44 mins
General Assembly 2017
COUNCIL OF ASSEMBLY
The Council of Assembly has this year started to create a strategic plan to help the Church meet the challenges of falling Church membership, attendance and finances.
The Council report states that it will construct the plan around the biblical theme ‘Love God and love your neighbour’, and with three strategic objectives: nurturing congregational life and worship, making disciples, and engaging community.
The report emphasises that the plan, a full version of which is to be presented to the 2018 Assembly, will be produced from a ‘collaborative approach between the local church and national functions’. “Any attempt to implement a Strategic Plan will only have a chance of success if there is genuine ‘buy-in’ from those to whom it applies,” it warns.
The deliverance issues ‘a call to the Church of Scotland to pray that God will do a fresh work amongst us as God’s people’ and instructs ‘Presbyteries and Kirk Sessions to consider how best to respond to this call’; and instructs the Council to prepare resources ‘to support individuals, congregations and Presbyteries in prayer for the development of the Strategic Plan’.
As ever, budget proposals for next year will be presented by the Council at the Assembly, but were not available as Life and Work went to press. The results for 2016 show that the church ran a deficit of £3,433,000; and the revised budget for 2017 has a deficit of £4,686,000. Most of the deficit in both years comes from the Social Care and Ministries Councils.
98.7% of congregations met their ministries and missions contributions in 2016, the highest figure for at least five years.
MINISTRIES COUNCIL
The Ministries Council reports on its ongoing work to develop a vision for ministry based on the ‘hub-style’ model, under which a team would deliver the church’s ministry over an area covering several parishes. It states there has been ‘much comment and enthusiasm for this idea’ at the Council of Assembly roadshows last autumn and the Presbytery Conference in October.
The exploration of this proposal involves work to define the role of minister, both historically and how it will have to change to meet the challenges of the present and future; and on exploring structures, governance issues and other practical questions around hub-style ministry. A number of options for the possible structure of hub-style ministries are presented, and the Council states its intention to refine these options in consultation with presbyteries.
Among the practical considerations, it is pointed out that this style of ministry may reduce the need for the closure of church buildings; and questions of whether a congregation which will never receive stipendiary ministry should have to pay the same level of Ministries and Mission allocations.
It is emphasised however that the hub-style ministry ‘may only postpone our demise’ if it is purely about dealing with the problem of ministry shortage rather than bringing about the ’radical change’ the Church needs to grow again: “The world that the Church of Scotland was designed for, and flourished in, has disappeared… Even the best designed and implemented Hub-style approach will buy us but a few more years of existence if it does not address these more fundamental issues.“
The number of applicants for full-time ministry in 2016 was 25 (12 male, 13 female; nine higher than the previous year), and for ministry of all types was 59 (30 male, 29 female; again nine more than in 2015). The report states that conversations are taking place between the Council of Assembly and the Ministries Council ‘to evaluate how best to build on the positive momentum’ generated by the Tomorrow’s Calling campaign and the Take a Pew project.
MISSION AND DISCIPLESHIP COUNCIL
The Mission and Discipleship report highlights some of the Council’s new resources and events and encourages churches and presbyteries to make use of them.
Among the resources mentioned are the new Learn publications, Pray Now, Weekly Worship (the new name for the Starters for Sunday online worship materials) and the Spirituality of Conflict resources which have been produced with the Corrymeela and Iona Communities.
The Council says it has responded to the challenge of few or no children in churches with a series of regional conferences and a new Learn: Children and Young People publication, and is in the process of developing a resource on the Theology of Children and Young People.
It has also published a resource for churches considering employing a children’s/youth worker.
Following a review of the National Youth Assembly (NYA), the Council announces its intention to end the NYA in its current form after 2019, and to introduce ‘a transformed approach to involving children, young people and young adults… (which) will build on the good work previously done by the NYA’.
The review is broadly complimentary about the Assembly, which it says is ‘run in an effective manner’ and has ‘accomplished its original aim, that of bringing young people into the decision-making processes of the Church’. It also ‘provided a significant opportunity for young adults to develop their faith’.
However, it notes that the numbers attending the NYA event are relatively small considering the cost of running it; and calls for ways of involving ‘a broader cohort’ of children and young people at all levels of the church’s decision making. The council commits to bringing proposals for achieving this; and for resourcing congregations in their ministry with children and young people.
The Committee on Church Art and Architecture (CARTA) has launched ‘360 Degree’ educational resources, with the aim of taking a more pro-active approach to encouraging critical reflections on the use of church buildings. Over 30 buildings were filmed and photographed using 360 Degree technology, and these have been combined with audio narration and music ‘to create an immersive educational and reflective resource’.
An interim report from the Eldership Working Group recommends ‘that a process be formalised whereby an elder can resign from the Kirk Session and (be appointed) as a non-governing emeritus elder’. It also states that it is developing ‘an overall vision of the office of eldership shaped by local contextual mission and distinctively concerned with the discipleship of God’s people’, and that it will ‘provide training and support in innovative ways to carry out vital administrative tasks’.
The Church Without Walls team has facilitated the Future Focus process in around 20 congregations in the past year, and is now working with volunteers to make the process accessible to more congregations.
Saint Andrew Press published seven books over the last publishing year, including the ‘outstanding bestseller’ The Invisible Church by Steve Aisthorpe. The contract with Hymns Ancient and Modern to run Saint Andrew Press was renewed for another five years from 2016.
Photos: Derek Fett www.fettimages.co.uk
Progress on implementing the 2015 Life and Work business review has continued with the appointment of a business manager, completion of a major piece of market research and the launch of a digital edition earlier this year.
Last year the Council was instructed to develop, with representatives of groups from across the Church of Scotland, a series of themes for the work of the Church over coming years. Following a two-day facilitation process, a three-year series of themes based around stories was approved: Stories of Encounter, Stories of Transformation and Stories of Celebration. The Council asks for Assembly approval of these themes, to run from 2018-2020.
ASSEMBLY ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE
The Assembly Arrangements Committee announces that it has launched an ongoing review of the functioning of the Assembly, ‘in particular, how commissioners… will have the best opportunity to participate in its working and decision-making processes’.
Among changes introduced this year is the abolition of the Saturday evening session. The address by the retiring Moderator and presentation of delegates and visitors will this year take place early on the first day. There is also a request for conveners’ speeches to be limited to 15 minutes, instead of 20.
For the first time, the full recorded video proceedings of this year’s General Assembly will be available online. The committee is also investigating the possibility of providing 30 minutes of video highlights each day.
More summaries next month
Life and Work will provide regular updates from the General Assembly at www.lifeandwork.org and through Facebook and Twitter, along with comprehensive coverage in July’s magazine. Full reports will be available on the General Assembly section of the Church of Scotland website, along with daily papers, conveners’ speeches and a webcast of proceedings.
This article appears in the May 2017 Issue of Life and Work
If you would like to view other issues of Life and Work, you can see the full archive
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