Casting the Net on the Other Side
The Sheffield Methodist Circuit has shared a new consultation paper with all the churches in the Sheffield Circuit. A copy can be downloaded here.
You are encouraged to read it. It is very readable!
The paper is addressing the falling rolls, reducing number of ministers, the number of churches that need to be sustained, and the financial pressures that the circuit is facing. This is the same for all circuits, and denominations.
It makes some very good suggestions. Key to these are two suggestions:
- we cannot go on asking fewer ministers to take on more and more churches
- if we want churches to work together to resolve this, we must have local consultation groups of churches working together, including with other denominations.
Your Church Officers have decided that we do not feel it is necessary to have a special meeting about this paper, as we have often discussed the issues it raises. Instead, your Church Secretary, John Cornell, has written on our behalf to the Circuit, and his letter is re-produced here for everyone to read. Thank you John.
From Christ Church Stocksbridge to the Methodist Circuit
We are not having a formal consultation with the church members as we have had discussions in the past, on our own initiative, about many of the principles and ideas articulated in the paper. The church officers feel it appropriate for me to respond on the church’s behalf. We very much support the principles and vision of the paper, which is grappling with a number of major problems.
Re-structuring of the circuit is an important part of the change but of itself will not be sufficient and what is more important is engaging everyone in owning the problems and owning the solutions.
We are very happy to contribute to further discussions and to help as much as possible in implementing the proposals. But we also need to recognise that other denominations have similar difficulties and so in certain geographical areas ecumenical conversations may also be an important part of the way forward.
The consideration of the health and welfare of all staff and church members must also be part of the conversations and it may be some of the central structures and policies of the Connexion may need to change in order not to overburden local churches with administration and help facilitate lay people to undertake tasks that perhaps have traditionally part of the presbyters responsibilities. There may need to be a re-think of some of the theological thinking that underpins these ideas.
John Cornell,, Church Secretary.
Christ Church Stocksbridge 