Collaboration and Future Mission

1. Collaboration and Future Mission Revd Graham Jones National Rural Officer Methodist Church and United Reformed Church

2. The Sufi Wise Woman Story

3. ‘The Cavalry won’t be coming!’ “You’re on your own!” but “You have what is needed.”

4. Not ‘re-arranging the deckchairs’ “How best are we to shape church relationships and activities to reflect the relational character of God’s Being and live in greater harmony with each other and with Creation? How does the church demonstrate the full potential of life in God through relationships built on patterns of radical equality and dynamic mutuality?”

5. Is fair trade a good thing? Is collaboration a good thing?

6. “In the ecclesia of God it is never a question of whether we shall collaborate or not – that is never the question. The question is how shall we do it so that the true character of the gospel of God shines forth more brightly.” Bishop Stephen Pickard

7. ‘The ministry of the baptized’ Church is: ‘a community gathered around a minister’ or ‘a ministering community’?

8. Critical Moves (Pickard) From: fragmentation to integration mechanism to organism competition to co-operation non-relational to relational skills to character structure to energy servant to friend

9. Fragmentation to Integration “Presbyters are not a caste outside the laos, they are a category within the laos. They are members of the laos who are placed in a particular pastoral relation to other members of the laos.” Being a Priest Today Christopher Cocksworth and Rosalind Brown

10. Mechanism to Organism Ministry was a gift given by Christ to the Church from beyond, passed on via the apostles to the bishops with the weight of history on its side – its authorisation is beyond human contingency and set above and over against the Body of Christ. or An integrated doctrine of ministry gives greater weight to organic metaphors; to interdependence; connectivity and cooperation ... all related to the central concept of the Church as the Body of Christ ... the riskier but open way of the Spirit that breathes new life into ancient forms.

11. Competition to Co-operation Constant tension between the two elemental drives of competition and co-operation. However, in our context, human society is geared to a market economy that thrives on competition. The competitive spirit is deeply encoded into our way of life economically, socially, politically and alas religiously. Where competition rather than cooperation dominates the scene, power will be skewed in unhealthy ways.

12. Competition to Co-operation Fragmentation and competition often go hand in hand. Integration and co-operation do so also.

13. Non-relational to Relational Ministry echoes the perichoretic (‘to dance around’) life of God which is the deepest foundation for a collaborative ministry. It’s about connectivity, about thinking together rather than apart, about living and acting mind-full of the other, indeed bent towards the other. Rublev’s icon

14. Skills to Character In a fragmented, competitive, mechanistic environment questions of character and virtue will always be triumphed by skills and competencies. Integration, organic networked ministry and cooperative ventures need the kinds of people who know how to work openly and joyfully with others in a higher task.

15. Structure to Energy In times of significant upheaval, uncertainty and anxiety leaders default into structure; not any kind of structure but pre-eminently new structure. What are the things that give life and energy to ministry? The great need is to shift the emphasis from structure to energy; the collaborative ideal in ministry is a way of release of energy.

16. Servant to Friend ‘Through the death of their friend the disciples become his friends forever ... they remain in the circle of his friendship when they keep his commandments and become friends of one another’ (Moltmann) ‘What’s been constant with me is the importance of friendship. I think that’s why God gave us Christ, to make us friends with God, and friends with each other.’ (Hauerwas) Ministry as friendship means ‘being fully engaged with God, others, and one’s self’. (Zaragoza)

17. Future Ministry and Mission Ministry that is genuinely Christian is one that is collaborative. If ministry and mission are not genuinely collaborative then it remains questionable whether ministry and mission have a Christian future. It is only through a ministry that is collaborative in character that the bright mystery at the heart of faith can appear and transform the world.

18. Ultimately, it’s about POWER “What the world needs is more circles and fewer pyramids. There is no ‘up’ to go to in a circle, no crowning point upon which to plant a flag or stake a claim or build a throne. Pyramids assume a society of serfs, of peasants, of lackeys and underlings, of in-groups and out-groups, of higher and lower classes. Circles assume a society of equals ... they depend more on consensus than they do on control.” Sister Joan Chittister

19. 10 small rural churches 10 diverse and distinctive rural communities 1 full-time equivalent post Apart from that – a clean slate! How would you collaborate for mission?