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Some Implications for Presbyteries and UDCs
1. Presbyteries/UDCs are encouraged to play a strong role in regular equipping and supporting elders and other local people sharing in the ministry of the church within their bounds. This may need to become the specific brief of a committee of presbytery and suggests a close relationship between the Presbytery and the resourcing departments of the church (Mission Resource Team and Lay Ministry Unit in the School of Ministry).
2. Presbyteries/UDCs will need to ensure that it has members or a committee who become very familiar with the new strands of local ordained ministry and who can guide the Presbytery/UDC in matters of discernment and guidance for congregations exploring these options.
3. Presbyteries/UDCs will need to ensure that at least some of its ministers are equipped and willing to serve as 'Resource Ministers' in relation to other congregations in the Presbytery. This is different than being an Interim Moderator in aptitude, duties and term.
4. Discernment of parish/congregation needs. In a ministerial vacancy, or during a visitation, the presbytery has an important rule in discerning the best way forward for a particular parish. This may involve being creative in ways of approaching ministry for the best health of the particular situation, looking for alternative models of ministry for individual congregations.
5. In every case in which a congregation within a Presbytery/UDC currently has a lay supply or 'mission appointment' the Presbytery/UDC will need to sensitively review the situation. Presbytery shall not normally approve lay supply for longer than six months. Where a congregation is seeking longer Presbytery will work with the congregation to explore appropriate local ministry options.
6. In reviewing existing lay supply arrangements Presbytery/UDC needs to bear in mind the following:
- existing agreements should be honoured, but not normally renewed;
- reviews will need to be handled with care and fairness, while seeking not to unnecessarily perpetuate quasi-ministerial appointments of lay supply now there are alternative options which better express the church's order.
Further Work Currently Underway by Policy Groups and Service Team
1. Developing protocols and guidelines to bridge between the Book of Order provisions and practice, helping presbyteries and parishes understand the options and discern what might be appropriate in each case.
2. Developing protocols for training content, process and standards for each form of ordained ministry.
3. Developing protocols and resources for congregational discernment of the appropriate model of ministry and the appropriate candidates for ordination.
4. Developing protocols and criteria for assessment and the relationship between presbytery, school of ministry and national assessment in regard to forms of local ordained ministry.
Local Ministry Knowledge Bank
The developments summarised in this paper will take some time and care before they are well understood around the church. The MRT will ensure that there is an efficient evolving 'knowledge bank' as a point of reference. This will be available in printed form and on the website. A new directory on the website has already been created and as guidelines, resources and experience develops it will be added to.
Guidelines and Resources