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Pastoral ReferenceThe Pastoral Reference Committee considers the cases of ministers referred to it by Mission Council, synods, district councils, or their committees or by moderators of synods. (General Assembly Reports 1999). By a Welfare Sub-Committee, it also deals with all welfare and emergency matters including the use of welfare funds. Because of the nature of many of the cases it is a confidential committee, which reports in general terms only, directly to the General Assembly. (The Manual Section G5)
Committee Members Convener: The Revd Keith Forecast Secretary: The Revd Ray Adams, Mrs Irene Brunskill, The Revd Meryl Court, Mrs Sharn Waldron, The Revd David Grosch-Miller, The Revd Alan Wharton [Convener, Welfare Sub-Committee], Mr Eric Chilton [Treasurer].
1. The Committee has met six times in the two years since the last report was made to the General Assembly.
2. Much of the Committee’s time is taken up with consideration of the personal circumstances of individual ministers and members of their families which are referred to us, and by its very nature this business must remain confidential. We try to carry out this work with precision and care and it is our hope that those whose stories cross our table feel that they are served satisfactorily. In particular we are sometimes able to recommend the payment of stipend for ministers who find themselves, for a variety of reasons, unable to maintain active ministry for a short period, perhaps because of sustained sickness or because a pastorate has ended in difficult circumstances and the minister has not yet found another sphere of service.
3. Additional business comes our way, however, and recently we have been asked to consider and advise the Synod Moderators on aspects of the matter of the occupancy of manses in sensitive situations, such as when a minister dies in service and leaves a family in the manse, when a minister’s marriage fails and the family needs to be housed, or when a minister has accepted a call to service elsewhere but the move has to be delayed for a variety of reasons. Others, we understand, are examining the legal issues of such situations, but we are attending to the pastoral aspects and will advise accordingly.
4. The Committee was asked to comment on procedures being drawn up to deal with situations where a minister might be deemed to be unfit to minister for reasons quite other than the requirements of discipline. We made our comments.
5. Some years ago the Assembly received the results of work done by a small group addressing the subject of Stress in the Ministry. This subject has been brought to our notice once again, with particular reference to ministerial workload, to congregations’ expectations of ministers (and ministers’ expectations of themselves) and to the effect of ministry upon minister’s spouses and families. We are continuing to work on this and may have something to report at a later stage.
6. A particularly traumatic situation in one pastorate was referred to us with a view to establishing advice guidelines that might be used in other circumstances of extreme pastoral crisis. We are continuing to work on this.
7. We are glad once again to commend the Churches’ Ministerial Counselling Service and note that ministers and members of their families continue to avail themselves of this valuable means of support and healing. We have now agreed that retired ministers, ministers’ widow(er)s, estranged spouses, those in training for ministry and their families may seek the help of the Service on the same terms as serving ministers.
8. The Welfare Sub-Committee deals with applications for support from the Church’s Funds which are allocated for Welfare purposes. We have noted that the funds traditionally available for the alleviation of hardship will be exhausted within the next few years and new sources of income will have to be identified. We would encourage church members to consider making donations and to remember these funds when making their wills. Meanwhile, we have agreed a stated policy under which grants will be considered and will be sharing this with the Synod Moderators.
9. Our committee is represented on the committee of ‘Broken Rites’ – an interdenominational group offering mutual support and information to separated and divorced spouses of ministers. This group does invaluable work among a particular focussed constituency and is deeply appreciated by those involved. We commend it to those in need of its ministry.
10. In 2004 The Revd Pat Hall and Mr Okeke Azu Okeke came to the end of their term of service on this Committee and this year Mrs Irene Brunskill likewise completes her term. We record our gratitude to these people for the conscientious way in which they have shared in our work.
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