|
SHERBORNE DEANERY STRATEGIC PLAN In 2005 work was begun on the creation of a Deanery Strategic Plan. During 2006 following consultation and input from the benefices across the Deanery, a draft plan was put together and presented to the Deanery Synod on 16th November 2006, when the Bishop of Salisbury was in attendance. The text of this Strategic Plan is given below, and this in turn is followed by the text of the accompanying presentation given jointly by the Rural Dean and the Lay Co-Chairman. (The text of the plan is available for downloading as a M.S."Word" document from the Deanery Synod page of this website).
DEANERY STRATEGIC PLAN 2006 Purpose The Deanery exists to help individual parishes and benefices to grow in their life with God, Father Son and Holy Spirit. Its purpose is to enable them to move forward in mission and ministry. This means not only sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed, but also recognising where God is already at work in the community and joining with Him in His mission to the world. The Deanery along with the Diocese also exists to provide a focus of unity and belonging within God's universal church and to give a wider vision of God's activity within the whole of His creation. Context In terms of numbers of parishes, Sherborne is the largest deanery in the Diocese of Salisbury. In the north of the Deanery, people consider Sherborne to be their centre for shopping, education, health care, employment and recreation. However in the south‑west and north‑west of the Deanery there are a number of rural parishes which look to Dorchester, Beaminster, Bridport or Yeovil as their natural centres for social activity. This means that the geographical boundaries of the Deanery may not best serve the needs of the parishes. We cannot have a deanery‑shaped mission. A mission‑shaped deanery will mean crossing over benefice and deanery boundaries if the church is to grow and flourish. Our Deanery is not the best unit of mission we possess. So any plan must recognise this fact and therefore give parishes the freedom and support to develop their life and mission in ways which might not relate to the Sherborne Deanery at all. The presentations and discussions at the Deanery Synod in June 2006, revealed a great diversity of good practice. There is an enormous amount of good will and talent in the Deanery. How can all this be given further encouragement to grow and develop in ways that will enrich the whole church? PRIORITIES FOR MISSION AND MINISTRY Education and Training Clergy led services and organisations in every parish each week are no longer possible or necessarily desirable. There is a clear need for much more lay leadership and activity. The Deanery strongly encourages the use of Diocesan resources in providing practical training for churchwardens, P.C.C. treasurers and secretaries, and lay leaders of worship. Clergy need to be released from further administrative tasks to be able to concentrate more on worship, teaching, pastoral care, mission, evangelism and enabling the people of God to discover and use the gifts He has given them. The need for continuing education in the Christian faith is great. The offer of the Sherborne parishes to make their Education and Training working party a Deanery resource should be accepted with enthusiasm. This group could promote, encourage and if necessary resource a mixed menu of study groups: Alpha and Emmaus courses, occasional lectures, Bible Study Groups, Quiet Days, Julian Groups, Summer Schools and other activities which will meet clearly recognised needs in Christian learning and growth. The Deanery must affirm all existing small groups that enable people to pray and study together, helping them to grow in confidence in their Christian faith and living. Outreach and Pastoral Care "Getting the church out into the community" is a popular phrase. Parishes and benefices need constantly to ask themselves, "How do we interact with the community? How do we identify and engage with those issues which affect people's daily lives within our parishes?" The imaginative appointment of the associate Vicar of Sherborne and part‑time Chaplain to the Gryphon School, has been, and will continue to be, supported by the Deanery. This delivers Christian ministry to young people where they are, This means that the Deanery should be willing to offer other talents and resources to the school as the work expands. Furthermore the chaplain should be welcomed into the surrounding area outside Sherborne when outreach work in the villages is deemed to be appropriate. The Deanery will also support and resource where it can, further help for the new Team Vicar of the Melbury Team in his new work in Beaminster Secondary School. There is a lot of fruitful work going on in the close relationship between the churches and our primary schools in the Deanery. This needs to be communicated so that what works can be put into practice elsewhere e.g. after‑school Christian clubs. The school may prove to be the way in which the churches can reach out to younger families. Despite the number of family services on offer, it seems that this group more than any other is missing in the life of our churches. The Deanery should aim to look closely at the reasons for this and then come up with some suggestions for action. Having completed some mapping exercises in profiling the social make‑up of our Deanery we recognise clearly that most of our communities have ageing populations. Pastoral care to the whole population must be a priority for every parish. This means recognising, encouraging and working with effective pastoral care wherever it exists. Training for such work can be offered through the Lay Pastoral Assistants Course. The Deanery should promote training for this ministry, giving those involved in pastoral care more confidence and support in their work. One specific need has been recognised: who supports the carers, especially the part‑time or full‑time carers within the home, of whom this deanery has a high percentage? The Deanery will support on a parish or a deanery basis the running of a St. John's Ambulance course for carers in the near future. Worship The variety of worship on offer throughout the parishes in the Deanery is to be commended. Diversity, not uniformity, is to be encouraged. The aim must be to make our worship the best it can be whatever the service. Centres of excellence need to be recognised and affirmed whether it be cathedral style worship in Sherborne Abbey, lay involvement e.g. Melbury Men (male voice choir for men who don't sing), Healing and Wholeness in the Wriggle Valley or Taizé worship in Longburton. Examples of good practice need to be shared and received. People should be encouraged to keep the best of what they have, but also not be afraid of trying new things. Wherever possible services need to be regular including small groups for worship on weekdays. The Deanery will always support the use of church buildings in creative ways for concerts, the arts and social activities. The Deanery will encourage those parishes where a serious look at the re-ordering of their churches is necessary for the benefit of the whole community, to enable the buildings to be used more than one hour per week. The Deanery will also support the smallest parishes wanting to become Chapels of Ease and to be released from the administrative burdens of being parish churches, but still wishing to be centres of worship for different occasions throughout the year. This will inevitably involve more training for lay people leading worship. The Deanery will ensure that regular courses will be provided to help leaders be confident and competent in what they are doing. The importance of the ministry of welcome can never be over‑emphasised. The Deanery will ask parishes to look specifically at how this works in practice, and to give help where this is needed. Resources The practicalities of whether the Deanery needs a Resource Centre and/or a Data Base of people's skills and talents need to be investigated further before reaching any definite conclusion. Communication of who we are and what we are doing is vital. Our newly set up Deanery website has an, important part to play in this. We are very fortunate in having the Friary at Hilfield within our Deanery. In their ministry of hospitality they already offer space and leadership for retreats and study‑days. This is a vital resource which parishes should be encouraged to use. Parishes also need to be alert to the opportunities for members of the Friary to be involved in specific areas of teaching and outreach work in their communities. The Deanery values highly the contribution of our retired clergy, particularly in the taking of services where there are not enough stipendiary, NSM and OLM clergy around. Although it is patchy within the Deanery, the emergence of OLM ministry has greatly enriched the life of the church in this deanery. Vocations to this and other accredited forms of ministry are to be encouraged. The skills and gifts of individual clergy and lay people need to be recognised and affirmed, especially when they can be used fruitfully in parts of the Deanery other than their home parishes. The Deanery recognises that in the future there will be fewer stipendiary clergy available on the ground. But we would not want to make any specific plans at this stage. Although we are aware of what the possibilities might be in pastoral re‑organisation, we would wish to be flexible and open in what is a constantly changing situation. All clergy coming to work in the Deanery in the future will be asked which particular skills / gifts they would wish to offer for the benefit of the wider church within the Deanery and beyond. Where parishes have gone through the "Growing Healthy Churches" programme, it is important for them to continue to reflect and act upon what they discovered in the "check list of marks of a healthy church.” There have been and are difficulties in parishes meeting their Fairer Share obligations. The Stewardship group in the Area Resources Team needs to be fully used within our Deanery to help parishes raise the money. Education in realistic and generous Christian giving is greatly needed and we should be reminded constantly that the share pays for a seven‑day ministry. The Deanery will explore the possibility of setting up a Local Endowment Fund to facilitate specific areas of mission in our parishes and benefices. In Conclusion The Deanery exists to affirm, encourage, help and resource the life and mission of our parishes. It is important that we don't try to take on too much, but concentrate on doing fewer things and doing them better. This means a willingness not only to establish clear aims, but also to monitor what we have actually done. The Deanery does have a prophetic role in challenging parishes where there is a reluctance to face a rapidly changing culture in our villages and churches. In the words of the Sherborne parishes, we always need to remember that we Christians and the churches to which we belong exist "to know God and make Him known in wonder, love and praise." That must, and will, involve change as Christians and Churches are constantly being transformed by the love and grace of God, changed from glory into glory.
The Reverend Canon Henry Pearson, Rural
Dean
_____________
THE DRAFT SHERBORNE DEANERY STRATEGIC PLAN
Notes
of a joint Presentation made by the Rural Dean, the Rev’d Canon Henry
Pearson Text below in normal type refers to parts of the presentation made by the Rural Dean, whilst text items in italic type are the Lay Co-Chairman's input. Purpose of the Deanery Not surprisingly the question is often raised as to whether we need a deanery at all. This question often comes from parishes, who in a group, benefice or team are already working well together. The importance of belonging to a diocese, with the bishop’s role as a focus of unity and mission in the wider church, alerting us to the concerns of God’s universal family and of the world, feature more strongly in some parish / benefice's aspirations than the deanery. “The Deanery exists to help individual parishes and benefices to grow in their life with God, Father Son and Holy Spirit. Its purpose is to enable them to move forward in mission and ministry. This means not only sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed, but also recognising where God is already at work in the community and joining with Him in His mission to the world.” What is crucial in the process of developing a plan is to encourage a grass-roots movement in mission and ministry upwards from the local parish and not top down from the diocese, and then to see how the deanery and diocese can encourage and resource those grass roots initiatives and activities. So there is no blue print for a deanery plan and I have found the plans so far from the deaneries to be, dare I say, wonderfully different. The purpose of a deanery is often much clearer in people’s perceptions where the area it serves relates closely to the civic and social life of its inhabitants. Over to Gil Williams to say something about “Context”. CONTEXT The plan indicates the alignment of the deanery towards:
for work, schools and worship. I shall not say any more about this, other than it does influence the work we do. At our last meeting we heard about much of the excellent work being done in so many parishes. When we looked at demographics a year ago, as part of the mapping exercise in the deanery, we found:
Age movement ~ largest growth band is 50-59 (3.75%) – people with lots of energy to do things. There has been a little growth amongst the 80+. In contrast there has been shrinkage in the 20-29 age bracket (3.25%). The population of the deanery is 20,658. For the share count, the members number is 1420 of which Sherborne represents 485. If we apply the balance of 935 members over all the other places of worship, we find that the average congregation in the Deanery is 20. We know that there are many parishes larger than that. However we have several parishes with attendance below 10 (10 @ 10 or less). Keeping the flame burning, but relieving unnecessary administrative burdens is a part of what Henry will address under worship. With the number of buildings we have, those costs do represent a significant call on resources – but we are not an historic building & preservation society alone.
PRIORITIES FOR MISSION AND MINISTRY Education and Training In listening to the Rural Deans and Lay Co-chairmen of other deaneries, the priority for Education and Training is a strong common theme. It is interesting to see how many deaneries are looking for clergy to fill vacancies who can offer the deanery skills in the training and education of the whole people of God – to help them see that because of their baptism, all are called to mission and ministry. We have all “gone into the church”, not just the clergy. In my own benefice on Remembrance Day in one church this year the service was conducted throughout by lay ex-service men and women with no clergy being present, and it went very well. But the draft plan also stresses the importance in training lay people in whatever office they hold, using the excellent resources already provided by the diocese to ensure competence and good practice. There is the constant need to release clergy from administrative roles, encouraging them to let go and to concentrate on what they are ordained for, leadership, worship, preaching, pastoral care, mission and evangelism, and the enabling role, recognising other people’s gifts and helping them to use them. Clergy often find this the most difficult thing to do effectively. Sometimes it is so much easier “to do it yourself”. Developing OLMs has been patchy throughout the deanery. The upside is that through each support group more vocations have emerged. But there is a downside. Having grown your own deacon or priest, there is the temptation to sit back and let “them” get on with it. “Education, Education, Education!” There is a real thirst to learn. The Deanery welcomes the offer of the Sherborne parishes for their Education and Training Working Party to be a deanery resource. Over to Gil Williams for the next priority – Outreach and Pastoral Care.
Outreach & pastoral care We know that the deanery faces in at least 3 main directions, which makes engagement with the relevant networks of school, work, leisure and worship just a little harder.
The word “Outreach” seems difficult for some to grapple with, but for those who do there are significant rewards available. Surely the starting point is our attitude of mind:
Wherever a church is seen and recognised as a body that engages with the wider community – locally, nationally or even abroad – they tend to receive support. An inward looking PCC or church community intent on exclusion will struggle and anyway the navel is not the most exciting part of our anatomy. The word ‘mission’ and the actions that flow from it are important:
Making the tea or attending a PCC meeting does not do it for everyone. But saying: we have a new initiative with the young, or the elderly, or the sick, or the lonely – or indeed within company X might attract and inspire really good people. Loneliness is widespread in our communities. Lack of transport or the feeling of isolation are other concerns. Two basic questions: 1. Are we here to primarily to maintain our buildings and the furniture within them – no, but that is but a minor part of our role. 2. However do we have a drive and desire – a mission – to find out where God is at work and join in? Many times it will be somewhere other than church on a Sunday. I would strongly recommend the latter approach and we have heard of many examples in past meetings. If each parish did something new for mission or engagement in the communities they are there to serve in 2007 – wow!
3rd Priority – Worship I think in all our discussions it is increasingly clear that the movement is away from closing down small churches and bussing people around, reinforcing a model of dependence on clergy to lead an act of worship. We have discovered the increasing desire of small churches still to be focuses of worship and social life in a community. Diversity not uniformity is to be encouraged. The aim is to make our worship the best it can be whatever the service. Good practice needs to be shared, sometimes drawing from centres of excellence where particular forms of worship are working well. Let’s try and keep the best we have and then not be afraid of trying new things. Wherever possible services need to be regular, including small groups for worship on weekdays. In one of my parishes, the Wednesday morning congregation for morning prayer can have more people attending than on a Sunday. And then there is the question of the use of our church buildings for community activities. When major works of repair are required for a village hall, the question needs to be asked as to whether the church building can be not only the sacred space but also the meeting place for the community. In a small village why not see if it is possible to have just one building rather than two or more? Small parishes need to be given permission to be released from the administrative burdens of being parish churches but still being able to use their church buildings for worship and different community activities throughout the year. In the draft plan we have asked all churches to look carefully at their ministry of welcome, not just at the church door but day by day in the community. If the welcome is effectively exercised, has not 80% of the job been completed? Over to Gil Williams to say something about the 4th priority – Resources.
RESOURCES At our last meeting, there were requests for a deanery resources register or group. We have thought about it and will publish where resources are available on the website. However this evening it may be helpful to talk about where help is on hand: S.A.R.G. The group serves the Sherborne Episcopal Area – Dorset in the main. Its focus currently is in these areas:
Diocesan resources cover a wide field of activity. Tonight I wish to focus on training - for churchwardens, treasurers, secretaries etc – but the uptake is low. A question: should someone serve as churchwarden, for example, with no training? There is the Diocesan Youth Conference to watch out for in summer of 2007. Amongst Deanery resources we find: wholeness & healing and prayer groups We are saying that any new stipendiary clergy appointed in future will be asked what they can bring to the entire Deanery and they will be expected to be involved within the deanery accordingly. This will mean that they will spend slightly less time within their benefices and teams in future, which in its turn, will mean a greater need for lay leadership and involvement. We acknowledge the indications that there will be fewer stipendiary clergy over this plan period and we know what pastoral reorganisation would occur if that reduction had to come into effect now. However, we wish to see how working across boundaries and other links develop before being too specific in this plan. Fairer share Every parish finds paying share difficult, but in out deanery there are 12 parishes in upward transition in 07 – a third of the diocesan number. But:
Giving across the diocese is up over previous years, in part because Fairer Share is fairer than the system that it replaced and in part because the stewardship groups in both Episcopal areas have been very effective and helped parishes. I have been privileged to go to have been invited into many parishes around the Diocese in the last year. As an observation one is struck that a parish that has a vision and is engaged in its mission, seldom has a share problem. However where there are share issues, one often finds a number of other problems – share being a symptom rather than a cause. Many times the purpose is missing. Deanery endowment fund – we shall examine how we can bring this into effect to enhance our work with Mission.
Conclusion Let’s not try to take on too much, but concentrate on doing fewer things, and doing them better. We all need to establish clear and achievable aims and, what is more, to monitor carefully what we set out to do. I don’t know whether you would agree with me about the Deanery’s prophetic role in challenging parishes where there is a reluctance to face a rapidly changing culture and to move forward. The Christian gospel involves transformation and change. We are to be changed from glory into glory, transformed and changed by the love and grace of God.
Henry
Pearson, Rural Dean
|