From Canon Bryan Pettifer
Sir, - The Revd Stephen Spencer (Comment, 11
October) is surely right in emphasising that, though the parish
may evolve through various institutional forms, the part played by
oversight is crucial. The ministry of the abbot of a monastery is
not, however, the primary instance of such oversight which we
should consider.
At every induction of a new incumbent, the Bishop utters to him
words such as "Receive your cure and mine," implying a delegation
of oversight from the Bishop to the incumbent. In the 1990s, as
numbers of stipendiary clergy were reducing, it was widely realised
that a paradigm shift in the ministry of the stipendiary clergy was
quietly taking place.
The growth of self-supporting ministry and local ordained
ministry, and the multiplication of lay ministries, meant that the
task of the stipendiaries changed from being expected to deliver
most of the ministry to overseeing others in ministry. Oversight in
this context will entail recognising people's gifts and talents,
discerning their potential, building up their confidence, equipping
them for their specific ministries, enabling and guiding them,
supporting and sustaining them, and maintaining appropriate
discipline and standards.
The need for this change was recognised by the House of Bishops
as it reviewed clergy numbers and deployment in the mid-1990s, when
stipendiary numbers were falling quite significantly. Many dioceses
produced ministerial strategies to take account of this shift.
Almost two decades later, some important questions need to be
asked.
Has this evolution of ministerial strategy been maintained
across the Church of England? As a fresh generation of bishops has
taken over, have they held to this strategy for ministry in their
dioceses? Have the senior staff of dioceses developed the support
and in-service training needed by stipendiary clergy to equip them
for their changing work?
Are the training institutions preparing ordinands for a ministry
very different from that exercised in previous generations? What
pro- ress has been made in changing what congregations expect of
their clergy?
BRYAN PETTIFER
23 Curlew Drive
Chippenham SN14 6YG
From the Revd Martin Cox
Sir, - It has been interesting to reflect on some of the
contents in the Church Times (11 October). Readers were
presented with news on clergy stress levels (page 7), the viability
of parishes and churches, owing to changing patterns of ministry
(page 14), and a further reference in the new Pilgrim material in
your features section to the lack of nurture courses, which is
referred to as a "scandal" (page 20).
It seems to be that there is an urgent need for us to pray for
the gift of discernment so that we can understand the signs of the
times that we are living in. These three issues alone must, surely,
be inter-connected in other ways besides being in the same issue of
your newspaper.
We also need to pray for the grace of God to enable us to
respond appropriately to the opportunities and challenges of the
age, which will include reshaping ministry for mission. This, in
turn, will require us to be people of hope and encouragement, as
well as people of wisdom and insight.
MARTIN COX
Chorley Rectory, Rectory Close
Chorley PR7 1QW