Ministry Leadership Teams

Within Coventry Diocese, there is a phrase that is being used more and more often:

"Ministry Leadership Team"

...or 'MLT' for short.

The diocese thinks that every parish should have one, ...and is encouraging us to think about how one might work here.

Some parishes in Coventry started to think about Ministry Leadership Teams over two years ago, ...and the Bishop of Warwick has already authorised an MLT in several parishes.

Other parishes haven't yet started to think about MLTs.

We are somewhere in the middle. We've discussed it at a couple of PCC meetings, ...and we're planning a sermon series in the Autumn when the whole church can think through the implications of having an MLT here in Allesley Park and Whoberley.

But this morning, I wanted to share my personal view about what an MLT would do, ...and why I think it would be good to have one.

Before I do that, however, I want to take a step back, and ask the question...

What does a Vicar do?

...and why is it good to have one?

(pause)

About 20 months ago, (when I was a curate at Binley), I came back from holiday to find a message from the Bishop of Warwick.

"Please ring me!"

When I rang him, he said "The parish of Allesley Park and Whoberley are looking for a new vicar, ...would you like me to send you the details?"

I said "Yes please", ...and he sent me this document.

(Show it)

It had been written by some of the key people in this church, ...and discussed by the PCC.

It describes the parish, ...the church, ...the finances, ...the fact that the hall roof needed replacing!

...but the section that I found particularly interesting was the one that described the sort of vicar you were looking for.

And this is what you said:

Our [vicar] should be pastorally gifted, and enabler who can bring out the skills of others.

A people's person with good communication skills, ...a good listener.

With experience of Leadership and Management, ...and someone who can delegate.

A person who wants to see the church grow, and who is enthusiastic for evangelism.

Has a bible-based ministry coupled with an openness to the Holy Spirit.

Believing in the Ministry of Healing.

St Christopher's would welcome the contribution that a young 30/40 years old family minister would make to the life of the parish.

Somebody who is aware of what is going on in the Community, the Deanery and the Workplace.

A person who can appreciate the needs of all age groups, and is able to make our church life exciting and challenging.

So that's the sort of vicar your PCC wanted!

You were looking for someone who is good at many different things, ...And as I reflect on that, ...I've come to the conclusion that I don't know of any vicar who can do it all!

I decided to apply for the job, because I felt that some of my strengths co-incided with the things you were looking for. (For example, I was the right age and had a family!).

But I'm the first to admit that I'm not good at everything. I have my weaknesses, as well as my strengths.

But I was encouraged by something else that you wrote:

Our Commitment to the Vicar:

To respect the home and family life of the Vicar.

To work in a team with the Vicar and each other.

And that final statement is the key to a successful church.

No one person can have all the gifts and skills that we need as a church, ...but a team of people can.

Now that's something I want to come back to in a moment, ...but having talked about the theory of what sort of vicar you wanted, I want to say something about the practice, ...about how I actually spend my time.

- Sunday is one of my easiest days. I actually enjoy preaching, leading service, and chatting with people. And although I can have up to 4 services on a Sunday, all the hard work lies in the preparation, ...which probably takes up another day a week.

- One day a week also goes on Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals. I'm grateful for the help of the Baptism Team for helping with some of preparation and follow-up, ...but it is funerals which takes up most of my time in this area.

- Nearly every evening is taken up with meetings of one sort or another:

PCC

Standing committee

Readers and Wardens meetings

Lent courses

Baptism and wedding rehearsals

Deanery Synod

School Governors meetings

Meeting with children's group leaders

...and many many more

And once again, the hard work is in the preparation, ...and probably another day a week is spent on this.

- Probably half a day a week goes on attending, and preparing for work with children. I take assemblies at the four schools in our parish: St John's, Allesley Hall, Whoberley Hall, and St Christopher's. And I also meet pre-school children and parents at our own Christopher Robin group.

- Another half day a week is spent liaising with groups outside our church:

Chapter meetings, (with other clergy from our deanery).

I meet and pray with other one of the leaders at Bethesda Chapel.

The ministers of various denominations in THE GAP meet together, ...and so on.

[also TFM and DTS meetings]

- At least half a day goes on general office admin, (for which I'm grateful for the help of several individuals in our church, ...because without them it would probably take a day and a half).

On top of that I try to visit people during spare moments, (and I recognise that I've only had time to visit about half our regular members).

All that adds up to five and a half days a week, (including evenings).

I try to have one day off a week, which is a Friday. ...and that leaves me with about half a day a week for one of the most important tasks a vicar can do: ...leading the church forward.

I say that this is one of the most important tasks for a vicar to do, ...but some vicars aren't very good at it.

It's not that they are lazy, or incompetent, but:

- with all the other demands they are faced with, they simply don't find enough time; or else,

- it's not one of their strengths. (As I said earlier, no vicar is good at everything).

Without such leadership a church rarely moves forward, ...and gradually loses touch with the world it is meant to serve.

It's amazing how much the world has changed during the last two centuries.

In 1825 someone wrote about trains: "What can be more absurd than the prospect held out of locomotives travelling twice as fast as stage-coaches?"

In 1889 someone wrote about cars: "The ordinary horseless carriage is at present a luxury for the wealthy; and although its price will probably fall in the near future, it will never, of course, come into as common use as the bicycle."

In 1926 a scientist and inventor wrote about television: "While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, ...commercially and financially, I consider it to be an impossibility, ...a development of which we need not waste time dreaming.

Things have changed a lot during the past two centuries, ...and most people think that the rate of change in this next century will be even greater.

Without such leadership a church rarely moves forward, ...and gradually loses touch with the world it is meant to serve.

And this is where a Ministry Leadership Team can come in.

There are five key tasks of an MLT:

1. To prayerfully seek God's vision for the parish. There are lots of things going on in our church, and the MLT needs to see the 'big picture', and to sense where God is calling us.

2. To develop the vision, ...to do that we need the gifts of planning, and organisation.

3. To communicate the vision, ...this is a two-way process. Sharing the vision with others, and listening to what they think.

4. To take steps to implement the vision. But it does not mean that they do all the work themselves.

5. To review progress and evaluate. ...it's an on-going process.

I think most people can see the need for churches to have this sort of leadership, ...but in parishes which have already been considering MLT, two questions are often asked.

First, some people ask "Isn't this the job of the Vicar?"

The answer is: "Yes, ...this is how it has worked in the past. ...People have waited for the vicar to come up with all the ideas on his own. ...But it's a task that would be better done by a team."

It's too important a task to be left to the whims of one person, ...and it's a heavy burden for one person to bear. I firmly believe that the task of sensing God's direction for the church, and choosing priorities, is better done by a team of people, (and of course the vicar would be part of that team).

The second question is then this: "If it's best done by team, why can't the PCC do it?"

And the answer is: "The PCC could do it, ...if they wanted to. ...But it's not a role that the PCC has traditionally taken up".

More often, it has been the vicar who has come up with the ideas, ...and then the PCC discussed them and then decides whether to accept, reject them, or suggests some improvements. The PCC therefore has a 'check and balance' role, ...and it works very well.

I think the PCC needs to keep this important role. In other words, the MLT would make recommendations about the way forward, and the PCC would discuss these recommendations, and would make the final decision.

That's a potted summary of what an MLT

would do, ...and why I think it would be good to have one.

So what will happen next?

Well we're not going to rush into anything too quickly. But in the Autumn, we will be having a special sermon series where we will be thinking about an MLT more thoroughly. The diocese have also provided a short course, including three videos, to help us think things through.

The next step is then to choose the team, ...and every church member will have an input into the selection process.

So please pray that God will lead us in the right direction, and guide us to choose the right people.