Local Collaborative Ministry

Members

• Bill & Mona Blackburn
• The Rev. Richard Condo
• Heather Ferguson
• The Rev. Ian Peterson
• The Rev. Julie Collings
• The Rt. Rev. Tom Collings
• Diane Bradshaw
• The Rev. Karen Terlinski
• Matt Terlinski

Report to diocesan Synod 2006

Who are we?

The Local Collaborative Ministry Development Team is comprised of representatives from a number of diocesan parishes. Our goal is to develop and make available resources for identifying gifts and furthering the ministries of all Christians in the diocese. We work from the premise that every Christian has gifts through Baptism, and these gifts in action constitute the total ministry of the church. The work of ministry development is to unwrap these gifts for use in this ministry.

What are we doing?

Originally constituted as a task force whose purpose was to implement total ministry in the diocese, we have moved to become a collaboration that helps congregational leaders develop successful strategies for the implementation of local ministries. The Team meets about eight times a year and provides a forum where current ministry initiatives can be reviewed, supported and enabled. These initiatives typically begin at the parish level.

What have we done since our last Synod report?

At the 2004 Diocesan Synod, we presented a video entitled “A Royal Priesthood”. This video was distributed to all parishes in the Diocese, and to all Anglican dioceses across Canada. We have also had requests for this video from other denominations and from dioceses within the Anglican Communion outside Canada. The video has been used in teaching events, and continues to be a helpful tool in explaining total ministry and stimulating thought around gifts and ministry discernment.

Each year we participate in the North American Living Stones Conference. (Living Stones is a partnership of dioceses in Canada and the U.S. engaged in Christian mission, committed to the ministry of all the baptized.) At these annual conferences we gain an awareness of how total ministry is developing in other jurisdictions, and we also bring full-scale reports, seeking constructive feedback from our other partners. Drawing on this collective wisdom and experience, our diocese has the same opportunity to receive feedback and support through the conference, as parishes within the diocese do through the TMDT.

In 2005 our report was on Diaconal Formation. We brought back information from other dioceses which were more than a decade ahead of us in reclaiming the diaconate, learning from them their theological research and their applied theology program put together for the diaconate.

In the last while the TMDT spent a great deal of time discussing gifts and ministry discernment, which was the subject of our 2006 report to Living Stones. Again we received excellent feedback with respect to ideas and opportunities for teaching about baptismal gifts and ministries. The 2006 Living Stones was also a special one for our diocese, as we hosted the conference here in Winnipeg in February 2006 under the wonderful coordination of The Rev. CJ Adams.

Other activities carried out by the TMDT in the last two years include:

• The development of a Local Ordination Task Force, whose task it is to develop a draft process for local ordainment requirements, taking into account many issues such as training, competency, licensing/commissioning of a local team, etc.
• Rupert’s Land News Articles – each month, on average, a member of the TMDT submits an article which provides a teaching opportunity relating to total ministry.
• Development of a pamphlet and backboard for Faith Horizons in order to raise the profile of total ministry.

 

The following constitute the core characteristics of a Local Collaborative Ministry parish, but individual parishes may branch out from the core:

• Adoption of the definition of Local Collaborative Ministry, and the structuring of parish life in concert with this.
• Leadership that is not singularized, but is shared (moving from a hierarchical to a collegial model).
• Establishment of an episcopally commissioned Ministry Support Team made up of both lay and ordained parish leaders who, in partnership with the ministry developer, will seek to identify, enable and coordinate the ministries of the parishioners. These normally include:
• Diaconal Ministry
• Priestly Ministry
• Christian Education, Study and Learning
• Worship     Mission & Outreach
• Pastoral Care
• Parish Administration
• Building & Property Administrator
• Before being commissioned by the Bishop, a Ministry Support Team will have completed a training program that has been authorized by the Diocese.  Following its commissioning the Ministry Support Team will continue to engage in an ongoing program of education and learning.

 

A ministry developer is a person – either lay or ordained – who is seminary trained and is licensed to work either in a single parish or in a cluster of congregations to assist the members to engage in Local Collaborative Ministry. A ministry developer is not a ministry deliverer, and therefore does not function as an incumbent or chief executive officer.  A ministry developer works primarily in the training, enabling, and support of a parish’s leadership, without depriving leaders of their ministerial responsibilities.

 

By Diane K. Guilford

A couple came to see me about getting married. When I asked them about their vocations she said that she was the Human Resource Development Officer of a large company. I responded saying, “We do similar work then. That is how I think about part of my role as a priest. Could we meet for coffee some time?” She agreed and within a month we are talking about ways for people at St. Stephen’s to identify and celebrate the gifts (talents) that God has given them.

At the annual meeting we had viewed and passed a motion that we would engage in Total Ministry. We invited the Bishop to come to an evening to talk about Total Ministry and we invited several of our youth to participate in a talent night, including our youth band, The Rhythm Company. A couple of weeks later we hosted a Gift Discernment Workshop after church. This has been designed by the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer. People fill out a questionnaire that helps them identify their strengths (i.e., hospitality, intercession, healing, etc.).

The next step was to gather with people who share the same gifts and talk about how we use them in our present lives and then to vision how we might use the gifts to further the ministry of the church and/or the wider community. This exercise is so very affirming and people come to know each other at a much deeper level. One of the visions that came from this exercise is how we could follow up and be more supportive to families that have children baptized.

As faith communities, I believe that it is crucial that we get to know people’s gifts, which are the root of their passions, and find ways for them to live them out in their lives – not necessarily to benefit the church, but to enrich the spiritual life of the individual. This in turn will enrich the life of the church family.

 

By Diane K. Guilford, Rector

St. Stephen’s is just embarking on Local Collaborative Ministry. Rev. Diane Guilford, who has Local Collaborative Ministry experience and believes that “LCM” can be very effective in a healthy parish, began serving in February 2005.

St. Stephen's is a strong community in a residential area of NE Winnipeg (East Kildonan). Many of the people have grown up in the church, and most of the people live within a 5-mile radius. Average Sunday attendance at the 8:30 a.m. service is 20-25; 110 to 140 at the 10:00 a.m. service. There is a great deal of energy, camaraderie – and people laugh a great deal! The parish has been very open to Local Collaborative Ministry, passing unanimously a motion at the January 2005 Annual Meeting to adopt Local Collaborative Ministry.

 

By Rev. Rick Condo, Rector

Average Sunday attendance is 125-150 from September to May, and about 80 to 100 from June to August. St. Saviour’s has been on the Local Collaborative Ministry path for about two years. Services of worship reflect a high level of involvement of people. The community is very welcoming and loving. The parishioners understand themselves to be ministers. St. Saviour's is deeply rooted in prayer; all meetings begin and end in prayer, led by various people. There are six general areas of the parish's life that overset the ministry of St. Saviour's:

1. Ministry of Worship Ministry of Christian Education
2. Ministry of Pastoral Care & Nurture Ministry of Mission, Outreach and Evangelism Ministry of Finance & Administration 6. Ministry of Property Management

The Ministry Support Group is made up of the Chairs (all unordained) of the six ministries and the Rector.

 

By Heather Ferguson, Ministry Leader and Ian Peterson, Ministry Developer

 

 

By Diane Trenholm, Ministry Leader

Holy Trinity is a small Anglican parish, which just celebrated its 150th anniversary. We are a very close Christian family, and enjoy our Sunday worship which is enhanced by our music group. Our church is situated 5 minutes west of the city of Winnipeg in the small municipality of Headingley. Much has happened since Holy Trinity began its Local Collaborative Ministry journey – a decision made by our congregation at the January 2001 Annual General Meeting. Our parish was (and is) unable to support a full time ordained priest, and this was initially our reason for investigating Local Collaborative Ministry – but it is not at all our reason for continuing!

We’re now beginning our fifth year of Local Collaborative Ministry. We are a small but energetic church (average Sunday attendance is 30-35), and we see much opportunity to grow spiritually as well as in our numbers. We know that it is important to continue to support the ongoing ministries already established in our parish – and the opportunities for ministry that we will be developing in the future as Holy Trinity grows, and as we as individual Christians grow in our faith and what we have to offer the community around us in the name of Jesus.

 

What does discernment mean?

To discern is to see something clearly – in the context of Local Collaborative Ministry, to see the gifts God has given and how they relate to a congregation’s calling in ministry. Any process of discernment in the church involves some serious thinking, along with prayer to discover God’s plan in our lives. Discernment for LCM applies that prayer and thoughtfulness towards discovering what work needs to be carried out in a congregation, and how its members are gifted for doing and supporting that work.

The details may differ from place to place: formally, the process may happen in a small group such as the Vestry or at a congregational conference, and it will usually be guided by a trusted person from outside the congregation, The first step is to examine what ministry needs exist, and what qualities are desired in the persons who will be exercising those ministries. For example, a church may need someone (or more than one) to lead worship, who is comfortable in a public setting, is generally well prepared and has a prayerful approach to leadership.

Once the needs and desired characteristics are established, the discernment group begins to consider who in the congregation fits the description of the various ministries. It is at this stage that prayer can bring surprising results – helping the group to “see clearly” the giftedness of people whose calling has not previously been obvious. Likewise, someone who has served for a long time in a particular role may be discovered to have gifts which point in another direction.

When there is a consensus, individuals are asked if they are willing to take on the ministries for which they have been identified. Their prayerful response is also part of discernment, whether their answer is yes or no! In this way the process maintains two elements which have always been part of the way the church discerns a calling to ministry: the call is felt by the individual, but also confirmed by the wisdom and prayer of the church as a whole.

What does the team do?

The primary goal of a congregation’s ministry support team is to support ministry – not by one person or a small group, but by all the baptized members of the church. This support within the congregational structures is fundamentally to enable everyone to fulfill their baptismal promises to minister Christ in their daily lives – at home, work or wherever. The support team continues the work of discernment, watching for new ministry needs and for the changing ways in which people can use their gifts.

Members of the team will take leadership responsibility for particular aspects of ministry, such as worship, pastoral care, Christian education, outreach, evangelism, hospitality, administration or spiritual nurture. Some may be ordained as priests or deacons to be symbols and reminders of the priestly and diaconal ministry of all members of the community. Others will co-ordinate the work of several people ministering in the same area (such as Sunday school teachers or pastoral visitors).

The team is accountable to the congregation, to the diocese and to one another. Good communication, including regular team meetings, is essential so that the different aspects of ministry can be co-ordinated. Teams will also work along with stipendiary clergy, in some case as Rectors or priests-in-charge and in others as part-time resource persons. The workload for team members will not be greater than that presently experienced by lay ministry volunteers, and the LCM approach has the advantage of ensuring that the people are doing work which draws on their strengths. The team also makes a commitment to continuing education in ministry and team training. Teams can take advantage of whatever diocesan, local, ecumenical or provincial programmes are available, and will have many opportunities to learn through teaching – sharing their own skills and gifts with other members of the congregation.

Does the ministry team replace the Vestry?

In some provinces developing this style, experience has shown that the vestry system can be reformed to resemble something very like the LCM ministry support team. There vestrymembers lead particular aspects of ministry, and see their role as enabling the development of gifts for ministry among all members. In these places the function of the vestry has expanded far beyond the traditional concerns for administration, decision-making and the management of finances and property. Where the choice and appointment of vestrymembers also includes some element of gift discernment, it may be redundant to have both vestry and ministry support team.

In most cases, however, the vestry is better regarded as a particular ministry, enabling other ministries through its management functions and authenticating them through its decision-making powers. So the norm will be for vestries and ministry support teams to co-exist, probably with some overlap of membership, helping to ensure co-operation between the two. Some people, who have found vestry to be the only available outlet for their commitment to ministry, may well find that they fit better in the ministry support team; and that may draw out other potential vestrymembers with appropriate gifts of wisdom and capacity for reflection. In this situation, ministry support teams will be expected to report to vestry.

Who will be in charge?

Experience has shown that there is a problem with designating one person as “in charge” of a congregation committed to LCM. When that person is a non-resident priest, the designation perpetuates an unhealthy sense of dependency. When it is locally identified person, he or she quickly becomes the local cleric with all the old expectations that go with that role, despite everyone’s efforts to the contrary.

As a result, LCM structures need to operate within a model of shared or circular leadership. This idea is not unique to the church or even new: it reflects team approaches which have been operating in industry and other spheres of life for some time. In this model no one person always chairs the meeting sets the agenda or leads the service. Instead efforts are made to share these and other leadership functions, by setting up a rotation or by each person volunteering to take a turn.

Shared leadership will be a special challenge for congregations that continue to have a full-time stipendiary Rector or priest-in-charge. While she or he takes on new roles as the mentor and trainer for the congregation and team, attention will have to be given to sharing the traditional leadership functions which have gone with that position.

For congregations operating without a Rector or priest-in-charge, there are other challenges. Their ministry support team, supported by diocesan resource personnel, will need to examine how all aspects of leadership are being carried out, including less obvious ones such s long-term planning and liaison with other levels of church administration.

 

By Alice Williams

The Parish

The neighbourhood of Weston, while once a solid working class neighbourhood, is now on the fringe of the inner city and consists predominantly of low-income transient families. The congregation is composed of parishioners from both the local neighbourhood as well as a variety of areas throughout the city, including the adjoining middle class neighbourhoods. St.Thomas currently has about 35 active households on the parish role. The average attendance at Sunday Eucharist is 39 souls.

While the congregation of St. Thomas is small, we have been diligent in the areas of finances and building maintenance. The church is currently debt free and financially stable and our buildings are in very good physical shape.

Recent History

In 2005, the parish faced the reality of its financial future. As a result of increasing expenses, utilities and primarily the cost of a half time stipendiary clergy, we had been supplementing our income for many years from financial reserves. We stood at a pivotal point in our history and things had to change drastically.

Our wardens, under the direction of Vestry and the congregation, approached the Bishop expressing our calling to Local Collaborative Ministry. Bishop Don Phillips, who has long advocated Local Collaborative Ministry, approved our new direction and seemed eager to follow the progress. Bishop Phillips appointed as ministry developers, our previous priest and her spouse, a retired Bishop. The parish of St.Thomas embarked on its journey into Local Collaborative Ministry in December, 2005.

The Training Program

The Diocese of Rupert’s Land has an approved training program for a congregation developing Local Collaborative Ministry. This program consists of 6 modules, each being 6-8 weeks in duration.

Realizing that there was a calling to mission in the local community, our congregation began with an introductory course entitled “Speaking of Faith”. The focus of this module was to enable people to develop an awareness of their own spiritual journey and confidence in their ability to speak of that journey.

Our congregation has now completed the fifth module. We will finish the program by Advent 2008. It has been encouraging that each session of the program has been attended by 15 – 20 people, the total number of participants being over 50% of the congregation.

As we draw near to completing the training program, it is planned that there will be an evaluation of the Ministry Team early 2009, followed, we pray, by its commissioning.

The Ministry Team

The development of our Ministry Team required a paradigm shift. This was the dissolving of the traditional Vestry model into a ministry team that now had to take on the very specific tasks that would have been carried out by stipendiary clergy.

The shift in thinking required time to develop an understanding of these new responsibilities, as well as the opportunity to discern whose gifts best matched the specific ministry roles.

Once the discernment process was underway, the member of the ministry team began to rapidly and with much enthusiasm embrace their new ministries.

The new ministry team consists of the following ministries:

Core Leadership Team (this replaces the Corporation)

• Wardens
• Parish Nurse
• Ministry Developers

Ministries

• Parish Nurse
• Parish Administration Team Leader
• Parish secretary
• Envelope Secretary
• Parish finances
• Communications
• Building and Grounds Team Leader
• Christian Education Team Leader (Sunday School, Confirmation classes, adult Bible study)
• Treasurer
• Vestry Secretary
• Two Wardens
• Two Synod Delegates
• Prayer/Worship Leader (lay readers, organist, altar guild, Sunday School, worship leaders schedule, worship readers)
• Hospitality Team Leader (Taxi Coordinator, Worship Greeters)
• Ministry Developers

This model of ministry has created many benefits for our parish. St. Thomas’ greatest strength has been and continues to be the strong faith based community that is the congregation itself.

Under Local Collaborative Ministry, we are able to continue the work that God has entrusted to us, that being keeping this community intact and growing in our faith. As a smaller aging parish, we found we could no longer maintain the fevered pitch of fundraising that was necessary to maintain stipendiary clergy. With no longer having that financial pressure, we have been able to focus more on our mission. We are now able to provide taxi service to and from worship events for our senior or other parishioner that may require this support. We have the benefit of having a Parish Nurse as part of our Ministry Team who is able to assist with concerns both spiritual and physical.

We provide hot lunches at least three times per year and fresh fruit monthly for the local school lunch program that is housed in our building. We provide soup lunches for our parishioners on the first Sunday of each month and a Christmas meal. We have financially supported inner city missions and PWRDF. As well, we have made an intentional shift to Christian Education, including two summer visits to other Local Collaborative Ministry parishes in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Ordained Member of the Team

As St. Thomas journeyed into Local Collaborative Ministry, we quickly realized that time had to be provided to our congregation in order for them to internalize this shift from the traditional seminary trained priest. Therefore, the concept of local ordination was not approached immediately but rather six months into the transition. As well, the process for local ordination in our diocese was still a work in progress and continues to be at this time.

While the requirements, both educational and practical, for local ordination are evolving in the diocese, our Bishop, Don Phillips, has affirmed deacons. The ministry of the deacon was a natural fit with the calling of our parish nurse. She went through a discernment process with the parish and diocese and is now ordained. This is truly a timely blessing for our parish as we move closer to the question of discernment and ordination of a local member for the priesthood. We are grateful that our Bishop, Don Phillips, moved quickly to ordain our parish nurse. It is a blessing to have an ordained deacon on our ministry team.

Indeed, this move has certainly gone a long way to support and enable us to continue in Local Collaborative Ministry, but the process is not ideal and concerns are still surfacing. One such area of concern is education. Our deacon is not moving on to stipendiary ministry, yet the required educational courses as currently defined are at the Masters of Divinity level. Again, when looking at the purpose and reasons why a parishioner would have a calling to the diaconate, academic theological studies do not jump to the forefront.

We feel that educational requirements for a deacon in a Local Collaborative Ministry parish should reflect the purpose and intent of this ministry. Losing a member, our parish nurse, of our Ministry Team to a lengthy and demanding training program reduces her capacity to create a flourishing parish nurse ministry and to take her proper role as the ordained deacon on the ministry team. More recently, the congregation has called one member to be a candidate for ordination as a priest. The name has been given to the Bishop, and we expect the diocese to begin the process to recognize this call the near future. The training program will have to be defined, and the comments above regarding the training of a deacon would apply in a large part to that of the priest.

 

By Richard Condo

Baptism into the body of Christ, the Church, is nothing less than a call to ministry. The Local Collaborative Ministry movement that has been emerging within the wider Church and in our own Diocese of Rupert’s Land is a divine imperative that has been placed on the Church by the Holy Spirit of God – calling us to reclaim the fundamentals of Christian servant ministry.

Local Collaborative Ministry recognizes that all ministry is Christ’s, and every baptized person is an active participant therein, each according to his or her gifts. The main arena for ministry is understood to be in the midst of daily life. Four guiding principles (though there may be more) help us to understand Local Collaborative Ministry:

Principle #1: Ministry is the trust of ALL the baptized, not the exclusive property of the ordained.

In the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, every Christian is imbued with the Holy Spirit, who brings into the person’s life a number of spiritual gifts. These gifts are intended to be used in the Church’s ministry and mission. Therefore, each baptized Christian is a Minister.

Principle #2: Over 90% of the Church’s ministry takes place not when the people are gathered together in worship and fellowship, but rather when they are dispersed into the world.

Therefore, the purpose of the gathered community of Christians is to celebrate the sacred family meal of the baptized (i.e., the Holy Eucharist) and to equip the people of God to witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ when they leave the church building and enter their workplaces, homes, places of recreation, etc.

Principle #3: Church leadership is no longer hierarchical (i.e., “top down”), but rather COLLABORATIVE.

A congregation may have a “Ministry Support Team”, made up of lay and clergy leaders who have been identified by the congregation as possessing those gifts that are necessary for helping to equip the rest of the parishioners for their ministries (see Ephesians 4: 11-12). While the congregation would continue to have a Vestry/Board/Council to handle administrative matters, the Ministry Support Team would be the group helping to direct the parish’s ministry and mission.

Principle #4: The role and function of the Rector would change from being a Ministry “Deliverer” to being a Ministry “Developer”.

The Rector ceases being the “CEO” and primary provider of ministry in the parish, and becomes a team member, devoting a major proportion of time to teaching, training and equipping people for their ministries in the world. What areas of their work would rectors need to (and be willing to) relinquish to others in the parish in order to devote a larger proportion of their time to equipping people for their ministries both as the gathered community of Christ and as the dispersed Church in the world?

I believe that God is calling us to grow into a deeper experience of our giftedness for total baptismal ministry. Within our diocese, the Local Collaborative Ministry Development Team is available to assist parishes wishing to explore this opportunity.

 

Why did the Diocese of Rupert’s Land become involved in Living Stones?

During the episcopate of Bishop Patrick Lee, the Diocese of Rupert's Land began to look at ways of furthering the ministry of all the baptized. At this time, there was considerable activity around ministry models in the diocese, through such endeavours as: the Rural Ministry Task Force; “Ministry 2000”, a conference which Rev. Dr. John Stafford organized in Carmen in 1995; and the "Ginger Group" (based in Winnipeg) which looked at changing ministerial paradigms in parishes of various sizes.

Our diocesan participation in Living Stones began in 1995, at the encouragement of Bishop Lee and John Stafford through contacts they had made with leadership in Northern Michigan, a diocese that has been a pioneer in Local Collaborative Ministry in North America. The initial purpose of our involvement was to learn more about how other dioceses were practicing Local Collaborative Ministry. For the first few years, Rupert's Land delegates who attended the annual Living Stones Partnership meetings were mainly observers of what other dioceses were doing to equip and enable the baptized to use their gifts in ministry. By the year 2000, Rupert’s Land had moved from observer status to full partnership in Living Stones, so that we were bringing full-scale reports to the annual conferences, seeking constructive feedback from other partners while maintaining an awareness of how Local Collaborative Ministry was developing in other jurisdictions.

In what ways have we participated in Living Stones?

Following Rev. Dr. John Stafford’s initial role as Living Stones coordinator, this function was taken on by The Rev. Dr. Iain Luke, The Rev. C.J. Adams, and currently The Rev. Rick Condo. In fact, this past February, Rupert’s Land was the first Canadian diocese to host the Living Stones Annual Meeting, which was well attended by representatives from dioceses across Canada and the United States. For the past four years, our diocesan Living Stones coordinator has been a member of the leadership team for this international partnership.

The following are outlines of several of the Rupert’s Land case studies that were presented at Living Stones over the past number of years:

• 2000 Case Study: Local Collaborative Ministry and St. Margaret's Parish, Winnipeg At the time of this case study, St. Margaret’s was in a state of transition, growing from being a pastoral sized parish to becoming a program sized parish. The study revealed that, amongst other things, the development of the ministry of the baptized can happen in larger, as well as smaller parishes, and that Local Collaborative Ministry is workable in parishes that continue to employ a fulltime incumbent and support staff. It was learned that ministry support requires different structures in different sized parishes. From this, our diocese began to offer workshops for Ministry Developers to assist parish leaders in equipping and supporting parishioners in their ministries. 2004 Case Study: Ministry Development Review Questionnaire for the parishes of St Catherine's, Birds Hill and St Mark's, Winnipeg Following on discussions and teaching on the ministry of the baptized in both of these parishes, this case study endeavoured to provide a means for measuring the progress in people’s understanding of their own ministries and gifts, and their need for further ministry development. Along with enabling the parishes (particularly St. Marks) to discover some movement in their understanding of baptismal ministry and to discern what steps they needed to take next, one further learning showed that Local Collaborative Ministry is not immune from regular review and accountability. 2006 Case Study: Gifts & Ministry Discernment through Baptism and Confirmation Preparation This case study was directed towards helping parishioners, through times of preparation for Holy Baptism and Confirmation, to discover their gifts, identify ways in which God may be calling them to use their gifts in their daily lives, and receive their parish’s affirmation and support for their ministries. Some strong suggestions were made with respect to the use of liturgical opportunities for teaching about baptismal gifts and ministries (e.g., during the Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows within the Service of Confirmation, through regular occasions during services of worship for parishioners to talk about ministry in their daily lives, etc.). The commissioning of parishioners as they integrate their faith into their daily life and work, the use of the Baptismal Covenant as an instrument for teaching about gifts and ministries, and parish retreats for the “unemployed”, “workers”, and “professionals” were some other recommendations made in furthering this teaching.

How has the Diocese benefited from our participation in Living Stones? Diaconal Formation

We brought back information from other dioceses who were more than a decade ahead of us in reclaiming the deaconate, learning from them their theological research and their applied theology program put together for the deaconate.

Anglican and Lutheran Relations

We brought back liturgy, polity, and applied administrative policies in parishes that have been amalgamating in the US longer than our joint Anglican/Lutheran parishes. Congregational Development

Living Stones continues to teach us the importance of congregational development and the importance of searching for development in each congregation in unique ways. Each and every congregation in a gift from God and we have been given tools to look at each in unique ways that are still fully Anglican and fully Christian. The needs of St. Mary Magdalene are different than the needs of St. Anne’s, and different than the needs of St. Peter, Dynevor yet all are important and viable. By being exposed to case studies each year from over 15 diocese, we are able to get insights and resources for the most diverse parishes within our own diocese. Ministry Support

Living Stones has taught us the importance of supporting ministry in ways that are concrete. We have developed new forms of ministry support for laity in our parishes, for new incumbents in the parishes, and are looking at new ways the diocese can support the local ministry of the parishes. Ministry Discernment

We have brought back many new ideas and processes for ministry discernment and raising up new leadership. These forms impact both the diocese and the local parishes. New methods of raising up District Deans came out of discussions from Living Stones. National Recognition for Rupert’s Land in Creating Healthy Parishes

The new ACC Website for Healthy Parishes which was formed out of the national mandate to support ongoing work and create resources for congregational development, recognizes the work of Rupert’s Land more than any other diocese. On the ACC Healthy Parishes website: Under Current Programs 2 of the 5 sited are ours; under Organizations and Consultants 1 of 3 are ours; under News and conferences 2 of 5 are ours. Congregational Peacebuiilding

Out of work begun in Living Stones one of our clergy has helped pioneer a national ecumenical program of education and intervention services for congregational peacebuilding.

In addition, five or more clergy in our diocese have done additional education to gain expertise in empowering lay involvement in new ministries as a direct result of being involved with Living Stones. This expertise strengthens our diocese’s ministry, stewardship and future.

How have parishes within our Diocese benefited from our participation in Living Stones?

Our diocesan participation in Living Stones has benefited parishes in a variety of ways. Here are some:

• The importance of widening a parish’s ownership of the ministry of all the baptized has furthered the work of community formation within a baptismal ministry model (e.g., the Worship Team at Holy Trinity, Headingley). An exploration and understanding of what is called appreciative inquiry methods assists parishes to view themselves from a perspective of health and potential, rather than illness and failure. Through our participation in Living Stones, Rupert’s Land has been able to remain connected to an extensive array of resources and experiences, within the wider Anglican Communion, in the development of parish ministry. New life has been brought to Rupert’s Land through our partnership with Living Stones, and this can be seen in parishes, such as: St. Mark’s, Winnipeg; Holy Trinity, Headingley; the Pembina Hills cluster of churches; and St. Stephen/St. Bede.

Why is it essential for the Diocese of Rupert’s Land to remain a full and participating member of Living Stones?

We have been able to send over a dozen lay and clerical people to Living Stones where they were exposed to many well respected theologians, congregational developers, ministry developers, seminary experts and other lay and clerical explorers in the realm of ministry of the baptized. We were also able to bring back many tools and teaching models that have been developed by other diocese that can be implemented in our diocese. In this respect alone, Living Stones is one of the most cost effective tools for advancing ministry throughout the diocese of Rupert’s Land.

Another benefit of Living Stones that should not be over looked is the time each year that our bishop, clergy and laity get to leave Rupert’s Land and sit with many other people dedicated to increasing the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. This time of prayer, review, reflection and especially refreshment is needed to continue the work of moving our diocese forward in bringing the kingdom of God down into our little piece of the world.

 

Living Stone is a partnership of dioceses engaged in Christian mission through the ministry of all the baptized.

We acknowledge that God works through all people, at all times, and in all circumstances.

We believe the people of God have been called throughout history to listen prayerfully and step out in faith.

We believe the church is the body of Christ and proclaims Christ to the world.

Each person in the body is uniquely gifted and called to ministry.

The Apostle Paul anticipated that believers would take their place in ministry and the church would identify, nurture, and utilize all gifts for ministry.

The Living Stones Diocesan Partnership is doing just that, believing that dioceses working together can be more effective in addressing this cause than each working alone. The Partnership exists to support challenge, and strengthen ministry in the context of ongoing theological reflection.

We affirm the following principles:

• All Christian ministry is rooted in Baptism.
• As we reshape ministry, we seek to be congruent with Scripture, informed and guided by tradition, reason and experience.
• The Christian church is a ministering community whose effectiveness is measured not by mere numbers, but by the quality of life we share.
• We recognize a variety of ministries, including locally trained and ordained deacons and priests, and licensed ministries.
• The diocese exists primarily to encourage and support the ministries of its congregations.

As we move into the future, we expect:

• Wider acceptance that the ministry entrusted to us by Jesus Christ is carried out by all baptized people.
  
• Wider recogniction of the diocese as supporter and encurager of congregational ministry.
  
• A greater understanding the baptismal ministry development is part of the renewal of the entire Anglican Communion.

 

Report to Living Stones 2006