Home » Ministries » National Mission » Local Ministry » Guide to Congregations and Parishes

Guidelines for Parish and Congregation Considering forms of Local Ministry

[see also Appendix E-17:4.2 and Appendix E-13]

Introduction

 

1. Student Regulation 3.10 states,

“An application for Presbytery to have either an LOM [Local Ordained Ministry] or an LMT [Local Ministry Team] shall be brought by a Board of Nomination, Session or Parish Council. The application shall specify which form of ministry is being sought, and shall include evidence there has been a thorough examination of the ministry needs of the congregation, and understanding of the local context for local mission and ministry, and the reasons approval should be given.”

The next regulation states,

“Where a Session or Parish Council has approval from the presbytery to establish either a LOM position or a LMT, it shall follow the approved discernment process and submit the name or names of those it nominates for candidacy to the Presbytery Clerk.”

Book of Order, Appendix E-13 (as amended 2002)

2. The process outlined here is designed to provide an approved discernment process for both requesting a form of ministry and nominating candidates for ordination to the ministry of word and sacrament.

The process here is designed for Presbyterian congregations and parishes. In Cooperative Ventures it will be necessary to establish the case for the appropriate model of ministry with the Joint Regional Committee. Where some form of Local Ministry is approved the process will be guided by the Guide to Procedures in Cooperative Ventures and if the Presbytery is to ordain any person for a ministry of word and sacrament then these guidelines and the regulations referred to here shall be followed wherever appropriate.

The Process - Discerning the Model of Ministry

 

3. It is preferable that the question of the appropriate form or model of ministry be determined before a Board of Nomination is formed. This avoids the possibility of false expectations that a ‘vacancy’ is simply going to be filled after the manner of the current model. Then the process outlined here is to precede and possibly lead to any appointment of a Board of Nomination or Board of Discernment.

4. Where a Board of Nomination has already been formed and the question of local ministry is considered, then it is best that the Board report to the Presbytery and the Parish Council/Session that the congregation needs to consider forms of local ministry, and that it seeks to adjourn its work until that process has happened and the Presbytery either re-activates the Board, re-designates the Board (where appropriate to be a Board for Ministry Discernment) or dissolves the Board. The convenor of the Board or another member of the Board may be asked to act as the Presbytery’s liaison person with the parish (see 6 below).

5. The goal in considering forms of local ministry is to undertake a thorough process of self assessment and discernment as a parish, firstly to determine the appropriate model of ministry to serve the congregational life and mission, and only secondly, to discern the appropriate persons for the key ministry roles required.

6. It is important throughout this process to establish and work in close liaison with the Presbytery/UDC (and the JRC and partner churches where the congregation/parish is a CV). This will help build the level of confidence which Presbytery/UDC must have in the process. Presbytery will probably appoint a liaison person on its behalf.

7. Congregations and Parishes need to allow enough time. It is likely to be at least 6 months and possibly a year between deciding to seriously consider some form of local ministry and gaining approval from the Presbytery/UDC to procede.

Key elements

8. Key elements for preparing a case to Presbytery include:

• Use of an outside facilitator. A person with an understanding of church processes, local ministry options, who is credible to the congregation/s and the presbytery, and with good facilitation skills will be needed to help the congregation/s and Session/Parish Council work through this process.
  
  Possible facilitators include suitable people within the life of the Presbytery/UDC, members of the Mission Resource Team, or in the case of CVs, resource people from any of the partner churches or JRC.
• An interactive process for the whole congregation to enable a broad base of understanding and experience in the congregation/parish to contribute to establishing future ministry.
• Especially where Local Ministry Teams are being considered, a special focus is needed to help the congregation/s reflect on and develop their understanding/theology of mission and ministry. A Local Ministry Team is not simply another way of meeting conventional ministry needs in a congregation, it is a way for congregations to take a high level of responsibility for their own mission and ministry. This may involve a new appreciation of what discipleship, baptism and ministry mean for members. Of course not just those congregations who opt for Local Ministry Teams are committed to shared responsibility for mission and ministry, and so reflection on and development of what this means for the congregation will be relevant to any future ministry development.
• The congregation/s will need to show that it has analysed and understood its own collective life. This will include taking account of the age, ethnicity and gender profile of the congregation/s, the state of financial and other material resources, the distinctive focus of the congregation/s in terms of mission or sense of purpose, and the distinctive heritage and character of the congregation/s.
• The congregation/s will also need to show that they have analysed and understood the, political economic social and technological environment in which they offer their mission and pursue their mission. This will include recognising the make up and needs of the communities they serve, and trends that may affect the congregation’s mission in the future.
• A vital question which must be answered as part of discerning the appropriate model of ministry is, ‘What is our special focus as a congregation?’ ‘What are we here for?’ Only having got some clarity on what is at the heart of the congregation’s sense of mission and purpose is it possible to explore the question, ‘What form/s or ministry might best support and sustain that mission?’
• The congregation/s will need to be well informed and show evidence of engaging with the distinctive character and requirements of all ministry options. Options include the strands of ministry provided for in Apprendix E-17 4.2 as well as establishing various sorts of relationship with other congregations (Presbyterian or other). It may also be an option to end a congregation’s life.
• Having established a sense of the nature and focus of the congregation/s, the context for mission and the options for ministry it is important to identify the specific functions of ministry needed to sustain the congregational life and mission. This will be useful in any model of ministry. In a situation of seeking a NOM ministry or a LOM ministry, the question will be to do with what attributes ‘the minister’ might be expected to have, and what roles and attributes are available within the life of the congregation. In a situation where a Local Ministry Team is contemplated, the question might be, what range of portfolios do we need to call members of this congregation to accept responsibility for?
• The congregation will need to come to an informed and clear decision as to which model of ministry or ministry option they are seeking, and will need to make that case to Presbytery. This will involve a formal profile of the parish/congregation documenting the points outlined above and showing why the particular model of ministry is appropriate to the circumstances.

9. In considering an approach from a congregation or parish for approval of a Local Ministry Team, Presbytery needs to take into account the decision of General Assembly 2002 [02.185]:

"Where Presbytery agrees to a congregation establishing a Local Ministry Team, Presbytery will appoint an experienced minister to be a resource minister to the congregation and those sharing the ministry. The resource minister will act a ministerial advisor to the ordained ministers in the team, and help the development of collaborative ministry in the team. The resource minister has a role in encouraging and supporting individual and shared learning."

The Process - Discerning the Persons for Ministry

 

10. When a model of ministry is agreed between the parish and presbytery, Presbytery will establish the appropriate board (of nomination or of ministry discernment) to satisfy the presbytery that the congregational process has been thorough, and to ensure the necessary process of filling the agreed ministry positions. It would be helpful if the Presbytery’s liaison person who has already been working with the parish/congregation convene or at least be on the relevant board.

11. The process for discerning appropriate persons for forms of local ministry shall be guided by:

• the prior clarification of the ministry roles and tasks to be provided;
• a period of teaching and study in the congregation/s focussing on gifts and the ministry of the whole people of God;
• a call to prayerful discernment as to who the congregation would see as called to focus and offer leadership to all members in relation to the particular roles and tasks;
• each person’s credibility and suitability for ministry in the given context;
• the recognition that those proposed to the Presbytery for ordination as local ministers of word and sacrament will need to fulfil the requirements of the national church for that ministry, referred to in Student Regulation 3.14 and 5.4-5.7;
• the responsibility of the Session/Parish Council to commend candidates to Presbytery (and the national church) not on a basis of popularity but on discerned call and for the good of the ministry of the church;
• the need for any ministry of word and sacrament in Local Ministry Teams to be exercised as part of a genuine team of recognised ministries;
• those who are called to special ministry responsibility within a Local Ministry Team, other than that of Word and Sacrament, will normally either be elders or be made elders if their call is confirmed.

12. Where persons are identified as a result of such process for ministries that require ordination for the ministry of word and sacrament, the process outlined in Appendix E-13 (Student Regulations) shall be followed.

13. Congregations and Presbyteries should note the decisions of General Assembly 2002 in relation to seats on Presbytery:

[02.063] "That Assembly allow LOMs to have full membership on Presbytery, except where there is more than one LOM in a particular parish. Where a parish has more than one LOM then each parish has one full Ministry seat on Presbytery, which would be shared or allotted as appropriate."

[02.064] "Where a parish chooses to form a LMT, then that parish has the right to one full "ministry" seat on Presbytery (along with their elder's seat) which is allocated to one member of the LMT, or shared between more than one member of the LMT of that parish."

 

5 March 2003