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Mission Scenarios

 

Innovative and Unusual Pastoral Arrangements

Some scenarios

 

The Toyne Report (A Measure for Measures, GS1528) commented that the Pastoral Measure 1983 offered more scope for innovative and unusual types of pastoral reorganisation than is sometimes understood. These pages aim to provide information about such arrangements.

The arrangements shown are mostly based on actual examples of pastoral reorganisation which has taken place to meet particular needs, although a few emerged from discussion in the Toyne Group itself about how the Measure might be used to address specific problems. The examples shown are not necessarily exhaustive and we are happy to explore suggestions for arrangements which might be appropriate in other circumstances.

The examples are based on two imaginary deaneries, one urban and one rural which are shown diagrammatically as pages 2 and 28. However, this is not to say that particular examples necessarily apply only to an urban or a rural situation. The emphasis in any locality should be on “what is the best arrangement for our needs?” In many cases this will be a more common arrangement such as a united benefice or a team or group ministry but in some cases more innovative solutions may be appropriate and in others a combination of the two.

The ten scenarios are summarised in the contents page. Those for the urban deanery (pages 3-24) are generally concerned with forms of cross-boundary working and each consists of a group of three pages, the first outlining a problem, the second showing the possible solution diagrammatically and the third describing its significant features. At the deanery level it is unlikely that all these scenarios would occur in one deanery at the same time but this illustrates the range of possibilities available. For the rural deanery, page 29 describes the initial benefices and their staffing. Three scenarios, which are generally concerned with various forms of co-operative cross boundary working by a combination of a team and group ministry with a “network” parish, are developed in the subsequent pages.

A glossary covering terms used is on pages 40-43 and a grid showing some of the implications of arrangements arising from this presentation is on pages 37-39.

These pages can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF document (you need to have a PDF reader for this which can be downloaded here free of charge).

Pages 1-36 are also available as a PowerPoint presentation which can be sent to you by email or on a cd on request. Please email or telephone Peter Wagon at the addresses below for this or if you wish to discuss a particular scenario in more detail or to explore other possibilities or to make any suggestions or offer feedback. We are also very ready to give a presentation using this material to deaneries or dioceses and to discuss the issues and possibilities in more detail.

Email: Peter Wagon 

Telephone: 020 7898 1745

Pastoral Division
Church House, Great Smith Street
LONDON
SW1P 3AZ

 

Telephone: 020 7898 1000
Fax: 020 7898 1873
Email: pastoral@c-of-e.org.uk.

© The Church Commissioners for England 2005 (Last updated 1/9/2005)