...and so, it's 2012 everyone. Have a good year, whatever it brings for you and yours...
It is odd in many ways that we think each year has particular characteristics and themes - since the days keep moving past as they do - and yet the Chinese give their years particular significance with animal names, while we in the west have big expectations and fears with the turning of the numbers...
Perhaps it is because the psychological fact of newness gives us a line we can draw between times and we are able to be different.
Perhaps it is because the changing light conditions makes us feel different - or creates a range of different things we can do...
Whatever is really going on, I hope it's better things on the way - and maybe that is what it's really about - the new year gives us a chance to hope...
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Saturday, 31 December 2011
New Year
It's always interesting to look back as a new year starts. This year I look back at a year dominated by illness - in particular, a long struggle with the causes and symptoms of chronic stress. It's not been fun. There've been many moments when I thought that the end was just around the corner - and then my hopes have been dashed... As the year comes to an end, the best I can say is that I think I reached the very bottom in the summer somewhere and I am now beginning to recover... Many months of hard work still lie ahead...
On the plus side, it's been the year when the changes in my post have finally been sorted out. It is now clear that I am 3/4 time area dean and 1/4 time assistant curate at Cornerstone - although exactly what these two jobs will involve is still a bit hazy... I have learnt enough now to know that the AD job is basically un-do-able in its present form and have begun to see how things can be changed to make it more worth-while...
As far as the deanery itself is concerned, we have made big steps forward with the setting up of the new Deanery Mission and Pastoral Committee - which seems to be working well and is providing a great forum for deanery wide thinking...
The same applies to the Mission Partnership with the appointment of a Director of Ecumenical Mission and the slow shift to collegiate oversight through the EOG....
I'm pleased with the progress of the LSM group which organised material for All Saints Day and is now working on a Lent Course...
It's been good to be part of the Local Ministry Network even though the pursuit of collaborative ministry seems to be becoming more difficult...
Finally I'm somewhat surprised to be still working on my doctorate, although I haven't made quite as much progress as I'd hoped...
I wonder what the new year will bring...
On the plus side, it's been the year when the changes in my post have finally been sorted out. It is now clear that I am 3/4 time area dean and 1/4 time assistant curate at Cornerstone - although exactly what these two jobs will involve is still a bit hazy... I have learnt enough now to know that the AD job is basically un-do-able in its present form and have begun to see how things can be changed to make it more worth-while...
As far as the deanery itself is concerned, we have made big steps forward with the setting up of the new Deanery Mission and Pastoral Committee - which seems to be working well and is providing a great forum for deanery wide thinking...
The same applies to the Mission Partnership with the appointment of a Director of Ecumenical Mission and the slow shift to collegiate oversight through the EOG....
I'm pleased with the progress of the LSM group which organised material for All Saints Day and is now working on a Lent Course...
It's been good to be part of the Local Ministry Network even though the pursuit of collaborative ministry seems to be becoming more difficult...
Finally I'm somewhat surprised to be still working on my doctorate, although I haven't made quite as much progress as I'd hoped...
I wonder what the new year will bring...
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Post 999
The first thing I note is that the number of posts have varied dramatically since I started in 2004: 7, 17, 64, 477, 271, 29, 100 (so far in 2011).
The reasons for the variation are interesting and say quite a lot about my state of mind. I remember coming to the conclusion that there were certain things that I needed to do to keep sane. The list included running and writing. It would seem that, the more I run, and the more I write, the happier I am in general. 2008 is clearly my happiest year - 477 posts and a half marathon... Of course the frequency of posting may be affected my other things that are going on in my life. In other words, if I have a bad year, I will have less time to write or run... There's something about chickens and eggs here...
Certainly life has been difficult since I returned from sabbatical in 2008 and this is reflected in the blog...
Big themes in the blog have included work stuff - particular churches, the deanery, etc... but there have also been a lot of family and thematic posts...
I will probably read it over in full and might learn something interesting...
In other news: It's been an OK week with a couple of tough days but it started and ended well. There were a few tough meetings and I have consequently been a bit tired (!) but things remain on the up in general.
I've just spoken to my supervisor about getting back into the doctorate. More writing ahead! Yippee! - ish...
Monday, 19 September 2011
Local Ministry Network
We had a good meeting in Coventry today, although I had to leave half way through.
The Local Ministry Network is, in theory, a network of practitioners in the collaborative ministry representing the Anglican dioceses in Great Britain. The problem is that no-one can agree a common language about collaborative ministry so most people think that they're already doing it - or that it is no-longer relevant. In a time of financial constraints and crises in deployment, shared ministry (and lay ministry) has dropped down the priority list because it's not 'statutory' while many of us feel that it is essential for our future. As someone clever said to recently, we've won the theological argument but we're loosing ground anyway...
The Local Ministry Network was set up by the General Synod of the Church of England to promote 'shared ministry' and bring people together from the 42 English dioceses and our neighbouring provinces. It is supposedly supported by a £50 subscription from each diocese - but few have paid this year. It also organises an excellent conference once a year.
We had an excellent meeting in Coventry today and decided to hold the 2012 conference in spite of the declining diocesan support - because we feel that the tide will eventually turn and the focus will move from 'how do we get more clergy' to 'how do we do church together'. When that tipping point comes, the network may have a role to play...
The Local Ministry Network is, in theory, a network of practitioners in the collaborative ministry representing the Anglican dioceses in Great Britain. The problem is that no-one can agree a common language about collaborative ministry so most people think that they're already doing it - or that it is no-longer relevant. In a time of financial constraints and crises in deployment, shared ministry (and lay ministry) has dropped down the priority list because it's not 'statutory' while many of us feel that it is essential for our future. As someone clever said to recently, we've won the theological argument but we're loosing ground anyway...
The Local Ministry Network was set up by the General Synod of the Church of England to promote 'shared ministry' and bring people together from the 42 English dioceses and our neighbouring provinces. It is supposedly supported by a £50 subscription from each diocese - but few have paid this year. It also organises an excellent conference once a year.
We had an excellent meeting in Coventry today and decided to hold the 2012 conference in spite of the declining diocesan support - because we feel that the tide will eventually turn and the focus will move from 'how do we get more clergy' to 'how do we do church together'. When that tipping point comes, the network may have a role to play...
Encounters in Coventry
I'm in Coventry today for a meeting. On the way from the station to Church House I passed under the underpass where there is usually a homeless man sleeping. His cardboard bed was there, with two packets of fags and a copy of the Shack. I wondered as I walked about the book and whether it was his or if someone had left it for him.
As I passed further along the path I saw a woman begging money from a younger african man. She didn't stop me, but my mind was turning over the issues of homelessness and begging.
As I passed under the next bridge I saw the man stop and pick up a penny. We drew level with each other and I said to him, "Lucky penny?"
It turned out that he didn't know the old saying, "Lucky penny pick it up..." but he was pleased with idea that the penny was a sign of good fortune. "If you see something in front of you, you need to welcome it" he said.
And so we fell into conversation and we talked about the man under the bridge, who my new friend had taken an interest in. Apparently the homeless man owned the copy of the Shack and had been reading it.
My companion decided that God was good, and that his lucky penny was a gift. His next step was to find a church so he could give it back to God. I dirrected him to the Methodist Central Hall. I would be interested to know how they recieved this prescious gift of a single penny.
I'm not going to interpret these encounters for you, but I will echo the words that were said to me today, "God is good. Welcome his gifts."
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Saturday
It's amazing how much you can squeeze into a Saturday. For me it's a working day so can be quite busy. Today was no exception with a morning spent on financial paperwork, fees, expenses and tax returns - and an afternoon spent taking a wedding in Bletchley. For the family, on the other hand, it's the big family day, so I also had take kids to music lessons (including Iona's first viola lesson today), be available when needed, cook a curry with them, fix the cat flap, watch Doctor Who and a movie - and then sit up late so the tooth fairy can visit... All in all a good day but a rather full one...
Friday, 16 September 2011
Pastoring from the Centre
A few months ago a friend of mine described the current situation in the Church of England as follows: the diocesan authorities think of themselves as Moses, calling the people to enter the promised land; while the parishes generally think that their leaders are Pharaoh, demanding more bricks! This basic tension colours discussions about finance, deployment, mission, and so on...
Caught between the diocese and the parishes sits the deanery. As an area dean I know this tension very well: the diocese wants to collect the parish share but would like someone 'local' to collect it - and make the difficult decisions about who should pay what - on the understanding that the total amount will still need to come in somehow. The responsibility for being 'big bad nasty' is therefore pushed down the line - to someone who can work hard to help people 'own' the difficult decisions...
Area deans have perhaps unfairly been characterised as 'middle management' but there is some truth in this description. They (or rather we) are placed between two parties with different expectations, needs and issues - and they are expected to make things work...
Management is, however, a difficult concept for area deans, since they have huge responsibilities but little actual power. Furthermore, Anglicanism tends to focus its attention on bishops and congregations. It respects episcopal power and status but also balances this with a strong sense of local autonomy. Hence, area deans can become irrelevant pretty quickly since bishops and archdeacons feel that they can operate in any parish with complete impunity, while parishes often go straight to the bishop with a problem, rather than bothering the area Dean.
As an area Dean I've spent a lot of time being sorry - sorry both upwards and downwards - sorry to one party that the other was not behaving as hoped... passing messages upwards and downwards in a palatable manner.
Of course it is possible to 'lead from the middle'. You can work really hard and pull together a plan of action that is acceptable to everyone. I think I've managed to do this a few times. It's hard work but can be reasonably successful if you get it right...
On a good day, I can feel quite satisfied with those communal wins - although I have noticed how easily they can be ignored, forgotten or re-interpreted. Ultimately, job satisfaction based on such subtle leadership is fairly ephemeral. Talk of area deans as 'sharing' in leadership is also unfair since this can only happen with consent and the actual holders of power can withdraw this at any point - according to their own whim or convenience.
It might seem that I am being bitter and frustrated - and on a bad day this is certainly true. On a good day, however, I recognise that this is simply the reality of the situation. Anglicanism is ultimately a form of episcopalian congregationalism and area deans are caught between the two poles of the relationship.
Theologically, I think it may be better to see area deans as pastors rather than leaders. They may not always be able to 'lead from the middle' but they can always 'pastor from the centre'. Because they spend time with a range of people they can empathise with diocesan authorities who are frustrated that their Moses aspirations have been interpreted as pharonic oppression and they can also sit with clergy and parishes who are struggling with a heavy load. At their best, area deans can provide the relational glue that holds the two poles together, even if they are ignored or scapegoated.
Seeing area deans in pastoral rather than management terms may be quite helpful to the development of the role. How do we use our structural position as a way of nurturing relationships, building community and encouraging individuals - rather than allowing that structural position to become a source of terminal stress?...
Anyway... This post has really been an attempt to reframe ecclesiastical 'middle management' in pastoral terms. I can only really speak from an Anglican perspective, since that is the one I know best. The interesting piece of work to do next is to experiment with such reframing in action. In other words, how do I act in such a way that I begin to 'pastor from the centre' rather than allow myself to become a frustrated and impotent manager... Wish me luck and I'll see what I can learn...
Caught between the diocese and the parishes sits the deanery. As an area dean I know this tension very well: the diocese wants to collect the parish share but would like someone 'local' to collect it - and make the difficult decisions about who should pay what - on the understanding that the total amount will still need to come in somehow. The responsibility for being 'big bad nasty' is therefore pushed down the line - to someone who can work hard to help people 'own' the difficult decisions...
Area deans have perhaps unfairly been characterised as 'middle management' but there is some truth in this description. They (or rather we) are placed between two parties with different expectations, needs and issues - and they are expected to make things work...
Management is, however, a difficult concept for area deans, since they have huge responsibilities but little actual power. Furthermore, Anglicanism tends to focus its attention on bishops and congregations. It respects episcopal power and status but also balances this with a strong sense of local autonomy. Hence, area deans can become irrelevant pretty quickly since bishops and archdeacons feel that they can operate in any parish with complete impunity, while parishes often go straight to the bishop with a problem, rather than bothering the area Dean.
As an area Dean I've spent a lot of time being sorry - sorry both upwards and downwards - sorry to one party that the other was not behaving as hoped... passing messages upwards and downwards in a palatable manner.
Of course it is possible to 'lead from the middle'. You can work really hard and pull together a plan of action that is acceptable to everyone. I think I've managed to do this a few times. It's hard work but can be reasonably successful if you get it right...
On a good day, I can feel quite satisfied with those communal wins - although I have noticed how easily they can be ignored, forgotten or re-interpreted. Ultimately, job satisfaction based on such subtle leadership is fairly ephemeral. Talk of area deans as 'sharing' in leadership is also unfair since this can only happen with consent and the actual holders of power can withdraw this at any point - according to their own whim or convenience.
It might seem that I am being bitter and frustrated - and on a bad day this is certainly true. On a good day, however, I recognise that this is simply the reality of the situation. Anglicanism is ultimately a form of episcopalian congregationalism and area deans are caught between the two poles of the relationship.
Theologically, I think it may be better to see area deans as pastors rather than leaders. They may not always be able to 'lead from the middle' but they can always 'pastor from the centre'. Because they spend time with a range of people they can empathise with diocesan authorities who are frustrated that their Moses aspirations have been interpreted as pharonic oppression and they can also sit with clergy and parishes who are struggling with a heavy load. At their best, area deans can provide the relational glue that holds the two poles together, even if they are ignored or scapegoated.
Seeing area deans in pastoral rather than management terms may be quite helpful to the development of the role. How do we use our structural position as a way of nurturing relationships, building community and encouraging individuals - rather than allowing that structural position to become a source of terminal stress?...
Anyway... This post has really been an attempt to reframe ecclesiastical 'middle management' in pastoral terms. I can only really speak from an Anglican perspective, since that is the one I know best. The interesting piece of work to do next is to experiment with such reframing in action. In other words, how do I act in such a way that I begin to 'pastor from the centre' rather than allow myself to become a frustrated and impotent manager... Wish me luck and I'll see what I can learn...
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