Synod
Resolutions
Resolution 1 East
Midlands Synod
Discussion and decision making at General Assembly
General Assembly
acknowledging the importance of discerning the mind of Christ in the councils of
the church and believing that the current procedures used in making decisions
are not necessarily the best, instructs Mission Council
a) to explore
consensus procedures for decision making at Assembly level and bring detailed
proposals to General Assembly in 2007
and
b) to explore ways in
which background information on key resolutions can be made available to local
churches sufficiently in advance of Synod and General Assembly meetings to allow
issues to be discussed so that representatives can be aware of the views of the
wider membership.
Proposer:
Elizabeth Nash
Seconder:
Irene Wren
1.1 East Midlands Synod
wishes to raise with General Assembly the whole issue of how we discern the mind
of Christ in a conciliar church, with specific reference to Mission Council and
General Assembly. It also asks Assembly to explore how information about key
resolutions can best be laid before churches and members so that their views can
inform the decision making process.
Resolution 2 Wessex Synod
Housing of Non-stipendiary Ministers
General Assembly
notes
a) that in many of
our Districts we are reducing the number of stipendiary ministers and so are
finding it increasingly difficult to provide leadership in all of our churches
b) that the Charity
Commissioners allow charities to use their assets for activities which further
the aim of the charity
c) that the Anglican
church benefits from the possibility of finding non stipendiary ministers for
churches by offering ‘house-for-duty’
Assembly instructs
Mission Council to investigate the possibility of changing United Reformed
Church regulations to allow flexibility in the provision and payment for housing
of Non-stipendiary Ministers.
1.1 Over the last few
years, Reading & Oxford District, in common with the other Districts of the
Wessex synod, has been facing up to a reduction of numbers of stipendiary
ministers as part of the concept of ‘fair shares of ministry’. Local churches
have worked together, in ‘collaborative zones’ and at District Council, to make
changes in their sharing of resources so that churches are able to have the
leadership they need to move forward in mission, service and witness.
1.2 In a number of places
it would help this process of creative re-imagining of ministry and leadership
if there was the option available of calling a non-stipendiary minister or
unpaid stipendiary (for example one of about retirement age) and providing this
minister with accommodation in the manse, rent-free – along the lines of the
Anglican scheme of ‘house-for-duty’.
1.3 We realise that this
would involve the synod in some loss of rental income from vacant manses and we
are not proposing providing houses for all non-stipendiary ministers, but there
would undoubtedly be situations where a flexible use of the synod resource that
is the manse would help the local churches to find new and imaginative ways
forward. Synod would, of course, retain the capital value of the manse.
Resolution 3 West
Midlands Synod
Synods and CRCW management
General Assembly
re-affirms the value of the Church Related Community Work ministry and, in
particular, the commitment to allocate CRCW posts in each Synod. However,
recognising the important contribution of local knowledge in all deployment it
asks that the Ministries / CRCW Programme Sub-Committee devolve to the Synods
the task of terming and reviewing CRCW posts.
Proposer:
the Revd Ken Chippendale
Seconder:
to be advised
1.1 The recognition of
Church Related Community Work as an office of ministry within the United
Reformed Church first took place at General Assembly 1987. Almost twenty years
later it is an invaluable contribution to our URC ministry and work. Things have
changed over that period and a great deal of work has been done on the effective
operation of this ministry. The management of the programme is undertaken
centrally and proposals for a degree of devolution have not, so far, come to
pass. The practice has been – and is – that CRCW posts, with rare exceptions,
are for a maximum of two five year terms and it has thus been seen as a
pump-priming, rather than really long-haul, ministry. Ten years may seem a long
time to prime the pump, but the reality is that, in the kind of situation in
which Church Related Community Workers often find themselves called to minister,
that is not necessarily so. Clearly there are occasions when the involvement of
a CRCW should be brought to an end. This includes the question of balancing
needs and demands so that new possibilities may come on stream. But it is also
possible that the church should sometimes refuse to join the popular
time-limiting projects culture of our day! This resolution does not suggest that
the current five year terming and reviewing should be abandoned. It simply wants
to open the possibility that the limit of two five year terms (not mandatory
according to URC policy, but the system practiced by the CRCW Programme
Sub-Committee) should not be enforced and suggests, that as with other
ministerial deployment, decisions should be taken at Synod level though, of
course, continuing to work in partnership with the central expertise of the CRCW
Programme Sub-Committee. It is already the case that District Council has the
responsibilty of undertaking the review of posts. This resolution builds on
that, asking that the proposal to devolve the final decision on the placing and
continuance of CRCW posts to Synods, made to Mission Council in both 1998 and
2002, but so far deferred, be now effected.
Resolution 4 Yorkshire
Synod Heritage Lottery Fund
In the light of the
diminishing government funding available for the repair and upkeep of historic
church buildings, especially listed buildings, and the diverse way in which the
Lottery is now being used to fund other agencies and sources of financial
support, the Yorkshire Synod calls upon General Assembly to reconsider its
position in respect of applications for Lottery Funding.
Proposed:
Mrs Val Morrison
Seconded:
Revd Arnold Harrison
1.1 When the issue of the
National Lottery was originally the subject of discussion and resolution at
General Assembly in 1995 there was available more varied sources of funding to
which churches could apply to support their upkeep. Eleven years on, many of
these funds are now drying up and are no longer a realistic source for churches
seeking to maintain old and expensive but significant buildings. At the same
time many funds which are available from local authorities and other sources for
project work are indirectly funded from the lottery. So even when churches are
not seeking directly to apply for Lottery money, much funding for day-centres,
youth and community work etc. comes, even if indirectly and some stages back,
from that source.
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