March 18th 2007
It's our Diocesan Synod tomorrow. As I settled down to read the papers sent by post some days ago, I quickly realised why they had been sent out so well ahead. We have a fullsome agenda ahead of us tomorrow - and it needs careful, reflective consideration. So engrossed was I in the topics I was reading about that I completely forgot to check out my diary for what was supposed to be happening this morning. When the phone rang, my clergy colleague was enquiring if I was OK - I should have been with him working as a volunteer - I was horrified - I had let him down (personal beating up began immediately - but quickly passed). It's moments like that when I feel a complete wuss. He was disarmingly sympathetic about my fuzzy brainedness - and we have rescheduled for next week. I am not usually this unfocussed! His discription of unconscious overload was spot on. I hate letting people down though.
On the home front, we have visited a possible school in Scotland for our son. It is a gentle and loving place. My son is flying home on Monday and will go down with us for his own viewing on Tuesday. We watch and wait - it will be fascinating to see what his reaction is. I would have given anything to have gone to a school like this as a child. I was bullied for my piggy eyes and podgy appearance as a partially-sighted person with slight signs of thalidomide. Children can be such monsters to each other.
We have the Secretary General coming to talk to Synod and work through with us the content of The Strategic Review. This is a superbly crafted document which is aimed at beginning a Province-wide consultation. What's so inspired about it is that it works at numerous levels - providing some important background about why we are as we are as a Church - but also encouraging all involved in the Church to engage with complex issues. It is informed; as neutral as any of us can be; and non-patronising.
We have a wodge of questions to reflect upon. I am going to start my reflecting in blogs because I can think when I am writing, because I see it as a processing tool. Jotting down ideas and reading them back - helps me to get things straight in my mind. I think it's possible to respond to the consultation on a number of levels and I guess my particular interest is to explore the ideas theologically and spiritually - and then ask myself what is the inclusive and pragmatic out-working of this.
The questions are huge that he is inviting us to consider.
What do you consider to be the three main priorities on which the Church should focus at this current time?
Is the balance between episcopal leadership and, synodical authority, as currently perceived within the Scottish Episcopal Church, about right?
At what level, or levels, within the Church should policy be determined in relation to mission and ministry?
How is appropriate and effective diocesan representation on provincial bodies best enabled to happen?
These are not Just a Minute questions. I will go to the meeting with preliminary thoughts, but my personal reflective process is best focused by first hearing the insights of Synod. If I do too much personal processing and thinking before a meeting about things that matter a great deal to me, the danger is that I will want to push my own take on things and be too busy trying to formulate my reply to something - when I should be focusing on what is being said and really listening. So at this stage I haven't so much got answers off pat - although I clearly have my own views - I have more questions I guess.
What do you consider to be the three main priorities on which the Church should focus at the current time?
We are the Body of Christ - so what I want is very secondary to what is life-giving to the Body as a whole.
What do we want?
Do we want to be bigger in numbers attending?
Or bigger in terms of our outlook and witness to the wider world?
Both?
Which is more important?
Do we want to feel safe and secure financially?
Pragmatically I think it's probably not three priorities we need to settle on - but just one.
My three at the moment would be:
- To celebrate our distinctiveness - there is nothing more attractive than a Church comfortable with itself.
-To choose to look outwards in preference to looking in. (We gain confidence when we engage with others and feel we are valued).
- To be a Church which supports and nurtures people on their life journeys and always shows its appreciation through blessing and celebrating achievements.
I will write more when I have heard my brothers and sisters in the Diocese...
Episcopal Leadership and Synodical Authority?
Is the balance about right?
Call me old fashioned - but I thought it was Episcopal authority and Synodical leadership.
Synod frames the policy, but ultimately the authority to interpret and to some degree lead the Church pastorally and spirtually rests with our Father/Mother in God - the Bishop.
Mission and Ministry? Who has the right to decide and implement - who does what?
I'd want to re-frame this - there's a lot of history and there have been traditional and not always healthy demarcation lines imposed in recent years regarding these agenda.
Re-framed: Mission and ministry is the life-blood of the Church - it is what we are here for. We express the incarnational nature of Jesus by being his ambassadors and workers in the world today. Those of us touched by Jesus at work in our own lives have a natural desire to see others experience healing and life. If we argue about which has what or who does this or that - we risk at best stultifying potential growth of the Body of Christ and at worst, cutting off the supply to certain parts of the Body - there would be a threat of gangrene setting in!
If there isn't a sense of calling in all parts of the Church, the Church as a whole suffers. It will die, in time.
MIssion and a sense of ministry is hard to engender when we are looking inwards. John Reader in Local Theology spotted this and developed a model of church growth based on a small faith community becoming actively involved in supporting the work, unconditionally, of the local history society. Over time one so informed the other that they both gained converts - some to a hobby in local history and others - to become confirmed members of their local church!
Diocesan representation?
This is the big one in a synodically governed Church. I would probably favour a liberation theology approach and look for small regional gatherings with every community representation to feed into Diocesan gatherings. I don't think we talk enough outside the Central Belt - and this disempowers and causes fracturing within the wider community. We need to be imaginatively engaged in topics.
We also need to make better use of technology.
Not everything is best achieved through a formal meeting which favours always the extrovert, articulate, experienced public speaker - who may not be the person with the best ideas or the clearest thought processes. We have to think about how we access the giftedness of those God has blessed the Province with.
Enough for now. It is red nose day - and there are things to prepare...
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