a most fascinating day at Woodhill prison today. It was a small visit which gave us a chance to see the great work being done by officers. I have to say that morale is surprisingly good and there are some great things happening. I just want to say "well done".

Eurobeat

We popped to the theatre tonight on the off chance that they would have some tickets left. It turned out that there was a deal for cheap seats in the stalls so we went to Eurobeat - a Eurovision tribute.

On the way in we were given badges. I picked Sweden at random. Isla picked the UK. We then bought flags and went through to join the other audience members who now "came" from ten different European countries.

There was video intro from Terry Woggan himself who reminded us that Eurovision is his pension. The show then began, hosted by Les Dennis and Mel Giedroyc who gave a splendid performance as aging Bosnian superstars - we were in Sarajevo for the night.

We were treated to ten performances representing each of the ten nations - not France. Each entry was a parody of a particular Eurovision style. We had rapidly removed dresses, bizare post-modern acts, extremely camp performers, divas and boy bands.

The best bit, of course, was the voting. We were required to test our votes in during the interval which were then grouped by nation and delivered during the second half.

On this occassion, Ireland won, with a classic Irish la-a-long...

It's great fun! Apparently they're already working on next years - set in Amsterdam...

See eurobeatthemusical.com

Sports Day

Spent the whole day at Christ the Sower - how do I manage to work when I'm not on sabbatical?
Iona's assembly (playing violin - very well!)
Izzy's sports day (she was very good at running with the scores)
Iona's sports day (she did the long distance - 400 meters)

Car Repairs

Today was the first day of a bad week...
The C5 needed repairs, so I took it to Bletchley.
New break pads - front and rear - £120
Isla had bad day.
We need cheering up...

Girls had good day visiting their new classes.

The Folly of Teams...

The concept of "team" and "teamwork" has been high on the agenda for many of us during the past few years. "Team" has become a top priority and has been seen as an antidote to hierarchy and a way of encouraging a more "collaborative" way forward, but...

...there are a few problems with teams (and groups) - particularly when it comes to decision making: Firstly, teams can indulge in groupthink as "popular", "safe", "established" or "familiar" approaches are prefered; Secondly, there is a tendency for teams to talk themselves into more polarised opinion - In other words, once a team begins to move in a particular direction, members supports and encourage each other to share the same stance - The more "popular" a decision becomes, the more "true" it can seem; Thirdly, the need for "belonging" discorages eccentrics and radicals - who may actually have something important to say; Fourthly, teams can easily be dominated by people with higher status, who speak more, or who speak first... In other words the opinions of the most highly ranked, and the most vocal, will seem more significant than those of the quieter and more reflective members.

This may sound negative, but it's worth thinking about, since it's backed up by research.

Teams are very good at tasks and projects. When you're trying to achieve an objective it is far better to have a functional team - but teams are less good at decision making and leadership, although they can have a role in managing or fascilitating leadership and decision-making processes. As far as I can see the best decsions are made when a collective and collaborative process has been used - the more people involved the better!

I've been reflecting a bit on the way the LSM Project Group has functioned over the past year and a bit. Some may well say (with some justification) that it's been somewhat chaotic, with different people involved at different stages as the discussions have meandered backwards and forwards over a range of related topics. It's been exilarating, ceratinly, and a great group to be part of - but a terrible example of "getting things done". I think it would be fair to say it's been a rubbish "team", but...

...the strength of this conversation was the collective and diverse nature of discussions - I never knew where things were going to go next - or who was going to lob in which theological handgrenade! As convener it was a real learning experience to ride the collective thought flow... It's a mirracle (in some ways) that we produced anything coherent at all - although I suspect, in fact, that the results benefited greatly from such a broad range of contributions...

It was a rubbish "team" but a fantastic process! A really creative group of people who were absolutely brilliant at tackling a very tricky issue!

As the Project Group moves into a more formal phase I suspect we need to widen the circle of vision and reflection rather than tighten things up. The success of collaborative ministry in Milton Keynes may well depend on the use of a collaborative methodology - but where will the Church in MK lead us? I wonder?...

Wiped out...

We're all completely wiped out after the wedding. No chance of much activity today. Luckily Jane invited us round to their house for a cup of tea in the afternoon, so we spent a couple of hours collapsing in their garden which helped reduce the risk of over-tired behaviour... although the girls did manage to be awake until after 10! I pity their teachers on Monday...

Annette and Jerry

Today we celebrated the wedding of Jerry and Annette. It was funny to be back in church (St Mary's) and actually took a while to get back into the swing of it. I felt quite uncomfortable at first, standing in front of a congregation again, and it took a while to feel comfortable and articulate.

The wedding went reasonably well (I think) - improved substantially by the musicians from Jerry's old church in Great Missenden. We're getting to know the catholics of Great Missenden better and better every time we meet them. They're a great bunch and have a huge amount to offer. It is really interesting to see how they have linked music, faith, life and mission. They're good people to spend time with.

It was a good party too! Great fun! We met lots of really interesting and fun people and staggered home late - a good day!

Wedding Rehersal

Iona was at work so I spent the afternoon tinkering with my new computer. I'm still struggling with the need to find drivers for a 64 bit XP system - not all manufacturers have produced them. The question I may have to consider is whether to upgrade to Vista... Will this solve the problems or create new ones?

This evening I had the rehearsal for Jerry and Annette's wedding.

Interviews and Long Run

Spent most of the day at CtS interviewing for a year six teacher.
Had time for a quick 8 mile run before collecting children (80 mins). This was my first long run after the half marathon walk-through. Can I keep this up for 13 in a row?

The Wisdom of Crowds

Why the Many are Smarter than the Few
JAMES SUROWIECKI

This is a wonderful book on collective intelligence filled with a great deal of good sense and practical wisdom. Surowieki's main argument is that a crowd of people with great diversity in ability and knowledge, can consistently outperform the experts - as long as they are able to think with relative independence and there is a system for aggregating their collective mind.

The three conditions essential for good collective wisdom are diversity, independence and decentralisation - of a particular form.

Surowieki begins with the illustration of a scientist in 1906 who was convinced that 'normal' people were not able to make inteligent decisions. He attended a farmers exhibition and watched a group of people bet on the weight of an ox. He was convinced that the sum of their 'average' minds would provide evidence for the weakness of the 'herd'. He gathered the betting skips together and was surprised to find that the mean average guess was 1,197 pounds. The ox actually weighed 1,198 pounds - pretty close!

This is, of course, a fairly basic example, but the book is rich with theory and stories, ranging from psycological and sociological experiments to real world examples drawn from business, inteligence and nature. I am particulalry taken by the observation that a large group of people with limited knowledge can produce better and more consistent results than a few experts.

This is a good book which I have found very helful in my continuing reflections on collaboration, mutuality and the church...

It brings to mind the silly little exercise we used to do with congregations when we asked them, during a service, to list three things that they would like to see happen in their church within five years. This may seem like a daft exercise but it fulfils Surowieki's criteria. The whole bredth of the congregation were able to contribute, and their responses were fully independent, since there was no discussion and the small pieces of paper were gathered in without being seen. The results could then be grouped in themes to indicate the common mind of the church. Once again, you may say this sounds insignificant, but I would like to point out that the Watling Valley churches who did this in 2000-1 produced the list of six partnership values which still seem incredibly relevant eight years later!

The thing that has really got my mind spinning is that this concept of collective inteligence may be really helpful in developing a theory of collaborative discernment. The issue of discernment (particularly of new ministers) has been raised locally as we move towards a more collaborative appraoch. Who should decide which local people are called to take up particular roles. Clearly the issue of gifts is highly significant, but who is responsible for identifying them? Should people self-select? Do we trust the clergy to do it for us? Does discernment only work if it's done by people on the outside? Do we need a diocesan selection conference for vergers and coffee makers?

In some ministerial models it is common to present people with a list of members and ask them to indicate which individuals are called for particular roles - or ask them to put names on a piece of paper and drop them in box - after prayer, of course. Is this merely an exercise in consultation or is something more significant taking place? Can a congregation, filled with the Spirit, opperate as a collective inteligence, thus producing an authentic piece of group wisdom?

In some places the "nomination" from the congregation is then processed by a central panel who pick people who fit with their own objectives. This would be one way of processing the information - similar to the process used to develop Linux.

A more authentic way of "agragating" the information may be for a co-ordinating panel to approach the most frequently identified individuals and invite them to explore their call further through a process of mutual discernment, further exploration, formal interview or election - depending on the post. Surowieki is correct to say that the more people who are involved in the agragation process the better.

Interesting... I'm going to think some more about some of the strands in this book. It has a lot to say about leadership, decision-making, group processes and collaboration. It's a very useful theoretical tool.

Local Shared Ministry

We had another good Project Group meeting today. We discussed the Vision and the Action Plan. Lots to write up, but no more meetings until September.

Fresh Expressions in MK

I had a good meeting today with Tim Clapton, Peter Ballentine and Keith Beech Gruneburg. We had arranged to meet to discuss possible plans for the encouragement of Fresh Expressions in Milton Keynes. Although we still have a lot of work to do, we have mapped out a rough plan of campaign:

1. Vision Day: We're going to try to organise a vision day with the national team in November. This would provide us with an opportunity to enthuse on a large scale.
2. Mission Shaped Intro: We're hoping to organise two hits of this course; once in the spring before Lent, and once in the summer term. These should give us an opportunity to explore Fresh Expressions and Pioneer Ministry with interested people.
3. Mission Shaped Ministry: We aim to host a year-long course for practitioners - ideally starting in September 2009. This will be invaluable as support for those who are getting stuck in.

This is all very exciting! We hope to float this at the next Mission Partnership Exec and ask for a Planning Group to be commissioned as an ecumenical Project Group. This is a very achievable project which should have enormous value for our work in MK.

Still not broken

I was on track this morning for a good time for three miles. I managed the first two in 16 minutes but began to feel a bit sick. Perhaps I ate too much this morning or didn't have enough water or didn't take a hay fever tab... Walked the last half mile and finished in 26 mins. Still chasing that elusive 24 minute record...

Women Bishops and Collaborative Leadership

I watched some of the reports on the General Synod vote with mixed feelings. While I have no problem with the concept of women bishops, I do feel a little uncomfortable about some of the language being used.

On women bishops (as such) I am convinced the Paul has a point - in Christ there is no male or female, Jew nor Gentile, etc... And I can't see why we need to wait for universal acceptance - there are other branches of the Universal Church who don't have them - there are others that do... The same applies to other "innovations". We need to do what we think is right.

Having said all this, I am uncomfortable with the idea of women (or men) who are seeking positions where other people can "serve under" them. Is this a debate about power and status? Are there women priests out there who would like to join men at the top of the clerical pyramid? I hope not, but this was the way it was presented on TV.

The issue for me is the model of episcope we are seeking to develop. In an age when we are aiming to build collaborative leadership we need people who want to "serve with" rather than "lord over". I don't care whether our bishops are male of female, but I do care about the ministry they model.

Oxford Meetings

Had a good day in Oxford today.

I met with Beren to discuss Local Shared Ministry. We spent some time reflecting on the past two years of the LSM project in MK and thought a bit about the wider picture. We brainstormed on the theme of the different groups who are key to the debate and made a list of neccesary culture changes:

From Clericalism to Mutual Ministry
From Pyramids to Circles
From Delegation to Gift-led
From Volunteering to Calling
From Miniter Centred to Jesus Centred
From Exodus 18 to 1 Corinthians 12
From Control to Empowerment
From Community gathered around a Minister to Ministering Community
From Minister as Theologian to People as Theologians

We're spent some time thinking of possible strategies to promote such culture change. All good stuff...

This was followed by the Fresh Expressions Oversight Group at which we planned the February Vision Day, a gathering for practitioners and a series of leaflets...

A fairly busy day for a sabbatical...

We're in

We posted off our application for the MK half marathon today. We'd better do it then...

Sunday off...

We're all feeling tired after a couple of busy days, so decided not to visit any new churches today... Isn't it nice to have the option!
Watched Doctor Who in the morning - big series finale.
Iona had a party in the afternoon so the rest of us hit the town...

I'm a Taxi

Not much to say in the blog today. We spent most of the day driving children around...
To be fair, this morning was the Christ the Sower Staff and Governor Conference at which we picked a few new pictures to develop the schools visions. I then had to join the girls in Simpson for the Music Service Fete. Iona needed to be in New Bradwell for the Vocalis rehersal. Both of them needed to be taken to Wavendon for Grace's party - Isla and I had a drink in the pub. Home for an hour before going out to a very splendid summer concert by Vocalis...
Missed Doctor Who...

Bishop's Barbecue

We spent much of today recovering from Thursday's run, but had a good evening at Great Missenden at the Bishop's Barbecue. Although the invitation encouraged us to meet the bishop, the best thing about this event is a chance to meet old friends. It was good to see Kay Peck - now priested - and Derek West from Slough - Valerie and Ken - and so on... A good time was had by all - and it didn't rain!
Many thanks to bishop Alan and friends for making this such a good event!

Checking out the half marathon

We spent this morning checking out the route of the MK half marathon. We ran most of it with occasional breaks for map reading - it's a long way! We only got lost three times...
The question now is, do we do it for real?

Wednesday

Had a funny morning today. Went in to see Audrey and co. at Sutton House for Communion (having promised last month that I would). Audrey was waiting for a care assistant to come, and the rest had decided to have coffee instead. Lots of confusion...
Older people like to know where they are and need to feel in control of their lives - like we all do - but the best attempts to provide care can sometimes take it away. It's not easy. But it was good to see them.
Went for a run, wrote some emails, did some writing, helped Iona make a CD, had tea, time for bed...

Danny Wallace

One of the great things about living in a town like Milton Keynes is that you get the chance to attend author events. We've been to a few over the years. Tonight we went to see Danny Wallace launch his new book, Friends Like These. He introduced it, read a chapter and told us what happened when he tried to track down some of his childhood friends. It was a good event - very funny.
We've been Danny Wallace fans since he and Dave Gorman tried to find 50 Dave Gormans... I have a signed copy of Join me - which says I can I can still like Jesus and join Danny's Karma Army.
The girls became DG fans when he hosted Castaway. Danny's Diary was must see TV from their point of view. As Danny admitted, they may have been the shows only fans...
He was witty and charming as ever. Haven't read the book yet. Apparently it's not out officially until the third, but we've got one already! (Not suitable for younger readers, I suspect...)

Richard on TV

Our dear friend Richard Davis was on telly today - one of these house buying shows where they get you to look at three houses and tell you to pick one. I know they didn't go for one of the houses on the show but it's worth seeing anyway. I did note they were both referred to as 'vicars'. Isn't ecumenism wonderful...

Deanery Finance Committee

I attended the Deanery Finance Committee tonight. This was a break in my sabbatical, but one that I'd planned back in April. The reason for the occasion is that the diocese has just released its figures for 2009, we are therefore able to set parish shares for 2009.
We found 3 mistakes in the diocesan figures. They don't affect our figures this year, but they might be significant for the future - and it would be daft for the diocese to budget for posts we no longer have...
We set our share allocation (most of it) following the formula we set in place last year. This moves slowly towards an 80% target in 2013 and a 100% target in 2018 - long term planning is the only way out of the MK muddle. We'll get there, as long as people can find the share we've negotiated...
There are a couple of parishes which we still need to talk to, so we can set an achievable target. We'll do that in the autumn.
It was good to see people again.

Sunny Day

It's been a lovely sunny day and I've been inside writing...
Time to get out!

Not quite a smashed record

I thought I was going to break the 24 minute barrier when I went for my run this morning. I managed the first mile in 8 minutes flat and the second in 8:22. I was on target to finish in 24 minutes but somehow couldn't squeeze the extra speed out for the last mile, finishing in 24:40. Still a good time but not quite as fast as I'd hoped... Maybe next time...

Picnic

We went with James to the Ashridge Estate and had a rather splendid picnic. This was followed by a pleasant walk. A good afternoon. We rang our friend Dave, who is apparently back in the UK from Prague, but he didn't answer.
"A tree in summer;
a tree in winter;
a bunch of flowers;
April showers"

Izzy attacks James with some grass...

Leighton Buzzard

We went to Leighton Buzzard today for their 9:15am Matins service - which felt incredibly early after two months of sabbatical. We had decided to visit our friend James who took us to church with him. The girls enjoyed the Sunday Club and Isla appreciated a full choir. It was a good morning.
It struck me that the resources of a market town like LB enable them to produce a high quality "performance" - including choral music which their own notice sheet described as beautiful. This is a church which deserves to be "mystery worshipped" because it stands or falls on the basis of its public face...
This, of course, is in stark contrast to some of the smaller rural churches we've been visiting in which the "performance" is never going to be quite so slick but the depth of community is lifegiveing...
You can't really compare churches. They're all prescious to God...

The Healthy Churches' Handbook

by Robert Warren

The material in this book has been around for a while and has become fairly influential. This felt like a good time to re-read it.

Put briefly the argument is that churches grow (towards wholeness) when they exhibit seven key characteristics or marks:

• Energised by faith
• Outward-looking focus
• Seeks to find out what God wants
• Faces the cost of change and growth
• Operates as a community
• Makes room for all
• Does a few things and does them well

The book explores these seven marks in more details and sets out how a congregation might use them to develop and grow. There's also a super section about relating to the "angel of the church" which develops a Walter Wink style concept of corporate spirituality. This is good stuff.

Healthy Churches has been on my mind for a number of reasons:

1. Back in 2005 we suggested that parishes use Natural Church Development (a similar but more expensive project), Healthy Churches, or some other mechanism as a way to encourage development. This was part of our Deanery Plan - and we set aside money for it! It's odd that no single church took the money or gave it a go. Why? As we start the deanery planning process up again is there some way we can learn from the past and incorporate this more fully in our thinking? What would be required?

2. In his new vision, Sharing Life plus, bishop John also mentions Natural Church Development and Healthy Churches. This concept is clearly back on the agenda.

3. The LSM Project Group is thinking of developing a system of companions/mentors who work with communities who are working towards LSM. There is a reasonable overlap between the intention of the companions and the ideals of Healthy Churches. The Handbook has a lot to say about the need for fascilitators, which I found helpful in my thinking, particulalry in its' discussion about training. Robert Warren suggests minimal raining with ongoing support and mutual reflection. This may be helful for us in our thinking...

Bringing all this together I wonder if there might be a place for Healthy Churches within the new Deanery Plan and whether the LSM Project Group might incorporate it as part of its development work... What do you think?

Trip to the sea side

I missed a great day out today. The people of ST Frideswide's in Water Eaton have been knitting balaclavas for sailors. They've made between 70 and 80 and went on a nice day trip today to deliver them. Apparently the coach company ran out of vehicles so they were given the MK Don's coach!
I was invited to join them but unfortunately had other commitments - and am on sabbatical. They have promised to provide pictures and I'll post them as soon as I get them.

Collaborative Ministry

by David Robertson

It's not often that I find a book that I think other people must read, but this is one of them. David Robertson has written a classic, which explains in very simple and straightforward ways what collaborative ministry is, why it's important and how you might develop it in an ordinary church.

He begins by exploring some of the theory behind collaboration contrasting the classic pyramid approach to leadership with the "Jesus model" which puts Christ at the centre of a circle. He says, "If Jesus is replaced with the minister, then the church is proclaiming, in effect, that Jesus died on the cross but never rose from the dead."

This is one of the finest critiques of current leadership thinking that I have yet seen and challenges the current habit of viewing incumbent clergy as CEOs, leading the church in mission. The minister is one amongst many disciples gathered around the risen Christ, sometimes s/he leads, sometimes s/he follows... This is a view of leadership that emphasises faith, gifts and community.

Having established what he thinks CM is, Robertson then takes us on a journey through Acts, demonstrating how God always act collaboratively. One example of this involved Peter (appropriate for this weekend) who was involved in a collaborative journey with God and Cornelius as the Church opened its doors to the Gentiles...

Robertson also looks at images of priesthood, marriage, temple, body and covenant, demonstrating how our misunderstanding of scripture has tended to warp our concepts of leadership and church.

The final section explores how collaborative ministry might evolve in practice. He takes us through the development of CM in a classic Anglican parish (which can be extrapolated to other contexts). The journey to CM begins when the minister takes the lead (since only the minister has the power to do so). This is followed by a period of learning, moaning, and collaborative leadership - which eventually morphs into true all member collaborative ministry. The end result of the process is usually a minister with more time but less prestige... A lot of this was fairly familiar, but good to see in print.

As I say this is a book that should be read. Every member of the All Saints' Servant Leadership Team should own a copy, and the St Frideswide leadership team, and the Watling Valley Ministry Team, etc, etc...

There is a danger that Collaborative Ministry is just another cheap phrase that is dropped into mission plans without being thought through properly. It can easily be confused with delegation, or shared ministry, but it is more dynamic and more challenging. David Robertson's book sets this out very clearly.

My one criticism of this book is that it doesn't go far enough in thinking about how churches might be structured and ministry developed when there is not one vicar per church. He assumes a fairly traditional inherited model of church - which is backed up by Anglican rules and regs. Unfortunatley we are already moving into an age when this can no longer be assumed, and may infact need to be challenged. How many rural churches have a resident vicar? How should a fresh expression or emerging church model collaborative leadership?

David Robertson has written a really super book which will be invaluable to anyone who really wants to get stuck in to collaborative ministry, but further thought is probably needed if small and emergent communities are to reap the benefits...

Run

Seven miles this morning.
Otherwise this has been a quiet week with little to report. I've spent most of the time writing, which isn't an exciting thing to blog about...

Eye Test

I've spent the day working on a re-write of my introduction and a chapter on the purpose of church.
This afternoon I popped into town for an eye test, which I've been meaning to do for the past two years, but never really been able to justify - time wise. My eyes haven't changed much but I do need new frames to hold the new lenses properly in place - apparently.
I followed the eye test with a quick trip to the gym. I'm clearly still recovering from Friday...

40th Birthday Bash

Today we celebrated our friend John's 40th birthday with a party in Grange Farm. Another "East Malling in Milton Keynes" event with familiar faces from years ago. Isla enjoyed the event, but probably felt a bit unsure about where she was...

Eleven Miles

Ran eleven miles today. Still feeling a bit tired...

Common Purpose

Today I took part in a Common Purpose course in Milton Keynes. Common Purpose is an initiative to provide community "leaders" with an opportunity to learn more about their community and network with others. It was a fascinating course to be part of and I did learn more about the city - although I've been here for 8 years.
Under the rules of the game, I have to be careful what I say about who said what, but I was struck by the continuing visionary and entrepreneurial nature of MK enthusiasts which I found encouraging and inspiring. We do have an interesting problem with the 19+ age group and the "brain drain". I am now a believer in the idea of an MK University. I'm also reflecting on the formula:

basic skills + emotional intelligence + creativity = future workforce skills

An interesting day which will undoubtedly lead to more...

New Computer part 2

I spent today sorting out the new computer. This involved a long process of loading programs and files onto it and trying to set it up properly. Internet security proved tricky since most packages are not compatible with a 64 bit XP system...
By the time the girls came home I still hadn't tackled email, but at least I can now get on line...

Bought a new shirt today for my course. Haven't bought a white shirt in a few years...

New Computer

I spent the day with my dad, building a new computer. We ordered an assortment of parts over the internet and spent the day putting it together. Remarkably, nothing major went wrong - in fact it all came together very well. The star feature of the whole project is undoubtedly the massive fan sitting over the CPU - it's really quite something - shame you can't see it when the whole thing is closed up - makes you fancy a transparent case...
Got home late...

Monday...

Following a very busy weekend, we were pleased to discover in Iona's bookbag this morning that she had been selected to throw a cricket ball at this evenings sports event in MK. Suddenly we had to be in three places at once, since Isla had her final course tutorial, Izzy had gardening club and Iona now needed to be in Stantonbury - with only half an hour to spare before her choir! This all made the evening somewhat fun but we survived - although I may have had a moment of despair when Iona returned from her choir rehearsal without her rucksack...
This was never going to be a great day - following such a busy weekend - but we weren't expecting this... (or the Spanish Inquisition)

Walthamstow Hall Reunion

Isla went down to Sevenoaks today for her school reunion. There were only three girls from her year group, but they had a good time.

Baptism in Manchester

We went to Manchester today for the baptism of Isabelle Daisy Dew - daughter of Simon and Alison. I'm now her godfather - poor child!
It was a long day, but a good one. We set off at 6am and returned home at 6pm - six hours of driving, an interesting service, a good party and a lot of chat. All good fun!
It was good to be able to get to the service since I can't usually make weddings and baptisms for family and friends. We wouldn't have made it this time if I hadn't been on sabbatical - so thank the Lord for sabbaticals. Once again, I get to find out how the other half live...

Father's Day

The girls bought me a badge today. We're still trying to work out whether it says:
No! Dad or
No one's dad or
Number 1 Dad
It does change the meaning...

Eight Miles

We're slowly pushing up the distance: 8 miles today...

Mutual Ministry in Bristol

I had a super day in Bristol today. It involved getting up at five o'clock and spending several hours in a car, but it was worth it.
I met with a very interesting man called Alister Palmer who is working in one of the estates in South Bristol where he's doing some really interesting work with "transformation" - particularaly with the non-church community.
He was instrumental in setting up Enabler Supported Ministry in Tasmania with a group of six (now nine) congregations, and has recently been back to review the life of these communities as part of a sabbatical. He was particulalry interested in looking at the missionarly life of these communities (which he thinks is developing) and at their leadership. I've already seen the first draft of his report which is fascinating...
Alongside Alister I also met a group of people, most of whom had been part of a visit to Auckland a couple of years ago to take part in Enabler Training. We had a really good conversation about Mutual Ministry which I hope they found encouraging...
A couple of issues came out of the day. First, there is the whole question of leadership/mission. This visit confirmed my suspicion that the Church of England is currently focussing on a model of leadership which is primarily individualistic, heroic and inspirational - and laying this model on vicars, priests, LLMs etc... who are to be "Leaders in Mission". This tendency has some major weaknesses, not least that it doesn't recognise the richness and diversity of call - the Spirit may have other ideas... It also reafirms the traditional identification of clergy with ministry - if we are to have churches which are thriving as missionary/ministry fellowships we need to encourage collaborative approaches rather than heroic leadership.
I mentioned the book Wikinomics which I've been rereading recently - "How mass colaboration changes everything". As churches we often think that we need to learn the "command and control" techniques of business, when, in fact, there are people in the business world who are promosting and exploring a very different way of doing things... There was a rich strand in this conversation about chaos theory, self-organisation and collaboration. Some interesting stuff here...
The second lesson I took away from today was the need to do more work on helping people to understand the underlying theology of collaborative/mutual/local shared ministry. The Bristol group were plunged into enabler training in Auckland without first taking part in the AMEND course which is normally used in NZ to introduce the concept to members/ministers etc...
This fits in with some of my recent reading, e.g Thew Forrester's "I have called you friends..." and David Robertson's very helpful book, "Collaborative Ministry". Both of these contain some very deep and moving theology, which is probably needs to be grapled with before people can begin thinking and acting in a collaborative way. I've begun toying with the idea of a short course which I'm going to propose to the LSM Project Group...
We all agreed that this had been a good day and we'd like to keep the link alive. Maybe "mass colaboration" will help us all...

So back to MK and time for a bit of sleep...

Playing Churches

I've spent most of the day thinking about ministry. On the one hand, there is a need to re-invent the concept of "the minister" so that we stop focussing all our attention on "professionals" - but on the other hand we have the reality that we do have ministers to deploy... This is a thorny issue...
I noticed a while ago that some of our denominations have key posts that they simply couldn't exist without. This is why the directory of churches in Milton Keynes lists Church Secretaries and Treasurers for each congregation - because those who produce the directory assume that the Church Secretary is the most important person in the Church - which doesn't always follow. There must be a secretary in each Church, otherwise no-one would know who to talk to - apparently. The same goes for Team Leaders, who, I was once told, only exist so that the Mission Partnership knows who to send communications to...
We have Vicars, Rectors and Pastors because people need to have some way of relating to a church. I am often rung up by people who ask, "Is that St Mary's Church?" I'm never quite sure how to answer. I'd like to respond in a deep stone-like voice...
It's a convenience, but it also plays into the image of a church as a "community gathered around a minister". Having a single, individualised, minister in each church (when financially possible) makes everyone feel safe, but also disempowers the people of God, isolates the clerical professionals and denies the leadership of Christ - amongst other things...
So, what's the alternative?
Well, there are probably thousands of different ways of remodelling a parish. Take Watling Valley for instance. At the moment we have a vacancy for a URC minister. There will probably be a rush to fill this vacancy with another multi-functional URC minister. If I were to leave we would also look for another multi-functional Anglican minister. Why? Because that's what everyone expects... but hang on a minute, if we were to assume that Watling Valley can afford three full-time ministers (which is just about possible) wouldn't it be more sensible to think through what we actually need and then employ/call the appropriate people?
Here's an alternative mad plan:
Let's have a couple of non-stipendiary priests or LLMs in each congregation working within a local ministry team. We'd need a couple more, but we've probably got a few likely candidates. These local ministry teams would sustain and grow the churches.
In order to sustain the local ministry teams, volunteer ministers, etc... we'll appoint one minister as "Ministry Enabler" for the whole partnership. He or she would be responsible for supporting ministers and churches.
Alongside the "Ministry Enabler" we'll appoint a "Youth Minister" and a "Pioneer Minister" who will each support teams who work in those areas. Sorted!...
Or, we could make one church a Minster and make one minister the "Leader" of a ministry team (lay and ordained) who serve the whole area...
Or, we could...
The list of possibilities are, of course, endless... (and I'm not going to push any one idea.)
We need some more radical approaches to ministerial deployment if we're going to tackle the challenges of church development and mission in postmodern Britain. It's time for a few more dreams...
A few years ago I suggested to Deanery Chapter that it would be a good idea to cut back on our parochial ministry (to what we could justify financially) and use the "spare" clergy for primary mission. I received a few blank looks - why would you want to? A few years further on and we're slowly reducing our clergy numbers to a sustainable level. In the meantime we've lost the opportunities that our relatively high numbers would have provided! We need to stop holding on to inherited expectations and start investing our "human resources" in growth.
It's time to "play churches" with a bit more courage and creativity - and hope.

"I have called you friends..."

by Kevin L. Thew Forrester

This is a wonderful little book by the Ministry Development Coordinator for the Diocese of North Michigan. It tells the story of Mutual Ministry in North Michigan (briefly) but also explores some of the underlying thought. He borrows heavily from feminist theology, and picks up Walt Winks' concept of "domination". He also hints at choas and organisation theory, implying that order emerges from chaos through a process of self-organisation. Hence church leaders should resist the temptation to impose order, since a liberated community will generate more creativity...
Although he does have a lot to say about the practicalities of Mutual Ministry, this is not a "how to" manual, so much as a "why do" introduction. Thew Forrester acknowledges that Mutual Ministry became possible to meet the needs of small rural communities, but sets out a strong and enthusiastic case for change based on a Christ-centred call for justice. Patriarchy and dominion are overcome by mutuality and awareness...
I liked this book, but recognise that the flow of his thought may not be to everyone's taste. Some of our more thoughtful reflector -theorists would probably love it, but some of my colleagues would wonder what he was talking about...
Jesus said, "I have called you friends..." Kevin Ther Forrester, would like to show us how to turn clerical domination structures into the kin-dom of heaven. Amen to that!

Gym

Twenty minutes on the cross-trainer, fifteen on the treadmill, ten on the rowing machine, and a few weights - and then I remembered that I hadn't had breakfast...

Collaborative Leadership

I've been trying to write about collaborative leadership today and struggling, partly because I want to keep it brief, but also because words and terms are used by different writers in very different ways...
I am still convinced by the concept of circular leadership in which each individual relates to Christ. Around the circle, all are fellow servants, exercising leadership/ministry according to gift and call. Alongside this, I do recognise the need for an individual to act as guarantor, guardian or holder of the circle - note my refusal to use the term "overall leader" which is used by John Adair and others... The person who chairs, presides or oversees must not become the leader - although he or she will lead occasionally - because if this happens, Christ is supplanted...
I was struck by the image of a diocese in the States where the bishop does all his episcopal business with a team who meet once a month - apparently it's a very small diocese. I like this idea of modelling collaborative leadership but recognise the challenge that it lays down - can I, in my "leadership" roles, create and maintain an authentic Christ-centred collaborative model?
The danger is that we slip back into the far simpler pattern of DIY - Decide it Yourself - because that's quicker and easier to do, but not as empowering for other people - and not good practice in a discipleship focussed church...

Good Run

My fastest run of the year so far: 5k in 25:41 - it's been a while since I've done it this fast, although I have beaten 25:00. I think I could have pushed it a little more this morning... It might be easier on a treadmill, since I could pace it more accurately.

False Walls

We went to Bourn today to go to church with some of our friends. It was an all age service - Patterns for Worship with sermon and children's activities. The pianist was brilliant - and delivered the sermon - his third. The girls gave this service a high score, largely, I suspect, because they had friends with them. This was a good service, but the girls' reaction confirms my suspicion that it's people and relationships that ultimately make a piece of worship work...
Which brings me to Wimpole Hall, where we had a picnic in the afternoon. There's a wonderful folly on the hill, which we really wanted to visit. After various attempts we succeeded. The great thing about it is that behind the stone façade, it's made out of bog-standard red bricks - all neatly hidden away. On one level, I was disappointed by this blatant bit of cheating, but I also enjoyed the brazen trickery of it!
Worship is a bit like the Wimpole folly, it can be made to look perfect, with all the right bits put in place, but the real measure of worship is found behind the scenes in the structure that holds it all together - the Church. The quality of the community is crucial, which is why I believe in the local church as a force for good. It doesn't need money, or massive resources to change the world. All it needs is people who love...

Family Day

Quiet family day: gym, music centre, rain, games, Doctor Who...
...plus a couple of pages written...

Time to be

Had a great evening with Ernesto and Marie. We took the kids round for pizza and ice cream after school and had a good time together.

Some Definitions

There is a tendency to speak about a number of different movements as if they were really the same thing. I think we need to tease them apart in order to understand what we're trying to do:

Fresh Expressions: A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church. (See the Fresh Expressions web site.)

Emerging Churches: Emerging churches seek to explore and create new forms of church that both understand and challenge our emerging postmodern culture. According to Gibbs and Bolger, "Emerging Churches (1) identify with the life of Jesus, (2) transform the secular realm, and (3) live highly communal lives. Because of these three activities, they (4) welcome the stranger, (5) serve with generosity, (6) participate as producers, (7) create as created beings, (8) lead as a body, and (9) take part in spiritual activities." (See Emerging Churches, SPCK, 2006.)

Mission Project: The work of any group or community focused on (1) proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, (2) teaching, baptising and nurturing new believers, (3) responding to human need by loving service, (3) seeking to transform unjust structures of society, and/or (5) striving to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain the life of the earth. (See the Five Marks of Mission.)

While there is clearly an overlap between each of these, I think it would also be helpful to hold them apart in our thinking. While an emerging church may fulfil the criteria to be a fresh expression, a fresh expression may not necessarily be an emerging church, etc, etc...

I'm not arguing that we should focus on any one of these, or require all of our groups, communities or projects to fit each definition, but I think it may be helpful to recognise the distinctions between them so we understand what each of our activities are trying to achieve...

Befriending the Scapegoat

There is an old line about escaping from a bear. How fast do I need to run? The answer: faster than you!

For various reasons, groups and communities often feel the need to identify an individual who is the slowest runner, or the one perceived as "the problem". In a time of crisis or uncertainty this need is aggravated. The crisis can lead to "violence" between groups who could otherwise co-operate. Removing, or marginalising this scapegoat can restore peace and order within the group bringing about co-operation and general well-being - at least for a time.

I've just been reading an interesting paper by Thomas A Michael which looks at the issue of scapegoat. It's on the web: How to Scapegoat the Leader: A Refresher Course. I'll just quote his final paragraph:

"Both the authority and subordinates are fearful of chaos, so everyone demands rules, procedures, hierarchies and prohibitions to maintain order. Any member of the group who becomes too much like the leader may be accused of causing trouble. Any member who deviates too much from the norm may be singled out for scapegoating. When there is a lack of differentiation, the tendency is to search for one who is different. If the disorder becomes too widespread, so that nobody within the ranks can be singled out, then the result will be the scapegoating of the leader. It is not just because he or she is in a position of authority, but because by being in that position, the leader is Other. “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” (Shakespeare, Henry IV, part II)"

As I reflect on my experience of churches, groups and communities, I've seen this phenomenon take place a number of time, and I have to confess, have often been one of the people who was glad not to be the slowest runner when the bear is loose. How many times have I been happy that someone else was identified as "the Other" so that I had a hope of being part of the newly reconciled group?

Reconciliation through scapegoating does have some biblical resonance, but it's Christ who achieves peace by being set aside as the ultimate "Other" on whom all our "violence" is placed. He achieves peace by absorbing our weakness. Atonement could be described as a divine decision to turn and face the bear...

Within our churches, groups and organisations we do indulge in scapegoating, either consciously or unconsciously. Victims can include those perceived as a bit odd, those who's opinions are a bit "off the wall" or those who challenge our perceptions about how things should be... Bishops and other church leaders are not immune from the process. I remember Richard Holloway saying that there was a vacancy for a nutty bishop in the UK and media picked on him...

What's the Gospel message for us. Well, I suspect we start by recognising that scapegoating does happen within our organisations and that we all have a natural tendency to indulge in it - largely out of self defence (to avoid the bear). The awareness that it happens - and how it happens may help us to avoid participating in it... Perhaps we should also start to befriend our scapegoats, since a) we can't really get rid of them, and b) they are ultimately within Christ's redemptive will... Reconciliation is best achieved by hugging your goat - not abandoning it...

Of course, I also recognise that many of our clergy, and lay leaders, easily become scapegoats for the churches they serve. This is not an easy burden to bare, but is, as Thomas A. Michael suggests, an inevitable consequence of being "the Other". Perhaps this is another good argument for Mutual Ministry - or Collective Leadership - since our churches would then have to deal with one another, rather than bury the hatchet in the nearest available authority figure...

In the meantime, I'm tempted to get a t-shirt printed (there's a cartoon in here somewhere) which says "Love your Scapegoat".

Seven Miles

Our first seven mile run - 1:12:30

Team Meeting

Another break in the sabbatical - this time for the Ministry Team, to discuss All Saints.
Back home in time for "You've been Fired" - not suprised it was Lucinda, but thought she was a good project manager. She blew it when she needed to follow...

Keith Lambdin

Went to Oxford today for a session with Keith. We discussed collaborative ministry, priesthood episcope and the deanery. Much to think about.

Running

Just ran 3 miles in 26:56

Gill Calver (Kent)

Today, Bev Hollins and I went down to Stapplehurst in Kent (where Bev was brought up) to meet the Rector, Gill Calver. Gill has visited the diocese the Diocese of North Michigan where they have a very well developed approach to Mutual Ministry. It was really good to compare notes on the research we've each done; comparing Auckland, Michigan, Nevada, Tasmania, Christchurch, etc... She gave us an abreviated version of the presentation she usually gives to groups in Kent, which we thoroughly enjoyed. After lunch we continued the conversation, and spent some time thinking about the developement of Mutual/Total/Local Shared Ministry in the UK. We agreed it would be good to keep in touch and possibly meet up again with others in the UK at some point...
It was a great day, although I would rather not have spent six and a half hours in the car!

Training Day

Most schools in MK back to work (including the college). Christ the Sower has a training day. Isla is at work and I have the kids for the day. We do some reading, Star Wars Monopoly, lunch at Morrisons and watch the Golden Compass. The girls seem to have enjoyed their day.

Great Horwood

Today we decided to go on a trip down memory lane, visiting Great Horwood, where I lived from 1976 to 1983. Mary Saunders (who must have overlapped with us slightly) did spot me - but she works for the Diocese. A couple of people remembered our family, although many of the people in the congregation seemed to be relatively new. The Norwoods are not entirely forgotten - which seems strange to me. It was odd to go back to a place I once knew so well.
In the Church I particularly remember the backs of the pillars, and the sides of the pews, which probably reflects the parts of the building I spent most time staring at during services. We went for a wander around outside and they still have the old oil tank that we used to hide behind. Either it's shrunk or I've grown - I couldn't hide behind it now....

Race for Life

Isla ran the Race for Life with Carol today. We all went to watch. They had some difficulty starting, due to a large number of "walkers" who seemed to be in the "runners" section, but after a bit of overtaking they were able to get going. I think they enjoyed it. The weather was fine - overcast but warm. All good fun!
As always I am stunned to learn that 1/3 of runners don't hand over their sponsorship money! So if you did the Race for Life this year - do remember to pay up! The running is fun, but the cash may be life saving!

Cleaning up...

We're hitting the house today giving it a jolly good clean up - after a busy half-term and in preparation for tomorrow's excitement...