towards a generous and flourishing diocese of sheffield in 2025 · 2019. 4. 26. · renewed,...

Towards a generous and flourishing Diocese of Sheffield in 2025

A consultation document to deliver the Diocesan strategy

Deadline for responses:12 July 2019

The Diocese of Sheffield is called to grow a sustainable network of Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every place which are effective in making

disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God’s world.

How to use this document...

Please read through this document and discuss it at your PCC meetings. Submit your responses to the questions in Appendix 2 by 12 July 2019.

You can submit responses in any one of the following ways:

1. Online at: sheffdio.org/consult2019

2. By downloading an editable version of the questions, typing and emailing it to: [email protected]

3. In writing and posting to: FAO Wendy Whitfield, Bishopscroft, Snaithing Lane, Sheffield, S10 3LG

It is expected that most responses will be submitted on behalf of a PCC, group or organisation. However, indivuduals can also respond using the above methods.

You can download an electronic copy of this document, along with an editable version of the response form, at www.sheffield.anglican.org/consultation2019

Timetable

» May-Jul 2019: Consultation with parishes and other bodies » 27 Jun 2019: Report on initial feedback to Bishop’s Council » Sep to Oct 2019: Adaptation of model in the light of feedback » Nov 2019: Final model presented to Bishop’s Council » Nov 2019: Final approval at Diocesan Synod » Jan 2020 onwards: Implementation of new model

3Renewed, Released, Rejuvenated: Towards a generous and flourishing Diocese of Sheffield in 2025

Contents

Introduction 3

Section 1 An escalating challenge 5

Section 2 What are our options? 6

Section 3 A new model of ministry 7

Section 4 A theology of our new model of ministry 9

Section 5 A changing model of ministry for a changing culture 10

Section 6 Resourcing the new model 12

Section 7 Money matters 12

Section 8 How does this model fit in with Renewed, Released, Rejuvenated? 12

Section 9 Timetable 13

Section 10 Conclusion 14

Appendix 1 Deanery maps with stipendiary clergy numbers 16

Appendix 2 Discussion Questions for PCC’s and other groups 19

Appendix 3 What does it mean to be the Church of England today? 20

REJUVENATEDRELEASEDRENEWED


Introduction

Dear friends,

As recently as 1999, there were 155 stipendiary incumbents in the Diocese of Sheffield. Today there are fewer than 100 — that’s a reduction of more than 33%. If the trend continues (and no-one has yet offered good reason to suppose it will not), there will be fewer than 75 in ten years’ time. None of us would have chosen to address this challenge — we bishops least of all. But not to address it would be reckless.

Moreover, during the past 20 years there has not been much adjustment to the role of the stipendiary incumbent: we have just spread them more thinly, to their evident stress.

So this consultation document is intended to ask two fundamental questions:

* how can we deploy a reduced number of stipendiary incumbents (say 75) most fruitfully, in order to realise our vision? Our vision as a Diocese is ‘to grow a sustainable network of Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every place which are effective in making disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God’s world’ — so we are consulting over a plan to grow!

* how can we deploy a reduced number of stipendiary incumbents in a way that makes their role realistic and achievable for them, and which also liberates the whole people of God for the whole mission of God?

It’s true that we have been driven to this consultation by financial pressures. But financial pressures and the promptings of the Holy Spirit are not incompatible! We believe that the challenge before us is God’s invitation - it is therefore a positive opportunity for us to enter more fully into our calling, to become the people God always intended for us to be. It is an opportunity for each baptised member of the Body of Christ to enter fully into the dignity of their baptism, discovering their vocation to serve God and to contribute to his mission in the world.

With every blessing

Bishop Pete & Bishop Peter


Section 1: An escalating challenge

Over the last 18 months, Bishop Pete and his Senior Staff have been consulting widely across the Diocese to shape a new strategy to fulfil our vision ‘to grow a sustainable network of Christ- like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every place which are effective in making disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God’s world’.

These consultations have led to the plan, approved by Diocesan Synod in July 2018, to realign the resources of the Diocese around the three headings of Renewed, Released and Rejuvenated.

The starting point for these consultations was the so-called Four-Headed Beast, which together create an escalating challenge which we need to address together.

A. Attendance trends: numbers are still falling, or at best are barely holding their own. Our Usual Sunday attendance across the Diocese has fallen from 20,000 in 1988 to 12,000 in 2018.

B. Significant financial challenges faced by most parishes are squeezing the Diocesan Board of Finance too: budgets are in deficit and continue to fall due to a reduction in Common Fund, compounded by a change in the way the Church Commissioners allocate grants to Diocese.

C. In many places church structures (buildings, rules and compliance regulations) are not what we would choose. Some of our buildings lack basic amenities like toilets or kitchens. Others are in the wrong location or need major financial investment. Clergy and lay leaders, PCC’s and congregations as a whole are often overwhelmed by compliance, safeguarding and administrative demands.

D. The demographics of our congregations are imbalanced and we depend too heavily on our older members. Their contribution has been and continues to be magnificent. But we are over dependent on our faithful and hardworking older church members. We have to find a way to grow our Diocese with people of all ages, especially children, families and younger church members.

We are not alone in this. This same challenge is being faced in every Diocese of the Church of England, especially in the north and in more urban contexts.

More recently, over the course of the last 6 months, it has become clear that the financial challenge is especially acute. We urgently need to agree a realistic and sustainable financial plan to support our growth strategy. This will result in a reduction of stipendiary clergy posts in the Diocese and a review of what we need in our central services to support our church life together.


Section 2: What are our options?The Bishop’s Council set up a small Task and Finish Group chaired by +Pete to explore our options and to propose some solutions to Diocesan Synod. A number of options were considered:

Scenario One: Keep calm and carry on.This has largely been the approach for the past 20 years, but falling income has made this financially unviable. This option would require an increase in Common Fund contributions of £500,000 (an increase of 15%) set against the current trend of falling contributions. As a matter of fact, church members in the Diocese of Sheffield are already among the most generous in the Church of England. Although there may be congregations where there is scope for more giving, an increase of this magnitude seems unrealistic unless and until we can grow our ‘giving base’ — our congregations.

Scenario Two: Cut the coat to suit our cloth.Reduce stipendiary clergy numbers from 100 stipendiary incumbents at the start of 2019 to 90 as soon as practically possible to deliver a stable and sustainable financial platform based on existing projections of Common Fund contributions and Church Commissioner’s grants. Spread the clergy more thinly, giving each more churches to serve. The evidence suggests that this will result in further numerical decline in our congregations and burn out of the clergy. Moreover, the risk is that a few years down the track we will discover we can no longer afford even 90 stipendiary incumbents and have to embark on yet another phase of reorganisation.

Scenario Three: Invest in areas able to pay for ministry. Allocate clergy to parishes or mission partnerships based on their ability to pay their ministry costs. Out of 192 Common Fund contributors in 2018 only 17 paid the full costs of a dedicated stipendiary priest. That’s less than 10%. Many of these are in the most affluent parts of the Diocese. This scenario would see us largely abandoning many of our poorest and most deprived communities. We would need to abandon our Anglican ecclesiology of being everywhere, and our vision statement to have a Christ-like community in every place, making disciples and seeking to transform our society and God’s world.

Scenario Four: Spread stipendiary ministry justly.This develops Scenario Two working with a formula which looks to allocate 90 stipendiary posts based on weightings which take into account population, deprivation, current church attendance and common fund contributions. However simply allocating fewer clergy based on this formula would result in the same problems of decline and clergy burn out identified in Scenario Two, and the same risk that within a few years even this number could be unaffordable.

Scenario Five: Use historic reserves and other funds to maintain current provision.We could do this. In fact, to some extent we are bound to do this, since reducing the number of stipendiary incumbents from current levels to sustainable levels will take several years. But it is surely obvious that as long as expenditure exceeds income, the long term is bleak.

Scenario Six: Reimagine ordained stipendiary ministry plus SSMs, and lay leadership deployed in a new model of ministry.In this model 75 stipendiary incumbents (a number we are confident will be affordable even in 2025) will have oversight of defined mission areas based on the more just allocation formula in Scenario Four. Each church would have a leader who may be lay or ordained, but with good access to ordained ministry in order to secure access to Baptism and Holy Communion. This is not a new direction of travel but is consistent with the model outlined in the strategy document “Re-Imagining Ministry for Mission 2012-2022” and develops further of our thinking on Mission Partnerships. This is the preferred scenario of the Task and Finish Group and is outlined further in the next section.


Section 3: A new model of ministryOversight Ministers. The 75 stipendiary incumbents envisaged in this paper will ‘share with the Bishop (as the Ordinal puts it in the Ordination Service) in the oversight of the Church’, encouraging and enabling others, nurturing and developing them, offering strategic leadership, mission impetus, accountability and support. As the Ordinal also makes clear, the calling of the ordained is not to do all the work of ministry but to enable and nurture the ministry and mission of the whole people of God. Working with local ministry teams they will develop, train, enable and release the gifts of lay and self-supporting leaders and indeed of every disciple, to develop a vibrant network of existing congregations and new congregations, alongside schools and Salt and Light initiatives. Their priestly ministry will be to enable all the baptised to enter into the full dignity of their baptism, ‘that we all may grow into the fullness of Christ and be a living sacrifice acceptable to God’. Oversight Ministers will also be Focal Ministers of churches in their Mission Area.

Their ministries will be ‘semi-episcopal’ — sharing in the bishop’s ‘cure of souls’ for the whole population of the Diocese. In the New Testament, the language of ‘episcope’ implies a ministry not only to inspire vision and develop strategy, but to equip, nurture and enable all the baptised, providing for them and caring for them, so that they in turn are able to sustain in local communities the worship and witness of the people of God. The key is that we are no longer simply going to spread a reduced number of stipendiary incumbents more thinly: we are seeking to re-imagine the role of the stipendiary incumbent in a way that is coherent with Anglican tradition but realistic in terms of the resources available.

Self Supporting Ministers will form an increasingly important part of the local ministry teams. In some cases, they will be Focal Ministers, leading an existing church or a new congregation. They will also be a vital component of ensuring that all our congregations can regularly receive the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist.

Focal Ministers Focal Ministers may be lay or ordained. Some will be existing Lay Readers, Churchwardens, or other lay volunteers. Others may be SSMs or Oversight Ministers. They will provide local focus, leading teams to sustain and grow existing and new church congregations. They will support the life of the local church in all its fullness, in worship and prayer, in mission and community engagement, witness and evangelism, in pastoral care and teaching, nurture and discipleship. They will help the church to serve the local community, providing leadership and accountability. This will ensure that each local church and congregation has a clearly identified leader.

Mission Areas. Each deanery will be made up of a number of mission areas, each with at least one Oversight Minister (stipendiary incumbent). These areas will often reflect existing mission partnerships, but each deanery will be free to determine the number and shape of their mission areas, in accordance with mission opportunities, geographical realities, and the availability of ministry resources, eg Lay Readers, Centenary Project Worker’s, Mission Partnership Development Worker’s etc. Initial plans for the creation of mission areas, supported by stipendiary incumbents, will have to be agreed by deaneries, the Archdeacon/Bishop and the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee. In order that all feel able to thrive, we may need a limited number of non-geographic units with effective and collaborative ways of all units working together.


We hope that each deanery will benefit (for a five-year period) from the support of a stipendiary Co-Area Dean and paid Buildings and Operations Officers, all funded through Strategic Development Funding, to support the move to this new model of ministry.

Mission Area Ministry Team. Each mission area will have a Mission Area Ministry Team made up of the Oversight Minister, SSMs and Focal Ministers. The team will be responsible for enabling the whole people of God to engage with the whole mission of God across the mission area, not least by developing Mission Action Plans which seek to ensure that each local congregation is effective in making disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God’s world.

Sacramental Provision will remain secure in this new model of ministry. The priestly ministries of Baptism and Eucharist will be provided by both stipendiary incumbents and increased numbers of local self-supporting clergy. During a period of transition, however, it might be that Holy Communion is not offered in every parish, every Sunday morning.

A Mixed Economy Model. The term ‘mixed economy’ is used to describe a combination of inherited patterns of church life blended with new expressions of church which grow and develop into new congregations; in existing church buildings or church halls, in local schools and community facilities, in the workplace or local sports club.

A mission activity (valuable as it is) only achieves the designation ‘new expression of church’ (or ‘new congregation’) when the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are offered or may soon be offered.

A typical mission area will look something like this:


Our aim is to grow the church, as a mixed economy of worshipping communities, with church plants and fresh expressions springing up alongside inherited congregations (which we will continue to cherish) serving the population of mission areas.

A reduced number of deaneries. To achieve such a large cultural change efficiently we are actively exploring reducing the number of deaneries from 12 to 6. The key reason for this is that a reduced number of stipendiary clergy would make some of our existing deaneries difficult to sustain in terms of clergy chapter and deanery governance. Larger deaneries will lessen administration and reduce the number of committee meetings. It also has the potential to hold together diversity in culture, wealth and social background in a much more inclusive pattern than our current deaneries, encouraging sharing of resources financially and in mission.

The proposed 6 new deaneries are:

» Attercliffe & Ecclesall » Hallam & Ecclesfield » Rotherham & Laughton » Adwick & Snaith and Hatfield » Doncaster & West Doncaster » Wath & Tankersley

See Appendix 1 for deanery maps with allocation of stipendiary clergy.

Section 4: A theology of our new model of ministryIn the New Testament, the term ‘church’ never refers to a building, but to a group of people. Church just means gathering. However, for ‘church’ to be truly ‘church’ it requires access to the two Dominical Sacraments — Baptism and Eucharist — and in Anglican ecclesiology this implies access to a priest. But the ministry of the priest is not simply to dispense sacraments: it is to build up the people of God for works of ministry.

Around the world and in most denominations, there have been developments in shared ministry for a variety of reasons - theological and practical. Patterns of shared ministry are given a variety of names, including “Collaborative Ministry”, “Mutual Ministry”, “Local Ministry Teams” and “Every Member Ministry” but the common feature is a commitment to complementarity and mutuality. Shared ministry respects and enables the vocation of every member of the baptised, and builds community. The whole mission of God requires the active participation of the whole people of God.

Shared ministry does not marginalise licensed lay ministers or clergy. Indeed, these ministries are vital for the health and development of Christian community. However, the focus of licensed ministries and perhaps especially of stipendiary incumbency, changes from doing the ministry to enabling the ministry of the whole Body of Christ.

Every member of the baptised, every Christian disciple – has a vocation and calling. Clergy and lay people together constitute God’s “royal priesthood” (1Peter 2:9) gathered and sent – whose calling is to bear witness to, and participate in, the mission of God in the world. Together, lay and clergy in mutual partnership, we make up the church and together we are called to make new disciples and transform our communities, homes and workplaces and ultimately God’s world.


Oversight in the Christian community

The New Testament Greek term episcopos describes someone who watches over others – a person with responsibilities for care. Bishops (diocesan or suffragan), as chief pastors, teachers, and leaders in mission, exercise this ministry across the Diocese. But if it is to be effective, this ministry must be shared with other ministers, both lay and ordained, who are called, selected, formed and commissioned for this role. This is first and foremost a ministry of enabling the priestly people of God. It is a relational ministry in which all baptised Christians may live out their vocation to follow Christ and to make him known in the world.

The specific role of the Oversight Minister is to work collaboratively with others in three inter-related responsibilities:

* To be a focus of unity for the people of God, helping Christian communities to discern and articulate a vision for mission, fostering team work, facilitating change and moving forward together.

* Enabling and sustaining the ministries of the whole people of God, discerning, developing and releasing the gifts of others.

* Keeping watch, ensuring the well-being of local churches, ministers and congregations, helping them to reflect theologically and learn, growing as disciples.

Our proposed model of ministry seeks to maintain a commitment to having a worshipping Christian community in every place, which makes disciples and seeks to transform our society and God’s world.

Appendix 3 provides a further reflection on what it means to be the Church of England today. You may find this helpful when considering your consultation responses.

Section 5: A changing model of ministryfor a changing cultureFor many years the main model of Anglican presence has been a paid ordained minister in every parish.

The Inherited Expectation


This pattern has been eroding for decades: we have about 143 benefices in our Diocese, of which about 48 fit that pattern.

As recently as twenty years ago, there were 155 stipendiary incumbents in the Diocese of Sheffield. At the start of 2019 there were 100, but this year we can really only afford 90. This change is in fact a reflection of massive social and economic shifts in our society. In the last 20 years, patterns of employment, family life and affiliation to organisations have shifted significantly. A digital revolution has taken place, and we need to adjust accordingly.

These social and economic forces also account for aspects of our “four headed beast”. As a result, the time has come to find a new and more flexible model of ministry which will look more like this:

The New Scenario?

Structures and models of ministry are bound to change, but our calling “to grow a sustainable network of Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every place” remains unchanged.

Our new model of ministry will look different in various places so it is a great opportunity to have another look at our communities and think about how best to serve them. We will need to be imaginative and creative, developing a mixed economy of inherited church on the one hand, with new congregations and fresh expressions of church on the other.

Every Christian community will have a Focal Leader. A Focal Leader won’t necessarily be paid, ordained or full time. They will be supervised by Oversight Ministers (stipendiary incumbents) as well working alongside a team of lay leaders.

With appropriate training and support we will have more ministry and more leaders, not fewer: Oversight and Self Supporting Ministers, Focal Ministers and leaders of new congregations, leaders of church plants and school based congregations.


Section 6: Resourcing the new modelWhat we are proposing is not a simple reallocation of resources, but a whole new model of ministry which requires a change of culture and thinking about what church looks like in the Diocese. This will not happen overnight and will require targeted and sustained training and support. Initially this will be for our clergy and emerging Focal Ministers, but it will include a radical re-imagining of the way we deliver training for everyone across the Diocese.

We are therefore currently applying for central church funding (Strategic Development Fund) to resource this training need. A key priority must continue to be the promotion of vocational discernment, learning and growing as we seek to release people into leadership, lay and ordained.

Section 7: Money matters Our mission and ministry must be financially sustainable into the future. Currently it is not. The proposed reduction in the number of stipendiary clergy will bring our income and expenditure back into line. But we are also seeking a commitment to grow Common Fund.

Our mutual commitment to supporting one another in partnership in God’s mission remains central. However, the new model of ministry with larger mission units and combined deaneries gives us an opportunity to review the existing system.

Once implemented the restructured Diocese should be financially sustainable for the long term, maintaining a presence everywhere.

The Task & Finish Group recommended that options be examined to explore how Common Fund might work best to support the new model of ministry and to ensure that we have a just spread of financial resources to sustain and stimulate growth. We are looking at ways to maintain and encourage a spirit of generosity!

Section 8: How does this model fit in withRenewed, Released, Rejuvenated?

In his address to a recent Diocesan Synod +Pete said:

“In the providence of God, I regard our financial constraints as the turbo-charging of its propellers to get Good Ship Strategy out into the open sea, and not as a torpedo to sink it before it has even really left the harbour.”

Renewed

A real reliance on the Spirit of God in prayer and worship is the only way that we will realise our vision to become a flourishing and generous Diocese of Sheffield. This fundamental truth underlies our desire to recruit and resource a community of prayer with 2025 members. This community will be vital to our common life as we embark on this journey together.


Released

The plan to release clergy and lay people as far as possible from the constraints of administration, compliance demands and time consuming building issues will continue to be critical so that the best energies of every congregation can be outward facing in mission.

And it has never been more vital to seek to liberate and maximise the whole people of God for the whole mission of God. We will therefore continue to embrace the national “Setting God’s People Free” agenda in our Diocese. In particular, we will encourage all Baptised Christians to be an effective presence and witness in the places where they are from Monday to Saturday, and to break free of the expectation that Christian faith is mainly about Sunday observance. We will be mindful of this as we also encourage the release of lay gifts in local congregations. Through our Strategic Development Fund resourcing bid we will also pay particular attention to providing support for deaneries and mission units in compliance and building issues.

Rejuvenated

Our new model of ministry will open up new possibilities for reaching people in new ways. Existing parish churches will blend with new congregations and church plants. Our resourcing churches will look at the best ways to support the mission of other churches. Our Centenary Project and new schools based congregations will seek to grow the church younger.

Where do we go from here?

In the short term we will continue to maintain the moratorium on stipendiary clergy posts, reviewing our central services and seek to make savings where ever possible.

Meanwhile, we intend to use the period between the Diocesan Synods on the 23rd March and 13th July to consult widely on these proposals.

In particular, we are asking each PCC to discuss the questions in Appendix 2.

We will also put together a Strategic Development Fund bid to resource the proposed changes.

Section 9: TimetableMay-Jul 2019: Consultation with parishes and other bodies

27 Jun 2019: Report on initial feedback to Bishop’s Council

Sep to Oct 2019: Adaptation of model in the light of feedback

Nov 2019: Final model presented to Bishop’s Council

Nov 2019: Final approval at Diocesan Synod

Jan 2020 onwards: Implementation of new model


Section 10: ConclusionThis is an important and exciting, if challenging, time in the life of the Diocese of Sheffield. We have not taken lightly the decision to propose a new model of ministry which has clearly been brought upon us by the four headed beast and especially the financial issues which we face. As a Task and Finish group we have discerned the hand of God and the movement of his Holy Spirit in this, encouraging us to face some hard facts; to move away from the inherited model of ministry; and to embrace a new model which is less dependent on full time stipendiary clergy. It is perhaps a more radical model, requiring the mobilisation of the whole people of God together in mission, with greater flexibility to re-imagine a church which is more diverse and contextually relevant for today’s culture.

It offers an exciting and thoroughly Anglican prospect: groups of disciples, meeting in a variety of venues, led locally, mostly by focal leaders and volunteer teams of lay people and self-supporting clergy, overseen by stipendiary incumbents (and some self-supporting clergy) offering oversight of wider areas, as leaders in mission. The primary task of these stipendiary incumbents will be to identify and nurture those who have the capacity and the calling to lead congregations. Each congregation is expected to be thoroughly engaged in its neighbourhood and daring to ask where its next new congregation might emerge. It looks like a new scenario, but it really isn’t: this is the next stage of our journey together towards the fulfilment of our diocesan vision.

“The Diocese of Sheffield is called to grow a sustainable network of Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every place which are effective in making disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God’s world.”

Change can make us anxious and fearful but we need not be afraid. We cannot do this in our own strength. A reliance on God in prayer must remain central in all that we plan and do. That is why our prayer community is so important. It seems fitting then, to conclude with the prayer which our prayer community and many others around the diocese pray daily.

Living God

Jesus calls his followers to seek first your Kingdom.

Renew us as we make your love known:

Release us to share freely together in mission;

And rejuvenate us to be fruitful in your service.

Give us courage, wisdom and compassion,

That strengthened with the grace of the Holy Spirit,

We may as the Diocese of Sheffield,

Both flourish and grow through Christ our Lord.

Amen


APPENDICES

Appendix 1 - Six deanery maps with projected stipendiary clergy numbers

Rotherham + Laughton Deaneries12.5 + 1 SDF

New Deanery BoundaryParish Boundaries

Adwick + Snaith Deaneries9.5 + 1.5 SDF



Doncaster + West DoncasterDeaneries11 + 1 Grant Funded


Attercli�e + EcclesallDeaneries15



To Wath& Tankersley*

Ecclesfield + HallamDeaneries14

New Deanery Boundary

Parish BoundariesProposed move to achieve a more balanced distribution of clergy*


12.5 + 1 SDFWath & Tankersley Deaneries

Proposed move to achieve a more balanced distribution of clergy*

From Ecclesfield & Hallam*


Appendix 2 - Discussion questions for PCC’s and other groups1. Do you agree with the Task and Finish Group that scenario 6 (page 6) is the best

option?

- If so why? - If not why?

2. What do you find most exciting about the proposed new model of ministry?

3. What do you find most challenging about the proposed new model of ministry?

4. What support or resources do you think you might need to help you implement the new model?

5. Do you have any questions of clarification which you would like answering? (we will group the questions together to respond to questions raised)

Any other comments you would like the Task and finish Group to consider?

Submit your responses to these questions by 12 July 2019. You can submit responses in any one of the following ways:

• Online at: sheffdio.org/consult2019• By downloading an editable version of the questions, typing and emailing it to:

[email protected]• In writing and posting to: FAO Wendy Whitfield, Bishopscroft, Snaithing Lane, Sheffield, S10 3LG

It is expected that most responses will be submitted on behalf of a PCC, group or organisation. However, indivuduals can also respond using the above methods.

You can download an electronic copy of this document, along with an editable version of the response form, at www.sheffield.anglican.org/consultation2019


Appendix 3 - What does it mean to be the Church of England today?

It is notoriously difficult to define exactly what makes us Anglicans, other than a shared history. The term “Anglican” only came into widespread use after the restoration of Charles II in 1660, when we became much more conscious of being distinct from Protestant Puritan traditions because we retained the three-fold ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon. At the same time, our emphasis on being formed by both Scripture and tradition distinguished us from Counter-Reformation Roman Catholicism. The Book of Common Prayer came into its current form in 1662, and perhaps this was the birth of a self-conscious witness as Anglican Christianity.

We have become a world faith, and the typical Anglican communicant is now “African, female and does not speak English as her first language.” An extraordinary diversity of Christian life and witness marks world Anglicanism. I have chosen five short passages of Scripture to help us consider prayerfully what it means to be an Anglican Christian in South Yorkshire today.

1

The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel. (Mark 1.15)

The Church of England has had a distinctive commitment to preach the Gospel throughout the world, to every person, in every place. Of course, all denominations seek to do this, but the historical record shows that in God’s providence Anglicanism has had a marked world focus.

Note too that, as well as making disciples, we have sought to transform unjust structures to become signs of the coming kingdom. For example, the successful campaign against the slave trade was largely led by the Church of England (with many failures along the way). This commitment to serve the community outside the Church is an absolutely distinctive Anglican emphasis.

How as Anglican Christians do we understand the proclamation of the Kingdom today?

How can our Diocese serve the wider community through the proclamation of the Kingdom?

2

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10.11).

The model of our Lord as the good shepherd seeking out the lost and bringing them back, rejoicing, to the flock has deeply marked our understanding of lay and ordained ministry in the Church. We have sought to care for people throughout the course of their lives, from birth, in marriage, in the care and education of our children, in sickness and death. Our life has been marked by an absence of judging others and often of keeping the boundaries of the church quite porous. So, clergy are often still seen as people whom the whole community can trust to care for them, and our ministries in chaplaincies are deeply valued.

How can we sustain our pastoral ministry with fewer clergy? What opportunities might this new way of working offer us?


How can the model of Christ the Good Shepherd sustain every Christian in ministry?

3

O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving: and shew ourselves glad in him with psalms. (Psalm 95.1-2, BCP)

This is the beginning of first psalm--the Venite--said at Morning Prayer each day in the Book of Common Prayer. Church of England worship has been marked by thorough engagement with Holy Scripture. We read almost the entire Bible each year at Morning and Evening Prayer; unlike almost any other Christian traditions, the Old Testament is treated as fully as the New Testament, and in the Prayer Book we pray the Psalter right through each month. Again the Prayer Book asks us to pray the Lord’s Prayer four times a day--six times if we celebrate Holy Communion together.

Drawing on this loving, thoughtful, attention to Scripture, at its best Anglicanism has offered a gentle but searching disciplined spirituality focussed on God’s beauty, and our daily following of the Lord. Our worship has been historically marked by singing Psalms and other Biblical texts such as the Magnificat.

How, with fewer clergy, can we ensure that our worship is distinctively Anglican, and draws fully on Holy Scripture?

How can we best sustain our work in daily prayer?

4

Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29.7)

As the role of the Church of England changes, it can indeed feel that the Lord has called us into exile in our own country. A distinctive mark of English and Welsh Anglicanism is the parish system: every place in the kingdom is in a parish, and there is a place of worship and clear point of contact for every person. The model lone vicar appointed to a single parish church and serving the whole community has deep roots in our culture. It is clear, however, that in our new model we simply cannot sustain this pattern in every community; indeed, even if we could, it may not be the right way to serve God in our culture, in a time of exile.

The parish system was not in place for the first five or six hundred years of the Church of England, our time of greatest evangelistic achievement. Before the Norman Conquest in 1066, and for some time afterwards, there were simply nowhere near enough priests to allow every community to have its own vicar. Our mission in England was led by teams of clergy, monks, and nuns, working together from larger churches, and visiting smaller communities to teach, baptize and celebrate the Eucharist. This model of ministry was sustained for many years, and through God’s providential provision was highly successful. Note also that the growth of the Anglo-Saxon church was rooted in a commitment to read Holy Scripture in depth and in an ethic of service to the whole community.

What do we lose in the new pattern of ministry proposed in this report? What do we gain?

How will we pray and work for the welfare of the whole community, as we are instructed to do in God’s


word to Jeremiah?

5

Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ (Luke 22.19)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ (Matthew 28.19-20)

The leaders of the Reformation in England particularly emphasized the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. They understood that in these two sacraments the Lord calls the Church into being, marks us as Christians and sustains us in life. Archbishop Cranmer taught that these two sacraments offer us constant assurance that we are saved, deepen and refresh our hope in God, and lead us ever deeper into the Scriptures.

This Reformation theme of deepening hope through celebrating the sacraments seems important as we look to the future. Our new structures seek to make sacramental provision more certain by ensuring that a smaller number of clergy can serve the whole church more effectively.

What is your experience of the sacraments in your journey with God? Do you find that through them God strengthens your assurance and hope in Christ?

The celebration of the sacraments was understood by the Reformers to be a direct command of Christ. How can we ensure that we honour this command in our new structures?

Conclusion

My hope is that you will find these passages from Scripture encouraging and challenging as we look to the future. The prefaces to the Common Worship services of ordination gather together all these themes. Although these prefaces are written specifically for those being ordained, they can be read with great profit by every Anglican Christian. Are these the tasks to which God is calling us, lay and ordained, in the Church of England today?

With all God’s people, priests are to tell the story of God’s love. They are to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and to walk with them in the way of Christ, nurturing them in the faith. They are to unfold the Scriptures, to preach the word in season and out of season, and to declare the mighty acts of God. They are to preside at the Lord’s table and lead his people in worship, offering with them a spiritual sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. They are to bless the people in God’s name. They are to resist evil, support the weak, defend the poor, and intercede for all in need. They are to minister to the sick and prepare the dying for their death. Guided by the Spirit, they are to discern and foster the gifts of all God’s people, that the whole Church may be built up in unity and faith.

May God give us grace to fulfil this vision of the Gospel today.

The Very Reverend Peter BradleyDean of Sheffield


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Diocese of Sheffield95-99 Effingham Street

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The Diocese of Sheffield is called to grow a sustainable network

of Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every

place which are effective in making disciples and in seeking

to transform our society and God’s world.

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