 |
|
Report of the Consultation
on United Areas, sponsored by the Methodist – United Reformed Church
Liaison Committee and hosted by the Wiltshire United Areas Note: A United Area serves as both a Methodist Circuit and a United Reformed Church District. Each of the Wiltshire United Areas has 4 ministers, and one has 16 churches and the other 11, some united and some single denomination. The background Local URC interest, across England and Wales, in exploring the potential of such areas in the context of the current URC move to group churches and share ministry was brought to the attention of the Liaison Committee in Autumn 2001. The Liaison Committee asked the Wiltshire United Areas, which have been in existence for more than 20 years, to host such a consultation. The participants being expected to book and fund their own accommodation. The consultation was advertised through the usual denominational ecumenical networks. The participants There were 25 ministers and lay people, more United Reformed Church than Methodist. They came from all over England and some from Wales.
The programme A Methodist minister's reflections on his years in a United Area – the familiar and the unfamiliar, the pluses and minuses. "You have to work at it, like a marriage." A United Reformed Church minister's reflections on 18 months in a United Area – in the midst of the pluses, a sense of the URC losing out to the more structured nature of Methodism. "Rather than oil and water, United Areas should seek to be oil and vinegar, with the URC making a sharper contribution." An American Methodist's reflection on two years in a United Area – she could ask the hard outsider's question about the relation between a shared and developing local vision, and remaining faithful to the two traditions. "How much authority has the local to weave a new garment – and what about the loose ends?" Members of the local united church contributed their experience through the group work. A County Ecumenical Officer posed the 'Why?' question – are the plans for a United Area God's will for these churches and this community? She also put the wider ecumenical challenge – consult with other partner churches and remember that boundaries in all the churches can be changed. A Church of England perspective was given by a member of the Council for Christian Unity, who is also a County Ecumenical Officer. She described an Anglican-Methodist team ministry covering 19 parishes in a southern rural valley; a four-denomination LEP covering 23 congregations in a northern rural valley; Inner-city shared community work which ignores the denominational boundaries. Mission must be the motive – adapted to the particular situation. "The Church of England is mystified at the way the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church can unite locally in so many vibrant ways when they have different approaches to ministry and to church governance." The fruits of the consultation Group work finally focused on two main areas: advice when considering forming a united area, and the common ground and divisive issues which Methodists and United Reformed Church people, at every level, need to explore as they journey together and in partnership with others.
A. So you want to form a United Area? 1. 1. Why? Is this the way God is calling these churches at this time? Mission and vision are essential. 2. Consult with as many churches as possible within a natural human community e.g. town centre, rural valley. 3. Build relationships beyond the vital visionary individuals and consult with the local church members. Take time to persuade the resisters. 4. If necessary, challenge mis-matching boundaries by consulting with the significant people in the two (or more) denominations. Ask the denomination who the significant people are. 5. When you know which denominations want to go further, and how many congregations, and how many already united congregations are committed, take key decisions on what kind of united structure is appropriate. 6. Take time to explore and get help in exploring the issues raised in section B (below) – and there may be others. Keep sustaining the vision with prayer and in cross-denominational talking about faith and the Church and discipleship. 7. Consult with those who have passed this way before and draw up a draft constitution. Is it to be a loose framework for getting started and to be firmed up later in the light of experience, or something more detailed which tries to deal with potential difficulties? There is no blueprint as every human community and spread of church life is different.
B. Knowing ourselves and our partner(s) 1. In these post-denominational times, where we have come from is as important as being pilgrim people. Both the united vision and the roots of the traditions have to be rehearsed and developed as new ministers and new members come into the Area. 2. It is vital to seek to know and understand the other partner(s), accepting difference and seeming incompatibility as part of the journey, and not seeking superficial convergence. 3. Methodists and United Reformed Church people have so much in common. We share a common Faith and are both part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We have a similar theological spectrum, and both churches are changing in response to changing times. 4. The following issues were identified as needing further exploration locally and more widely: a. Presbyteral ministry, especially the relationship between ministers and local congregations, the collegiality of Methodist ministers, and the place of obedience to church authority in the two churches' understanding of ministry. b. The relationship between personal and conciliar leadership and authority, with special reference to the role of the superintendent and to URC historical resistance to personal leadership beyond the local church. c. The understanding of ordination, with reference to eldership and to the relationship between ordination and the presidency at the sacraments. d. The difference between being a connexional church and a conciliar church and the relationship between that and apostolicity. (i.e. the question: 'what makes a local church the Church?') e. A general exploration of the different roles and different names for offices in local congregation and in circuits, as there is no easy match. Two questions: How much freedom is there to experiment, while remaining part of the two traditions? Does the tradition with the higher, or more explicit, expectations always have to dominate? |