Local ministry groups making them work
A resource book for Lay People, Readers and Clergy Waterwheel Series 1 Distributing resources and empowering the church
Introduction .................................................................... 3 Why do we have lmgs? ................................................ 3 What is a Local Ministry Team? ................................. 5 How are lmgs working together in practice? .......... 5 Working together in an informal way ..................... 7 Working together through a formal structure...... 7 Purposeful ways of working together ...................... 8 How can I find out more about the area covered by my lmg?..................................................................... 10 How can lmgs and lmts move forward? ................. 11 How do we work out what we need to learn? .... 14 What help is available to us? ..................................... 14 Resources ...................................................................... 15
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Introduction The gifts the risen Christ gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ… Ephesians 4:11-12 This booklet is primarily for everyone in local ministry groups (lmgs) particularly for those newly appointed and newly ordained. It is for you if you want your lmg to support the growth of Christian communities in your area. Every lmg is different. There is no one size fits all. Different lmgs have started in different places and followed different paths. Each however is concerned with how God is already working in their area calling us, renewing us, reshaping what it is to be church, and transforming his world. The driving force behind the Church is God’s mission. The Church does not invent its mission. It is given by the risen Christ who sends the Church on its mission. The Church is not left alone to fulfil this God-given mission. It is filled with the energy of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that the Spirit would be with the Church, dwelling in the disciples, leading the Church into all truth, so that the Church could bear faithful witness to Christ. Moreover, Jesus promises that he will be with the Church until the end of time.
Why do we have lmgs? We live in changing times. In all spheres of life, we experience change for example, in the family, patterns of work and leisure. The Church also faces change. Two thousand years of history teach us that it constantly adapts to its surroundings in order to live and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ both faithfully and effectively. 3
Current changes we face include: A rising interest in spirituality in our society The growing involvement of lay people in the mission and ministry of the Church A growing acknowledgement that the current system of local church life (ie the parishes, each with its own church building, own priest and own PCC and lay officers) is now proving a struggle to maintain Rural Christian communities are smaller and more dispersed, and resources may be more thinly spread In urban areas, the churches are facing up to the issue of large populations untouched by the Gospel Everywhere there are significant community needs to be met All this invites our church to rethink the way in which it is to be organised for worship, mission and ministry and for our churches to collaborate so that no one works alone, but rather we work together as one body under Christ. An lmg is a cluster of churches and congregations, working together as one body, sharing resources and making joint decisions, but having within it a diversity of local Christian communities, styles of worship and traditions. Some lmgs, especially in rural parts of the diocese, cover a large geographical area. Some are centred on a town, with one or more large churches. A key feature of each lmg is being the hub for a network of communities, giving and sharing their resources, and working to a common result. The common result and overall aim of an lmg is to develop and maintain vibrant, worshipping Christian fellowship at the heart of every local community, however small or large.
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What is a Local Ministry Team? Within an lmg there are likely to be a number of local ministry teams (lmts), perhaps one for each benefice or larger parish. An lmt could comprise core members such as, Churchwardens, Readers, Lay Pastoral Assistants, Lay Worship Assistants, Youth Leaders, lmt Administrator, Clergy etc. Each lmt will be unique, reflecting the local congregation, worship and tradition. The lmt works with the incumbent under the Parochial Church Council to take forward benefice or parish-wide action on ministry, mission, spirituality and discipleship. Members of lmts can usefully meet together with their counterparts in the lmg in order to enjoy fellowship, share practice, and learn from each other. What do you think are some of the signs that show there is a vibrant, worshipping Christian fellowship within a local community?
How are lmgs working together in practice? The aim of developing and maintaining vibrant worshipping Christian fellowship at the heart of every local community however large or small, gives lmgs a unique responsibility. 5
In our diocesan directory the advantages are listed: Sharing of strengths between parishes and benefices Combining of resources such as lay ministers, equipment, good practice and administration Removing isolation for clergy, church wardens and other key leaders Encouraging mission across boundaries Providing learning resources for building local church life The lmg has a leadership role to encourage people and churches to come together people and churches to learn from and about each other the gifts and talents God has given each person and each church to be shared each church in its ministry and mission locally each church to reach out to the local area in service and mission Whilst every lmg is different, there are some practices which past experience of effective group ministries suggests are important. These are: Commitment by the clergy to meet regularly for prayer and the saying of the Daily Office in whatever tradition is appropriate for them Once a month, this weekly time of worship and prayer is extended to include a time of planning and conversation, possibly accompanied by a shared lunch Once a term the clergy rotate pulpits on an agreed basis, becoming familiar with the life and liturgy of the parishes in the lmg 6
In addition this enables congregations to become familiar with the clergy and fosters an increasing sense of shared commitment within the lmg. This could also apply to the ministry of Readers Once or twice a year the benefices and parishes of the lmg could have a shared social activity Above and beyond these suggestions, working together as an lmg can take many forms and can be shown in different ways. Here are some of them:
Working together in an informal way Some lmgs meet in a social setting for fellowship, learning and mutual fellowship. Meeting on neutral territory without an agenda enables friendships to be forged, exchange of views to be explored, deeper learning, which by extension, can lead to the enriching of the lives of those outside the group. An lmg working in this way will have warm, rich relationships. It may however lack direction.
Working together through a formal structure Lmgs have set up a formal structure constituted in such a way as to help achieve its aim. This can involve forming a recognisable leadership and organisation with administrative support and employed staff. Lmgs working in this way have tried to work out which decisions will be made by the lmg and which by benefices or parishes. A formal structure enables unity by agreement, ratified by a parent lmg body with action being taken across the lmg to do what 7
has been agreed. There could be an lmg Council, having general oversight of the worship, spiritual life, ministry and mission throughout the lmg. Small groups could undertake responsibility for particular areas of work, for example evangelism, nurture and adult Christian education and worship. The aim would be to make gifts and resources available across the lmg so that a church with a thriving youth ministry, for example, would be a resource for the whole area. The strengths of working in a more formal way are stability and organisation. The danger is just being a talking shop or becoming rigid and slow moving.
Purposeful ways of working together Some lmgs have identified a project to do together. Often these are activities which individually small churches could not so readily achieve alone. Examples of these could be one or more of the following:
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A substantial mission programme
A training programme for lay people
Confirmation, baptism or marriage preparation classes Improving worship resources
Supporting local school initiatives
Producing an lmg directory showing who in involved in different kinds of ministries An lmg
pilgrimage
Running learning circles for people in different ministries
Promoting the lmg and the churches through a jointly produced leaflet Environmental project
Producing an lmg vision and joint action plan
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When it comes to witness in our communities we are limited only by our imagination. Other examples include: promoting the lmg through a jointly produced leaflet; producing an lmg directory showing who is involved in different kinds of ministries; running learning groups for people in different ministries across the lmg. Which of these ways of working describes best your lmg? Informal Formal Purposeful
How can I find out more about the area covered by my lmg? Besides talking to people about what the lmg is like and what it is doing, you could find out more about your lmg in any number of different ways and share it with others. Here are some of them: Find out who is in your lmg. You could do this by looking in the Bath & Wells Diocesan Directory where they are listed Look at an ordnance survey map for the area and draw a ring around the lmg. Notice where most people live, highlight the schools and the churches and anything that strikes you Search on the internet for information about the area 10
Go to the diocesan web site http://www.bathandwells.org.uk/ then to links for parish websites Visit those parts of the lmg which you do not know very well. Go into local shops, read the notice boards, visit the church, or join them for worship Go to the library and find books about local history, geography and industry
How are you going to find out more about your lmg?
How can lmgs and lmts move forward? This section considers how lmgs began and then how PCCs take part in lmgs and finally how to fulfil the aims. The following questions and answers are intended to help you decide what might be a useful way to help your lmg move forward.
What were the original intentions for lmgs? It may be that your lmg, perhaps with the passage of time and changes in lay and clergy membership is not sure about the background to the development of lmgs and the original thinking about what lmgs may look like. In essence they: Provide opportunities for all to be transformed by the Gospel message of God’s kingdom 11
Effectively equip members to seek and serve Christ in all people, through worship, nurture and discerning of gifts and abilities Creatively engage with local community of all ages through pastoral work, outreach and service Acknowledge Christ's authority over all human society, in prayer, defending the weak and seeking justice and peace Are an open fellowship; repenting of their own failings, and inviting membership, proclaiming by word and example the good news of God in Christ What can you already see happening in your lmg to fulfil these aims?
How can we encourage PCCs to take part in the lmg? A short course lmgs for PCCs will help members of PCCs understand the importance of engaging with the lmg. See resource 1. This is a 1 ¼ hours course and covers the following areas: Describing how things are Mapping our church What difference will the lmg make Next steps
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How do we develop and maintain vibrant, worshipping Christian fellowship at the heart of every local community? Developing and maintaining vibrant, worshipping Christian fellowship at the heart of every local community is what lmgs are here to do. When fully developed across the area the lmg will include the following signs: worship which is focussed on God, and which is carefully planned and offered, to the best of human ability, and which enables individuals to experience the divine and to be renewed in their fellowship with one another the resourcing of lay people for their discipleship in their everyday lives a commitment to evangelism, outreach, witness and service to the local community or communities in which an lmg is set other opportunities for the deepening of personal spirituality, for example through prayer groups and informal acts of worship opportunities for the nurture of people in their faith and knowledge of the Bible structures which will discern and develop ministerial gifts; identifying people who might serve in authorised lay ministries or ordained ministry a programme of welcome and teaching for newcomers to the Church, and for those enquiring about the Christian gospel resources for supporting parents, and specific teaching and ministry to children and young people (including involvement in local schools) ministry by both clergy and laity to people in need of pastoral care, support and guidance 13
ministry which marks and celebrates significant moments and events in the lives of both individuals and the community
Do you agree with the above list of signs? In what way would you like to add to or amend them? When you have agreed the list of signs how will you seek to use them in the lmg?
How do we work out what we need to learn? The School of Formation has a guide to help lmgs clarify learning needs. You can see resource 6.
What help is available to us? The next section contains a list of resources we have developed. Look at our website, the path to all our resources is through learning resources tab on the left, then scroll down the page and you will see Local Ministry Group Resources, all the resources below are listed here. http://www.bathandwells.org.uk/changing_lives/sof/index.php or call us on 01749 685106 If you have been working through this booklet and answering questions along the way you will now have identified a few things that you want to do next. May we wish you every blessing as you seek to establish and develop your lmgs and lmts. Please do contact us if you need more help. 14
Resources Resource 1 Highlights of Changing Lives Changing Lives was the green paper which gave life to lmgs. It provides the background to their development and sets out early ideas as to what lmgs may look like. Those new to the diocese will find it useful to read the full document.
Resource 2 Parish and Benefice Development – lmgs for PCCs The section lmg for PCC is to help PCCs engage more with the issues in Changing Lives and will be particularly useful where there has been a significant change in membership of PCCs in recent years. The workshop process set out in the lmg for PCC will help members understand the importance of engaging with the lmg.
Resource 3 Exodus Development Workshop This workshop is for those lay leaders, clergy, and readers who make up the leadership of the parish, benefice or lmg. The workshop will help the leadership to develop a way forward for the parish, benefice or lmg. The aim of the workshop is to develop in outline a process and plan to encourage movement, vibrancy and wider collaboration with God’s mission and ministry by people living and working in parish, benefice or lmg.
Resource 4 Models of Ministry for Local Ministry Groups This document was published by the Bath & Wells Council for Ministry. It offers a way ahead to parishes and benefices wishing to investigate shared ministry. It gives examples of the kinds of ministries that may develop locally.
Resource 5 Local Ministry Covenants - A Diagram for Discussion From observations of lmgs, I have encountered groups which demonstrate the following covenantal styles, or types of organisation. The models seem to 15
demonstrate a traditional Trinitarian formation, the Structural representing the creative and constitutive, the Purposeful representing the Incarnational and strategic and the Relational representing communicative action, internally for fellowship and externally in mission. Each lmg may have begun life in a particular way but will need to embrace something of all three elements.
Resource 6 Choosing What to Learn Locally This describes three different ways in which parishes, benefices and lmgs can think about and discern about their learning, training and development needs. It will help parishes and benefices as well as lmgs to be clear about the programmes of learning, development and training to support their work together.
Resource 7 Lmg Development Workshop This discussion paper explores the different levels of engagement by parishes and benefices that may occur within lmgs. It concludes that being one takes many forms and that the level of engagement may be different at different times and over different issues. Those wishing to explore the level of engagement in the lmg by different parishes and benefices may find this a helpful starting point for discussions.
July 2009
The School of Formation The Old Deanery Wells Somerset BA5 2UG
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