Month: January 2013

Lead everyone or lead your favourite few?

One leadership question arising from the Organisation of the Modern Anglican Benefice is this:\r\n

“If you are a church leader, who are you leading?”

\r\nIt is easy to focus leadership efforts in church on a small group of core committed people.\r\n

    \r\n

  • A group who ‘get it’.

    • \r\n

  • A group who will move forward willingly, not kicking and screaming.

    • \r\n

\r\nIt is hard to lead across the levels of membership.\r\n

    \r\n

  • A wide spectrum of people, from the uncommitted to the core member.

    • \r\n

  • A group who have different needs pastorally, theologically, socially.

    • \r\n

\r\nIf the choice is made to lead only a few in the church, and not the whole church, then this leadership can be called many things.\r\n

    \r\n

  • It can be called leading enthusiastic young adults.

    • \r\n

  • It can be called leading those who want to be led.

    • \r\n

\r\nBut if most of the church aren’t being led there’s one thing it can’t be called:\r\n\r\n… it can’t be called church leadership.

Reorganisation of the Modern Anglican Benefice

It would be reasonable to assume that most Church of England clergy are uncomfortable with the idea of simply transferring  business models and methods into the church.\r\n\r\nAs the church wrestles with questions of long-term sustainability some new thinking about structures has to be carried out, and it is not enough to simply adopt a streamlined management plan from a profit-motivated organisation and hope that the Anglican church can adapt. For start, most corporate internal organisation charts don’t include the client; they focus instead only on the Team, which can be controlled, not the public, (and for public read ‘Ordinary Church Member’).\r\n\r\nIt was reflecting on this problem which led to the doodle which led to the diagram below. It proposes an alternative organisational diagram for the modern Church of England Benefice.\r\n\r\nFor a  larger version for zooming in see here.\r\n\r\nOn the same subject see Models of the Successful Modern Church of England Benefice\r\n

An alternative to the hierarchical managment tree of responsibility brought into the Anglican church from business. Instead, an organic structure relating leadership to types of membership and people of no church membership

Hijacked Epiphany

While shopping early today (yes, shopping on a Sunday) there were Easter eggs on sale alongside the Christmas leftovers in the Asda clearout.\r\n\r\nIt’s January 6th\r\n\r\n- the twelfth day of Christmas\r\n- the day Anglicans celebrate Epiphany\r\n- and there are Easter eggs on sale.\r\n\r\nIn fact, before Christmas there were Easter eggs on sale next to Christmas gifts at the local Shell petrol station. Stocking fillers?\r\n\r\nIn some ways it’s to be expected. It’s what happens when a secular society gets hold of a Christian festival without the patience and understanding to see it through.\r\n\r\nBut it’s not only a feature of a secular society. For many churches the rush in and out of festivals happens at an equally startling pace.\r\n

    \r\n

  • It’s as though churches have caught the impatience around them rather than expressing their own mature patience to see the season out.

    • \r\n

  • It’s as though we need to be always turning to something new or, God forbid, the congregation might get bored.

    • \r\n

\r\nIt is written into the seasons of the church, especially in Church of England liturgy, that time should move slowly, which admittedly is hard in a fast world.\r\n\r\nSo how about using these words when planning our way out of our festivals:\r\n

Dwell. Wait. Watch. Feel. Hear.

\r\n(PS: Maybe it can go too far? I also heard today of a man who celebrates Christmas until 2nd February (Candlemas)  by leaving Christmas decorations up outside his house. 40 days?)

The successful modern Church of England benefice 4 – Planting

The successful modern Church of England benefice is an organic, networked and campus church, created for growth and witness. It is the logical outworking of this new Anglican focus that the successful benefice will find opportunities to share its resources and experience and expertise with other churches and in other places. It will become a Planting church. At times this will mean offering help to Anglican and other churches experiencing difficulties, and at other times it will mean starting new ventures of different shapes and styles to meet particular needs and opportunities.\r\n\r\nThis is 4 of 4: to see the whole poster go here\r\n\r\nOr see each individual post here:  1-Organic   2-Networked   3-Campus\r\n\r\n