heading off to australia this morning to take part in a few things (see previous blog post here). i am officially an artist as part of the womad fringe which is a first!
i spent the last two days with several ordained pioneer ministers in the church of england and several people involved in diocesan structures in the central south area of england to have a dialogue about how things are working (or not) and can be improved. pioneer minister is still such a new official category that there are a lot of unknowns. but it was certainly good to have the conversation, and it was one that wouldn't even have made sense several years ago within the church structures.
two thoughts came up that struck me. the first was that the category of mission was only added as a criteria for selection and being ordained generally in the church of england a few years ago. of course this now seems like a glaring omission - how did that happen? but now the conversations (and for me this demonstrates how much has changed) are based on the assumption that all leaders need to be missional and to help their churches be. so rather than the church having added a few pioneers in the mix the outcome is as much that the whole has been affected - like some yeast or salt has got into the whole mix.
the second thought was something that bishop colin flecther said to pioneers which was an encouragement to take control. the backdop to this was him suggesting that there seemed to be a danger that pioneers had too dependent an expectation that as he put it mummy church and daddy bishop ought to provide salary, house, job, pension etc. but there was much more possibility if pioneers seize hold of things in a good way to take initiative with ideas, mission opportunities, sustainability and so on. of course the retort could be that the same challenge should be issued to all leaders in the church. but i welcomed this encouragement.
with all this support from the institution we still need plenty of pioneers to not fit the structures, not get ordained and find new edges!
Thanks for the post. Can pioneers take contol and remain connected to the insitution? Mummy church likes being mummy church as she remains in control. I suspect if some pioneers took full control they'd be given up to foster care...
I think this is about relationship and telling pioneers to take control could be percieved as washing their hands of them. At the same time the pioneer needs to develop adult relatsionship with the parent church to enable long term sustainabililty.
Posted by: Ben Edson | March 03, 2010 at 09:45 AM
Isn't it more likely that many pioneers would struggle with giving up independence rather than wanting to be dependent? But could you only remain connected to the institution by relationships and nothing else? How much does being ordained take you beyond that and then what is lost and what is gained? How much can people become a transformative presence within structures without giving up their very different perpsective on and approach to things?
Too many questions?!!
Posted by: Karlie | March 03, 2010 at 10:42 AM
Might see you around our lovely city then, Johnny! Woohoo! It's the most bestest time of the year in Radelaide... hope your time here is hearty!
Following the above comments... I wonder if there is any room for an *interdependent* relationship between traditional/ institutional church and the emerging/ pioneering movement? Would it be possible eventually, or will people on either side feel too compromised? But maybe that's the path towards unity: all sides holding on to some things and letting go of others. I guess for me it comes down to loving each other ("it's as simple and as difficult as that", as the prophet Leunig said)... 'cause that's um, the whole point of following Jesus... isn't it? It's the *way* we do that that seems to get in the... way. Of the Way. Hmm. Better sleep on that.
Posted by: Becca | March 03, 2010 at 12:42 PM
We've never met Becca (would be so much better if we were connecting face to face rather than in blogland) but thanks for the gentle reminder of the simple Way. It's helped free me from analysis paralysis.
Maybe the real battle for pioneers (who have too often been pushed out to the edges via some rejection and misunderstanding) is with trusting again and overcoming cyncism and loneliness...all potential stumbling blocks to selfless love and healthy interdependence. Have lost my 'way' in all those things recently. Thanks again for some directions home
Posted by: Karlie | March 04, 2010 at 10:34 AM
I have discovered two things about being a pioneer - one is that if you are one, you can't help doing it and the second is that it hurts! Karlie is right - whoever overcomes cynicism and loneliness in order to offer selfless love, has triumphed. Jesus seems to know a lot about this.
Posted by: Pippa | March 04, 2010 at 11:28 PM
Thanks Pippa and its so good to conclude with Jesus in clear view as the best example...
Posted by: Karlie | March 05, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Jonny, your post touches on something I've been wrestling with for a while now. I don't think that pressing for wider recognition of 'ordained' ministry in the emerging movement is the right way to go. The lay/clergy divide has done untold damage to genuine mutuality in the church. I would hate to think the same apartheid is replicating itself in Post-Christendom.
Posted by: Phil Wood | March 22, 2010 at 06:08 PM