LoginHome » What's Presbyterian? » Church governance structure » Council of Assembly » Council News March 2004
Council of Assembly News Brief
- from the Council meeting, 20 – 21 March, 2004
“We are beginning to dream a future we can’t yet see.” So one member of Council summed up a reflective discussion which included phrases such as:
a sense of excitement is coming through,
new opportunities,
significant change,
need for flexibility,
the new Book of Order is designed to be more enabling for the work of the church.
“Healthy congregations” were again the focus of reporting and discussion. At the same time Council members were realistic about the challenges faced by the church in mission and there was a shared concern to make the best use of available resources.
Moderator
The Moderator spoke of a busy schedule and his reflections on what he has seen and heard. Bush Telegraph carries a regular column on his activities and thoughts. He emphasised the critical importance of good leadership through a well trained ministry of word and sacrament. “Two essential pre-conditions for mission are quality worship and quality relationships, and good ministers are a key to these in congregations.”
In ‘Committed Conversations’ the Moderator is offering an opportunity for participants, through the deepening of relationships and mutual respect, to contribute to the discernment of the Church on a way forward on the matter of people in same gender relationships exercising leadership/ministry in the Church. The Conversations aim to focus on the future and are not expected to re-run the past or change people’s minds. Members of Council will be available for such initiatives in their own regions. More information is on the Presbyterian website.
The Moderator recognised that various clusters have developed within the Church. The National Association of Presbyterian Evangelical Churches (NAPEC) is one of these. Following a number of queries about NAPEC, the Council of Assembly offers the following information and reflection:
NAPEC is one of several networks that exist within the Presbyterian Church. Some of these are for congregations, some for individuals and some for both. Examples would be the Association of Reconciling Christians and Congregations (ARCC) and the network for Action, Faith, Fellowship, Intercession, Renewal, and Mission within the Presbyterian Church (AFFIRM). These networks are for individuals and congregations to support and encourage one another, but they do not have constitutional standing within the Presbyterian Church and do not have official status or standing at General Assembly and Presbytery. Every network uses terms in their name and charter that define who they are, but these terms should not be regarded as exclusive to any particular network or group. In considering invitations to join such networks people may wish to ask:
- Will this offer some congregations a firm place to stand with integrity in a diverse church?
- Is anyone disempowered by such an organisation?
- Is the integrity of any court or council of the Church compromised?
- How will the voice of such a group be heard in the Church?
Policy Group Reports
Equipping the Leadership
Healthy congregations require competent leadership so, as directed by the 2002 General Assembly, the Local Ordained Ministry (LOM) structure and training has been trialled. Council agreed to its adoption and to the proposal that it would be reviewed in time to bring a report to the 2008 Assembly. The planned framework provides a transfer path to National Ordained Ministry. It was also agreed that LOM appointments be for a fixed term of up to 5 years (renewable thereafter). Approval was given for the development of a School of Ministry certificate.
Options for future directions for the School of Ministry were researched and reported with flexibility and cost effectiveness in mind. Proposals are being developed for consideration at a later date.
Resourcing for Mission
Procedures for Parish Appraisals have been developed through work by the Mission Resource Team and the first group of appraisers are being trained. Appraisals are “a basic tool for discerning the level of a parish’s mission and encouraging a parish to move forward in intentional mission.” Assessment of its effectiveness is planned for the end of 2005. This initiative is directly linked with “healthy congregations” and with ministerial appraisal on which Equipping the Leadership is working. One size does not fit all so the tool is designed to be flexible and responsive to congregations and it is recognised that more work will be needed in various cultural settings.
The policy group is taking a hard look at the best use of resources and are assessing how effective current activities are in resourcing for mission. Being realistic about the state of the church and the finance available they are considering whether the resources could be deployed differently to be more effective. One idea was of twinning congregations with well resourced congregations in mission.
Connecting with Society
Selecting important topics from among the many issues of concern in society continues to exercise this group. They fed in to CASI’s (Churches Agency on Social Issues) planning day and found CASI is preparing material on many of the topics but there is a need to empower congregations to make better use of what is being produced. They affirmed the value of parishes with particular interests and expertise being linked in to CASI networks and the opportunities to contribute to work on particular issues. CASI has a network of parishes and groups with general or specific interests in social issues and provides them with a monthly newsletter and maintains contact. If congregations or groups wish to join that network they should contact CASI by email casi(at)casi.org.nz or, for general information visit the web site: www.casi.org.nz.
Global Mission and Partnership
Both secretaries are working well and Andrew Bell of the Global Mission Office made a presentation to Council outlining his work and the potential for development. He challenged church priorities – it would be a great day when the letters Council received were mostly about the millions of children dying of starvation around the world. The Global Mission Gazette is reaching many more people and opportunities are being developed for young people to experience life in partner countries. Watch for information about ‘Peers and Partners and Participants’ and encourage presbyteries to identify people to support the work of the secretaries. For a start those not receiving the Global Mission Gazette can get the relevant information from www.presbyterian.org.nz.
Administration and Finance
Information on the Assembly assessment (formerly called single assessment) is due to go to parishes shortly. Many queries have been answered and a frequently asked questions (FAQ) sheet is being prepared. The first stage of implementation of the new computer system is largely complete. Processing is now running on time and staff are working on the backlog of queries relating to balances transferred to the new system. The Financial Services newsletter aims to keep people informed of progress and to answer commonly asked questions.
It was agreed to thank and discharge the Historical Records Reference Group which has not met for two years. Mary Macpherson resigned as Communications manager in February and the process for appointing a new manager is under way. Tina Callcut is acting manager on a part time basis. Council adopted a Communications Strategy aimed at constructive interaction of the Council and Policy Groups with the wider church.
A major theme of this meeting was how to be a multicultural church with a bicultural commitment. How can our Church give space for diverse cultures to use their voice? Council recognised the importance of having access to information in people’s own language. For example, when endorsing a belief statement (see below), we decided each culture needed to find “dynamic equivalents” for the process of translation. A Council Task Group was asked to identify issues arising from this discussion and to report back at the next Council meeting with recommendations about how this may be addressed.
Task Groups
Book of Order Rewrite TG The intention of the new Book of Order is to be flexible in a way which enables the Church to be more effective in its life and work. The new Book is now on the web site and everyone is encouraged to look at it carefully. Comments may be made through the web site so that corrections and amendments can be addressed before the new Book is presented to the Assembly. A password is needed to view and comment on the new Book of Order on the website. The password is obtainable on request from webmaster(at)presbyterian.org.nz.
Focal Identity Statement TG The last Assembly asked for a focal identity statement for use in worship as a confession of faith, including by those joining the church and those taking up leadership roles. The Task Group has prepared the statement which was endorsed by the Council of Assembly for presentation to the Assembly. The statement will be posted on the Presbyterian website very soon and there will be opportunity for making comment. This step was initiated by the 1999 Assembly.
Nominating Process Review TG The last Assembly asked for further work on the Nominating Process. A report was circulated for comment by the end of March. The Task Group will consider those responses and produce a final report for the next Assembly.
Role of Moderator The 2000 Assembly adopted a leadership for mission policy. Council was conscious this policy impacted on a number of roles including that of the Moderator of the General Assembly. As well, issues arose about how the position needed resourcing. Council appointed a Task Group which has produced a report. It recommends changes to the role to enable the Moderator to provide leadership in mission. That report will be on the website and comment can be made to the Council conveners.
Doctrinal Resourcing TG Council had been alerted to different ways the Church might be resourced doctrinally. A Task Group reported that instead of a Doctrine Reference Group as we have known it, we develop a small organising group, and a panel of experts drawn across the country. A copy of the report is on the website and comments can be made to the Council conveners.
Te Aka Puaho
The death of Mona Rinii removed a key leader from Te Aka Puaho and the Very Rev Tame Takao is acting as Moderator. Members of Te Aka Puaho on Council shared their understanding and experience of the context in which Maori find themselves and their concerns for the future. It is 50 years since an Assembly decision formally established the Maori Synod and Te Aka Puaho is working with the incoming Assembly Moderator to ensure a place in the coming Assembly for this to be celebrated. Today, setting its own future – in collaboration with the wider church – calls for innovative approaches and Council was reminded of the Synod’s development of Amorangi ministers.
Pacific Islanders Synod
Relationships with Presbyteries are being nurtured – Synod is available for consultation on matters affecting Pacific parishes or people. In the wider Pacific context relationships have been established with the Pacific Conference of Churches. In this area the PI Synod is working with Te Aka Puaho in a joint committee.
Assembly Executive Secretary
The ‘Directions’ paper is being distributed to presbyteries and is being used by the Service Team and the Council in their work.
Visits to Presbyteries/UDCs during the year were greatly appreciated and it is planned that these will be repeated. Presbytery functions may be accomplished in a variety of ways and different models of sharing work and interests were discussed.
Judicial processes have occupied significant amounts of the AES’ time and this is expected to continue
The Council received and considered the report of the annual performance review of the Assembly Executive Secretary. The process followed is to elicit feedback from people the AES works with, this is collated, the Council discusses the performance, and feedback is provided. The AES was commended for his overall leadership in many different areas, and in particular asked to keep improving the operations of the Financial Services Unit.
Contacts
For questions and more information about these items please contact:
Convener, Rev. Shirley Fergusson at 495 Puketaha Road, RD1, Hamilton (ph 07 855 2598) e-mail:
ferg(at)wave.co.nz or
Secretary, Kerry Enright at PO Box 9049, Wellington (ph. 04 381 8281) e-mail:
aes(at)prebyterian.org.nz.