New Step in Local Shared Ministry

     Last Saturday's decision to merge our Parish Council and the Ministry Support Team is a new step in our journey of Local Shared Ministry.

     As most people know, I was involved in introducing the model to New Zealand in 1990, and our parish was the first Presbyterian or Methodist congregation to adopt it. Others have followed as Bev and I promoted the concept here and overseas.

     We always encouraged congregations to separate the body that “governs” the congregation from the Team who “coordinate” the work. Our Parish’s recent decision to put these two functions into just one group is a novel approach.

     It will be a little strange at first. Our Enabler will be seen among more of us on a regular basis. Different things will happen as the seven come together each month. And future Parish Annual Meetings won’t need to appoint a Parish Council or elect officers.
     After 20 years we are ready to break some new ground. For some time Parish Council has been trying to “think itself into a new way of acting”. But now we are going to “act ourselves into a new way of thinking”. We are in for some interesting times...