Gweithdai
Cycle i fyfyrio, mewn amryw o feysydd gweinidogaethol, am:
Beth sy’n rhyddhaol, yn egnïol ac yn fuddiol?
Am beth yr hiraethwn?
Beth sy’n ein dal ni’n ôl?
Beth fyddai’n ein rhyddhau i weinidogaethu fel hyn yn fwy pwerus, gweddïgar a ffrwythlon?
A. Fy ngweinidogaeth gyfoes o air a sacrament
Beth wnawn ni o’n gweinidogaeth gyfoes o air a sacrament - elfennau sylfaenol gweinidogaeth ordeiniedig? Bydd gweithdai eraill yn ein galluogi i feddwl am weinidogaeth ar y cyd, ac am arweinyddiaeth. Yma, ystyriwn ein gweinidogaeth bersonol o air a sacrament yn ein cyd-destun cyfoes. Ystyriwn bregethu, addysgu a meithrin disgyblion; ystyriwn addoli, gweddi, cymodi ac eneinio; ystyriwn fodelau newydd o weinidogaeth fugeiliol; a hyn oll yng nghyd-destun cenhadaeth ac efengylu.
Man cychwyn heriol
How do we understand a contemporary ministry of word and sacrament - the basic components of ordained ministry? Other workshops will allow us to think about collaborative ministry, and about a ministry of leadership. We’re thinking here about our personal ministry of word and sacrament in our contemporary context. We think about preaching, teaching and nurturing discipleship; about worship, prayer, reconciliation and anointing; about new models of pastoral ministry; and about all of this in the context of mission and evangelism.
When a candidate for ordained ministry would tell me, as vocations director, that they felt “called” to the priesthood, I would ask them to describe for me how they experienced this call. It was not uncommon for a candidate to respond by speaking about a desire for a deeper prayer life, to learn more about theology, to serve others, and to help others come to know Jesus. I remember the first time it struck me that what this candidate was describing was not a call to priesthood but a call to live out their baptismal calling. Everything they described as pointing towards the priesthood was entirely normative of ordinary Christian living. What did I listen to as a sign of the call to priesthood? A burning desire to preach God’s Word, a yearning to minister and celebrate the sacraments, wishing to lead and guide a community of faith.
B. Rheoli a chydweithio ledled gweinidogaethau lluosog
Beth wnawn ni o’n gweinidogaeth fel rheolwyr timau sy’n cwmpasu meysydd di-rif. Ystyriwn adnabod a datblygu doniau; ystyriwn reoli perfformiad ac ymroddiad eraill. Ystyriwn hefyd yr angen i alluogi lefelau uchel o atebolrwydd ar yr un pryd â lefelau isel o ddeddfu. Ystyriwn y gwahanol feysydd y mae gweinidogaethu ar cyd yn eu cwmpasu, pan fyddwn yn rhannu ein gweinidogaeth ag eraill: addoli, addysgu, gofal bugeiliol a gweinidogaeth deuluol, ond hefyd efengylu ac arloesoli, a’n gwaith â chyllid ac adeiladau.
Man cychwyn heriol
The primary task of the cleric is not to do all the work of ministry themselves, but to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. A clerical culture that binds the cleric to the role of the super-Christian will demand that only the cleric does the work of ministry, and many clerics are happy to accept this definition. We see this in parishes that have virtually nothing going on. The few activities that do take place must have the direct oversight of the cleric. No one else is equipped for the ministry of leading others to maturity, let alone leading ministry that goes out to the fringes.
An essential part of leadership in the Church today is for the cleric to be clear in their call to preach God’s word, to celebrate the sacraments, and to lead, while calling and allowing the charisms that are spread among the People of God to be exercised.
C. Arwain adnewyddu, diwygio ac adfywio gyda gwydnwch
Ystyriwn heriau llym heddiw: arwain at ddiwygio ac adnewyddu yn ein Hardaloedd Gweinidogaeth; gweddïo a gweithio dros adfywiad. Ystyriwn y gwydnwch personol sy’n ofynnol, a’r pwysau sy’n ei sgil.
Man cychwyn heriol
Knowing that the ship is heading for the rocks and feeling powerless to change course is painful. It is the pain of doing palliative care and funerals not just with our parishioners, but for our parishes, that too often are slowly or rapidly dying. It is the pain of wondering what my life was given for and being forced to develop a personal theology that rationalises the lack of fruit, the lack of health and the ongoing decline. What are the options for the person in leadership in such a situation? the first is to quit and stay. This person chooses to let go of every vestige of passion, zeal or idealism. They have given up hope and yet, bound by fear, they remain at their post. The preferred option is to stay and fight, to hold on to the vision, zeal and passion that enticed you to get into it to being with.
If we are truly to recall the lost identity of our Church, to throw off the shackles of an inwardly focused, self-referential maintenance Church, we need leaders. If the Church has to move, and being missionary demands movement, we need leaders. A maintenance Church can do very well by having a manager at the helm, but going from one place to another demands a leader.
Mannau cychwyn heriol o James Mallon, Divine Renovation: Bringing you Parish from Maintenance to Mission (Twenty-Third Publications, New London, 2013)
Workshops
On opportunity to reflect, in various areas of ministry, on:
What’s liberating and good?
What do we miss about how things were?
What’s still holding us back?
What would release us to do this more powerfully, prayerfully and fruitfully?
A. My contemporary ministry of word and sacrament
How do we understand a contemporary ministry of word and sacrament - the basic components of ordained ministry? Other workshops will allow us to think about collaborative ministry, and about a ministry of leadership. We’re thinking here about our personal ministry of word and sacrament in our contemporary context. We think about preaching, teaching and nurturing discipleship; about worship, prayer, reconciliation and anointing; about new models of pastoral ministry; and about all of this in the context of mission and evangelism.
Provocative starters-for-ten
How do we understand a contemporary ministry of word and sacrament - the basic components of ordained ministry? Other workshops will allow us to think about collaborative ministry, and about a ministry of leadership. We’re thinking here about our personal ministry of word and sacrament in our contemporary context. We think about preaching, teaching and nurturing discipleship; about worship, prayer, reconciliation and anointing; about new models of pastoral ministry; and about all of this in the context of mission and evangelism.
When a candidate for ordained ministry would tell me, as vocations director, that they felt “called” to the priesthood, I would ask them to describe for me how they experienced this call. It was not uncommon for a candidate to respond by speaking about a desire for a deeper prayer life, to learn more about theology, to serve others, and to help others come to know Jesus. I remember the first time it struck me that what this candidate was describing was not a call to priesthood but a call to live out their baptismal calling. Everything they described as pointing towards the priesthood was entirely normative of ordinary Christian living. What did I listen to as a sign of the call to priesthood? A burning desire to preach God’s Word, a yearning to minister and celebrate the sacraments, wishing to lead and guide a community of faith.
B. Managing and collaborating across manifold ministries
How do we understand our ministry as managers of teams that cover manifold areas. We think about identifying and developing gifts; about managing others’ performance and commitment. We think about the need to maintain high levels of accountability and low levels of control. We think about the different areas that collaborative ministry covers, where we share our ministry with others: worship, teaching, pastoral care and family ministry, but also evangelism and pioneering work, and work on finance and buildings.
Provocative starters-for-ten
The primary task of the cleric is not to do all the work of ministry themselves, but to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. A clerical culture that binds the cleric to the role of the super-Christian will demand that only the cleric does the work of ministry, and many clerics are happy to accept this definition. We see this in parishes that have virtually nothing going on. The few activities that do take place must have the direct oversight of the cleric. No one else is equipped for the ministry of leading others to maturity, let alone leading ministry that goes out to the fringes.
An essential part of leadership in the Church today is for the cleric to be clear in their call to preach God’s word, to celebrate the sacraments, and to lead, while calling and allowing the charisms that are spread among the People of God to be exercised.
C. Leading renewal, reform and revival with resilience
We think about the sharp challenges of today: leading reform and renewal in our Ministry Areas; praying and working for revival. We think of the resilience this demands of us.
Provocative starters-for-ten
Knowing that the ship is heading for the rocks and feeling powerless to change course is painful. It is the pain of doing palliative care and funerals not just with our parishioners, but for our parishes, that too often are slowly or rapidly dying. It is the pain of wondering what my life was given for and being forced to develop a personal theology that rationalises the lack of fruit, the lack of health and the ongoing decline. What are the options for the person in leadership in such a situation? the first is to quit and stay. This person chooses to let go of every vestige of passion, zeal or idealism. They have given up hope and yet, bound by fear, they remain at their post. The preferred option is to stay and fight, to hold on to the vision, zeal and passion that enticed you to get into it to being with.
If we are truly to recall the lost identity of our Church, to throw off the shackles of an inwardly focused, self-referential maintenance Church, we need leaders. If the Church has to move, and being missionary demands movement, we need leaders. A maintenance Church can do very well by having a manager at the helm, but going from one place to another demands a leader.
Provocative straters-for-ten from James Mallon, Divine Renovation: Bringing you Parish from Maintenance to Mission (Twenty-Third Publications, New London, 2013)