Chapter Five - Structures
- We need to provide a means for ongoing debate and decision on ministry
matters. There will need to be careful monitoring of Local Ministry Teams,
and proper support and guidance offered to all ministers, stipendiary and
non-stipendiary, ordained and non-ordained. In time, it may be appropriate
to give further consideration to Ordained Local Ministry and the Permanent
Diaconate.
- Some of this work will be undertaken by the Local Ministry Teams
Advisory Group proposed in Chapter Three. But there are other Ministry matters which
will require detailed attention. These include, among others, the encouragement
of vocations, the support of ordinands, the selection and training of Readers,
deployment, the enabling of non-stipendiary ministry and ministers in secular
employment, Ministry Review.
- Hitherto some of this work has been undertaken by the Board for Education
and Training (and especially through its Ministry and Adult Learning Council
(MALC)) and by the Readers Board. We feel the time has come to establish
a body which will be dedicated to the preparation, deployment, co-ordination
and care of all authorised ministry in the Diocese of Ely.
- At the same time the Diocese is faced with the question of how best to
support and enable Mission within its structures. Up till now this has
been done through the Diocesan Council for Mission and Unity (DCMU). The
DCMU has done excellent work over many years, but its natural life is now
coming to an end. Most of its present work is undertaken by its officers
- the Diocesan Evangelism Adviser (the Revd Malcolm Raby) and the Diocesan
Ecumenical Officer (the Revd Will Adam). Additionally, an Overseas Mission
Audit was recently undertaken by the Revd Fiona Brampton who also co-ordinates
the ecumenical link with the Diocese of Vellore. The Archdeacon of Ely
chairs the committee which supports the link with the church of the North
Elbe. Thus the DCMU has ceased to meet regularly and it is suggested that
it should now be wound up. Bringing the work of these colleagues into the
responsibility of the new body we propose will help ensure that ministry
strategy develops with a healthy and outward looking mission focus and
an ecumenical awareness.
- We therefore propose to bring Ministry and Mission together by creating
a diocesan Council for Ministry and Mission. This will be a small task-orientated
body with membership drawn from those dedicated to its work rather than
by representation from deaneries. It will aim to bring together Ministry
and Mission issues, building on the vision first described in Towards 2005
and addressing the challenges described in Chapter One of this report.
- We already have a Council for Ministry & Adult Learning (MALC) under the auspices of the Diocesan Board of Education & Training. It was created as a result of the diocesan report Replenishing Treasure (1999). That report endorsed the principle of lay people and accredited ministers learning together wherever possible and appropriate .
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"It is often helpful to offer education and training to established mixed communities, such as those found in a parish or deanery. The Group also believes that it is very desirable for those with primary responsibility for lay and ministerial education to work together, wherever possible." Replenishing Treasure 4:3 |
- Replenishing Treasure warned against creating a structure that
might "send
an unhelpful message that 'ministry' or the training of ministers is separate
from, even more important than, other aspects of the Church's educational
enterprise." It will therefore be vital that the respective responsibilities
of MALC and the new Council are clearly set out and that they complement
one another. We suggest that the new Council for Ministry and Mission should
mainly be concerned with matters relating to Strategy, Preparation and
Deployment
- The nurture of Vocations to all forms of ministry
- Selection and Preparation (including initial training) for licensed and authorised ministry - clergy
and Readers
- Ministry Deployment
- Ministry and Mission Strategy
- Evangelism
- Ecumenical work
The present Readers Board would become a committee of the new Council.
The Council for Ministry and Adult Learning should be mainly concerned with Learning and Enrichment for adults in Ministry.
- Adult Education
- Lay Training
- Continuing Ministerial Education (CME)
- Post Ordination Training (CME Years 1-4)
- The nurture of Vocations to all forms of ministry
- MALC already has clear linkage with Children, Youth and Schools work
- a linkage we affirm as essential. The new Council will have to ensure
that it too benefits from these insights and perspectives. Both Councils
need to maintain a strong Mission and Ecumenical focus. There will need
to be sound communication and close liaison between the two Councils. Officers
must develop strategies for working easily across them and supporting each
other.
- Ecumenism has "come of age" in recent years and must now be
seen as a dimension of everything we do. It will certainly be a dimension
of the new Council for Ministry and Mission, but will also be part of
the work of all other Diocesan Boards and Councils. There needs to be further
discussion as to how ecumenism can appropriately enrich the work of all
our structures.
- The Bishop of Ely is in the process of appointing a Director of Ministry
and Vocation. The person appointed will be directly responsible for the
care, assessment, preparation and support of candidates for ordination.
He/she will be expected to promote new thinking in ministry and mission
within the Diocese and to encourage vocations to ordained and non-ordained
ministry. The person appointed will become the Senior Executive Officer
for the new Council for Ministry and Mission. We welcome this initiative,
which is in accord with the recommendations in this Report.
- The authors of this Report are aware that much other thinking is going on with regard to Diocesan structures. We hope that the establishment of a new Council for Ministry and Mission will meet with general approval and will fit in to the new structural patterns as they emerge. Equally it will be important that the principles we have espoused in this report and the strategy described infuse the work of all our existing structures. We would hope that if the recommendations in this report are adopted, every diocesan body will spend time addressing the question 'What is the implication of the Ministry Strategy for our work?'.
Contents
- Foreword by the Bishop of Ely
- Introduction by the Bishop of Huntingdon
- Chapter One Context and Challenges
- Chapter Two Licensed and Authorised Ministry
- Chapter Three Local Ministry Teams
- Chapter Four Resourcing Ministry
- Chapter Five Structures
- Recommendations
- Bibliography
- Appendix