Something that cheered me

We had our midweek discussion today which has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me because I tend to take things personally - the buck stops with me because I'm the minister and when people aren't happy. it's my fault and I have to sort it. I know that's not true and anyway it is just so unpresbyterian where everyone has responsibility.

Anyway, today we were talking about the church in the community and talked about the few-ish congregations who are doing community projects and specifically focused work in the local neighbourhood. Everyone agreed that that was how the church was going to survive: faithful contact, concern, commitment to the community. It was a good moment simply because I agree that is exactly how the church will survive.

It's as if the church is pulling back from the direction h=it has gone over the last century and going back to what it has traditionally done. It's going back to the vision when the church provided the education, the children's homes, the social work etc, in other words the time when it was involved up to it's neck in social action. It's handed all these things over to govermnet agencies over the last long while. But, as if this is the natural state of the church, it is again looking for ways to be a part of growing a better, healthier, safer community.

So we're up there with our own community arts project and sit alongside all the other congregations who do everything from lunch clubs to major community initiatives. And we're doing it because we naturally do it. This is who we are. The church naturally gravitates towards the care for people locally and globally. Brilliant wee insight today which is kind of an obvious one but it just tied things together a bit.

So perhaps instead of just theology degrees we should have degrees in community engagement alongside the theology. Is that not practical theology? Why wasn't I shown how to fill in a grant form, or write a consitution, or explore community audits or consultation at university? That would have been the best practical training (nae, only practical training) I could receive. Long live the church, but in a different guise in every nook and cranny of the community. So say the discussion group. And they're always right!

Comments

[stewart cutler]

I've often told my dad that my community education qualification is more suited for ministry than his theology degree.

I can't believe that training for ministry STILL consists of a BD and some 'on the job training' when you are then faced with running community groups and projects, management, counselling, public speaking, change management, leading small groups, conducting worship (that ain't the same as knowing theology!) and all the other tasks that increasingly form the reality of ministry.

My training included all those things apart from the theology. Like you and your group I look around and wonder why on earth ministry training doesn't look much more like community development training.

[Roddy]

We could, of course, just begin our own seminary. What would that be like?!

[Christine]

The mis-match between what you're taught at university and what you need to do yous job isn't really unique to the ministry, I'm afraid... although maybe more of pointed issue since, presumably, few people do a BD who aren't going to become ministers (or do they?)

For example, I have a degree in chemistry and a PhD in physics, but my job consists of everything from counselling students through personal problems to managing a budget to proof-editing an academic journal to coordinating our postgraduate research school. I haven't worked in a lab, unless you count the teaching lab, for years.

Now, I'm not suggesting that some more practical/vocationsl training wouldn't be useful. I am sure even our august sister Uni up at Gilmourhill could slip a wee 'community action' module into the BD course somewhere! But I would like to make two points:

1. The main thing that a student should gain from any good degree course(of whatever flavour e.g. BSc, BD, MA etc) is the ability to learn new things. If your course equips you with that, then you can function and make a positive contribution wherever you find yourself.

2. I don't think that Ministers in general (and Roddy in particular) should feel obliged to be experts at everything. If you need help on writing a grant proposal, speak to me or Michael Givens. If you want to know about legal matters, speak to Sandra... and so forth. There is a wealth of willing talent in the church (Abbotsford and wider) to be drawn upon.

As the saying goes 'Theres no sense in having a dog and barking yourself!'

[Roddy]

Absolutely true about the talent thing. CAOS our community arts project got off the ground simply because of that. We tend to have poeple sell poppies (and there isn't a thing wrong with that) rather than in addition to that have them dream a little more ambitiously because they know what can be possible. We ought to lift our eyes a bit above the horizon based on people's experiences and abilities. We could do world peace practically if we trusted people to dream a little more.

That's what Think Tank is about, hopefully.

[robert]

Yes hpefully the think tank will help us to get ideas on the way forward for the church our own and others . as christine says we have a great deal of talent available we can use it more i hope the days of the minister doing it all are long gone.