Diocesan News
Reengagement With Scripture And Prayer Key To Renewal – Bishop of London Tells Dublin And Glendalough Gatherings
Andrew McNeile of the Diocesan Growth Forum; the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres; Scott Hayes of Ecclesiastical; and Geoffrey Perrin of the Diocesan Growth Forum are pictured in St Catherine’s Church, Thomas Street, where the Bishop addressed lay members of Dublin and Glendalough on developments in the Diocese of London
‘The journey may be difficult but there is great hope,’ was the message from the Bishop of London to the clergy and laity of Dublin and Glendalough. The Rt Revd Richard Chartres addressed the clergy of the dioceses in the Church of Ireland College of Education and the laity in St Catherine’s Church, Thomas Street. His inspirational presentation outlined the voyage taken by the Diocese of London from a fractured community in decline to one which is united in pursuit of its goal.
Their efforts began with the suggestion that every single parish should have a mission action plan. ‘This should involve looking prayerfully at the patch we are trying to serve and looking at our resources and identifying a response – something we could do as a community,’ Bishop Chartres explained.
A clear direction expressed in simple terms is required. But it is also important to be opportunistic while being informed by the direction of travel. He said there also had to be an emphasis on fun.
While mission action planning began in the parishes a parallel development took place in the diocese. The Bishop pointed out that the Church can absorb lay talent through a multitude of committees. They learnt that people wanted to be equipped as ambassadors of Jesus Christ where they worked and lived. ‘So alongside mission action planning went a vast bonfire of committees, boards and synods… a whole tier of synodical governance,’ Bishop Chartres stated. The remaining structures were answerable to three tests, he said: speed, simplicity and trust.
Reform of finance was also crucial, he said, pointing out that their old system punished growth by making parishes that increased their membership pay more. It also encouraged parishes to ‘squirrel away’ what they had. They now send everyone a bill stating ‘this is what your ministry costs’ and asking them to try to meet these costs. They are urged to use any extra money in a mission minded way. ‘The deficit had convinced the lay people that the church was a shambles. Since we started eight years ago, hardly anything has given more confidence. People can feel they are part of a Church which is going somewhere,’ he explained.
The next step the Diocese of London took was to start a collaborative approach. ‘One of the things that enfeebled us was that we were all living in independent silos. Good work was being done in the silos but there was a lot of duplication, reinventing the wheel. So we tried to give a collaborative approach to build on what we have together,’ the Bishop explained.
Their first effort was called London Bridges and it ‘sank without a trace’. London Challenge came next and was more successful, achieving its goals. It focused on talking each other up and praising each others gifts ‘encouraging one another and looking over the wall to the next community’. Through this a measure of confidence grew. Electoral roles and revenues increased.
Then came Capital Vision 2020 and Dubliner, Debbie Clinton, who has facilitated thousands of conversations in the Diocese of London. From these conversations she distilled three words which have become recognised throughout the diocese – Confident, Compassionate and Creative.
Confident – in speaking and living the Gospel. Compassionate – in serving communities with the love of God. Creative – in reaching new people and places with the Good News. The three themes shape Capital Vision 2020.
Bishop Chartres’ full presentation at St Catherine’s can be listened to online at: http://bit.ly/1eI2xYe
From Anecdote to Evidence – The Church of England’s Church Growth Research Programme 2011–13 can be viewed at http://www.churchgrowthrd.org.uk/UserFiles/File/MNN/FromAnecdoteToEvidence1.0.pdf
Diocesan Communications Officer, Dublin & Glendalough
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