By Josephine Reader
Fewer people on Council of Assembly, less complex and fewer church processes, and new options for the ordination studies programme are among the outcomes from Council’s Focus on the Future conversations.
In late June, Council deliberated on recommendations from the specially appointed task group that considered the feedback from over 60 submissions and the 13 Focus on the Future gatherings held around New Zealand .
Council passed a number of resolutions (see box story below), some of which will have immediate effect and will deliver cost savings or gains in efficiency quickly, while others have longer term implications.
Describing the decisions made by Council, convener Kerry Stotter says, “we’ve started the ball rolling on making changes that will build a strong platform for the future. The feedback and suggestions are significant for how we go about our life together.” Driven by the 2004 General Assembly’s decision to engage in urgent, focussed conversation with the wider church, Focus on the Future encouraged those within the Church to share their views on matters including:
Helen Beaumont, who led the task group of ministers and lay people from around New Zealand , says the feedback gained through Focus on the Future gave some very clear signals about what the Church’s priorities should be. The task group summed them up as:
These priorities for the future were consistent with some of the current priorities presented to the gatherings, but there were also significant differences.
As one submission put it: “All of the tasks need to be done in one way or another. The question is getting the right mix to contribute to the whole. And the right mix will be at all levels through Assembly, presbyteries and parishes.”
Every meeting and most of the submissions focused on the primacy of the local congregation and its mission. Council passed a resolution that aims to work to improve the flexibility of Presbyterian systems and structures, giving congregations more autonomy in some aspects of their life.
There was an expression of frustration with, but a need for, a national church structure to support congregations in their mission. The message “less is best” when it comes to national services came through strongly, says Mr Stotter, who attended each meeting.
Council recognised this feedback, and decided that a thorough review of national services should be undertaken. They noted that there was a call to deliver value for money and focus on only those services that are needed by parishes.
“There was strong support for judicial, compliance, legislative and related services to be provided centrally, with an emphasis on cost effectiveness,” says Kerry.
The Task Group noted that it was clear that many people were unaware of the extent and nature of the services provided through the General Assembly, particularly by the School of Ministry .
Building on the feedback from meetings and submissions, Council has asked for a detailed report on the options for delivering ordination studies training. That report is expected to be considered by Council before the end of 2005.
“Some matters, such as the ordination studies programme, required further work by those more familiar with the issues,” explains Kerry, “because they could only be put into practice after considerable research or possibly passage through General Assembly.”
“Feedback from the church has made a real difference. Changes are being implemented as a direct result of the comments made,” says Kerry.
A more detailed report about outcomes from Focus on the Future can be found at http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/?id=3118.
In response to the feedback received during Focus on the Future, Council’s decisions were:
Council also affirmed the importance and priority of the work of the Focal Identity Statement task group in formulating a new subordinate standard.
Develop and implement a two-year action plan to reduce the range of national services offered and focus efforts on delivering effective and efficient services. Where services are not core, but add value, they may be offered on a user-pays basis.
The review is to specifically consider options for delivering the ordinations programme (such as a mixture of block courses and distance learning), possible expansion of the distance learning programme, targeting fee-paying students, provision of bursaries and student housing, and any other relevant matters. Broadening the focus of the School of Ministry to equipping the leadership in the widest sense, including lay leaders, youth leaders, children and families ministry and leaders from other denominations, is also to be considered.