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“Take me to your leader!”

“Take me to your leader!”. Who takes the decisions in the Church of England and in the Methodist Church?. Who’s in charge in your church?. Bishop? Your Vicar? The Minister? The Stewards? The congregation? An unelected elite? …God?. Communal. Personal. Collegial. A Group or Team.

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“Take me to your leader!”

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  1. “Take me to your leader!” Who takes the decisions in the Church of England and in the Methodist Church?

  2. Who’s in charge in your church? • Bishop? • Your Vicar? • The Minister? • The Stewards? • The congregation? • An unelected elite? • …God?

  3. Communal Personal Collegial A Group or Team An Individual Everyone In a healthy church Responsibility for the life and mission of the church will have three aspects

  4. Every denomination has these three aspects ofleadership or oversight (The churchy word is “episcopé”) But they show up in different ways

  5. Chairman of District District Synod Communal Personal Collegial Circuit Leadership Team Minister Minister + Stewards Church Meeting The Methodist Church CONFERENCE SuperintendentMinister Circuit Meeting Salmon = most influence Green = less influence Thick border = primary responsibility

  6. Archbishop House of Bishops General Synod Diocesan Synod Communal Personal Collegial Rural Dean Chapter Deanery Synod PCC The Church of England Bishop Incumbent Salmon = most influence Green = less influence Thick border = primary responsibility

  7. Communal Personal Collegial Methodists on the left Church of England on the right What a contrast!

  8. Communal Personal Collegial Methodists on the left Church of England on the right Cut out the ‘less influential’ There’s no ‘opposite number’ at any level for anyone to talk to!

  9. In short: • Conference and General Synod have similarities but • The Church of England is not a Connexion • The House of Bishops has a significant role outside Synod • Dioceses, where power and resources mostly lie, find that Districts are relatively insignificant • Circuits, where responsibility and decision-making mostly lie, find that Deaneries have little to do • In Parishes and local Methodist churches the culture is markedly different: • The incumbent has a personal responsibility – ‘the cure of souls’ • In the local Methodist church, the ‘itinerant’ minister works collegially with the Stewards

  10. Practical realities What Anglicans decide at diocesan level, Methodists decide at circuit level or else at the level of the whole Connexion

  11. So who do they talk to? • The diocesan bishops and their resource people ... ? • The superintendent minister and the circuit stewards ... ? • The incumbent and the Methodist church stewards ... ? • What adjustments must we all make to allow joint planning and joint decision-making?

  12. We know there are many things we can and should be doing jointly What new mechanisms do we both need to deal with the mismatch and start planning mission together?

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