THERE is a prayer that runs: "Almighty God, who dost govern all
things in heaven and earth: mercifully hear the supplications of us
thy servants, and grant unto this parish all things that are
needful for its spiritual welfare. Strengthen and confirm the
faithful; visit and relieve the sick and afflicted; turn and soften
the wicked; rouse the careless; recover the fallen; restore the
penitent; remove all hindrances to the advancement of thy truth;
bring all to be of one heart and one mind within the fold of thy
holy Church; to the honour and glory of thy name; through Jesus
Christ our Lord."
This prayer says nothing of the earthly agencies by which the
work is to be done. Its theology is, for that reason, well suited
to the contemporary Church. In the past half-century, Anglicans
have laid aside many rigid demarcations in favour of an often
creative, sometimes ecclesiologically confused, allocation of
ministerial tasks. And this prayer is particularly relevant to the
discussion sparked by the Archbishop of Canterbury's remark on the
Today programme; for, whatever we may think of his wisdom
in making such a direct link between growth and the quality of an
individual priest's ministry, it has put the emphasis where it
belongs: on high expectations in parish life.
Expectations must be high. The work is the Lord's work. It has
been said that they can be unrealistic: a parish advertises for a
new incumbent, and someone suggests that it is asking for an
archangel. But it is far more dangerous to set expectations too
low. No parent wants a school to say: "We mustn't expect much of
your child." No churchwarden wants an incumbent whose
shoulder-shrugging response to a parish's challenges is "But what
can I do?" As in any profession, there are clerics who are driven,
and for whom the present discussion seems to be yet another burden
added to an onerous ministry; they will know of colleagues who are
far from being so conscientious, although they may believe
themselves to be.
There is, too, sometimes the mismatched priest - a growing
problem when there is a shortage of priests. Not every priest whose
appointment is a disaster has treated the parish as a perch or a
playpen; but the personality and the theology may be a poor fit.
There are plenty of parish representatives who live to regret not
exercising their veto. A priestly paragon may still find growth
elusive; the parish that can grow under an unsuitable priest is a
rarity. It is not unheard of for a parish priest to speak ill of
his or her lay people; and, when difficulties arise, they may
sometimes be to blame. But the fact remains that the intractability
of human nature goes with the territory, and the good priest has to
know how to make allowances. It is for this reason that we began
our leading article with a prayer.