Mindful Ministry

Judith Thompson

Description

A constructive resource for all who endeavour to become reflective practitioners.

Informations

• Publié par: Hymns Ancient & Modern
• Date de parution: 24 juillet 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780334048909
• Langue: English

Extrait

Mindful Ministry
Mindful Ministry
Creative, Theological and Practical Perspectives
Ross and Judith Thompson
© Judith and Ross Thompson 2012
Published in 2012 by SCM Press Editorial office Invicta House, 108-114 Golden Lane London, ec 1 y otg
SCM Press is an imprint of Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd (a registered charity) 13A Hellesdon Park Road Norwich, nr 6 5 dr , UK
www.scmpress.co.uk

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, SCM Press.
The Authors have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Authors of this Work.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

978-0-334-04375-1 Kindle 978-0-334-04466-6

Originated by The Manila Typesetting Company Printed and bound by CPI Group, Croydon, Surrey
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1 The Apostle: Mindful Representing
2 The Holy One: Mindful Praying
3 The Pastor: Mindful Serving
4 The Teacher: Mindful Nurture
5 The Leader: Mindful Oversight
6 The Go-Between: Mindful Collaboration, Conviviality and Communication
7 The Herald of Good News: Mindful Evangelism
8 The Liberator: Mindful Subversion
Conclusion: Mindful Integration
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
There are many people without whom this book could not have taken shape, not least Natalie Watson of SCM, who commissioned and encouraged it and remained patient when it took longer to write than we had expected. But most important of all are the people who have ministered to us as we ministered to them in seven different congregations (between us) in the course of 25 years in Bristol; as well as those in the lovely setting and community in which we now live.
To all of them, as well as to many ministers of different denominations whose ministry we have observed and admired, to former academic colleagues and students in Cardiff, and to colleagues in the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology (BIAPT) with whom we have thought about these things, we dedicate this book.
Finally, in offering our own reflections on ministry, we invite others to share their thoughts and any comments and feedback, at [e-mail] or [e-mail]
Ross and Judith Thompson
Introduction
A man found an eagle’s egg and put it in the nest of a backyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.
All his life the eagle did what the backyard chickens did, thinking he was a backyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet into the air like the chickens. After all, that is how a chicken is supposed to fly, isn’t it?
Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird far above him in the cloudless sky. It floated in graceful majesty among the powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.
The old eagle looked up in awe. ‘Who’s that?’ he said to his neighbour.
‘That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,’ said his neighbour. ‘But don’t give it another thought. You and I are different from him.’
So the eagle never gave it another thought. He died thinking he was a backyard chicken.
(de Mello 1982, pp. 120–1)

Anthony de Mello’s deeply thought-provoking parable – which we hope chicken-lovers will forgive – can be interpreted in many ways. But for the purposes of this book let us say the golden eagle is Jesus Christ, who showed us what it is like to be a human being rather than consumer chickens compulsively pecking away at the goodies offered by our society on condition that we never aspire to be more than chickens. Ministry is essentially about waking ourselves and other people up to our true nature in Christ, and so rediscovering ministry itself: it is about ceasing to be consumer chickens and becoming instead spiritual golden eagles.
Mindfulness is primarily about waking up. Waking up to what you are doing – scratching around, perhaps, in that barnyard. Waking up to what you really are – a unique colour of the rainbow that is Christ. Waking up to the disparity and repenting, changing, undergoing metanoia or change of heart, doing things differently so that what you do expresses what you are and what you believe.
It follows that a contagious mindfulness is the essence of ministry. For quite a lot of its history, ministry has been closely linked with hierarchy. It has been about keeping the laity unaware of their true glory, unaware of their royal priesthood, content to be little barnyard chickens, if not miserable worms! But in this scenario the ministers and priests became no more than big barnyard chickens, higher up the pecking order. A widespread recognition of the truth behind Luther’s ‘priesthood of all believers’ has, in recent years, helped to develop a style of ministry that is all about collaboration, working together. But there is still a danger that all this collaboration takes place in the barnyard, while the glory of our true nature in Christ sails in the heavens far above. There is also a danger that we are just levelling ministry out and dumbing it down: a matter of seeing our priest or minister as ‘no better than us’, rather than seeing ourselves as being as glorious as he or she, as the minister, the one who embodies the charisma – that word which seems to sparkle, and means ‘gift’ – of bearing Christ.
This book aims to affirm and encourage mindful ministry in this sense – ministry in which lay people and those ordained inter-illuminate and awaken the sparkle of Christ’s charismata in one another. It does so by reflecting theologically on the different ministries to which people may be called, and which the ordained minister is called to weave together that they may reflect the glory of the rainbow which is Christ.
The chapters of this book consider mindfulness in relation to eight ‘ministries’, each of which relates to an area of spiritual gifting or charism, and focuses on an archetypically representative figure. Both in the presentation and in the content, we have aimed to achieve a lightness of touch which we hope is consistent with our aim of seeking to follow Christ and enabling others to follow him on the wind-currents of the Spirit.
The use of language and exemplification in this book frequently betrays its authors’ roots in Anglican parish ministry, but it is intended to be of value for anyone involved or considering involvement in Christian ministry, formally or informally, parish, chaplaincy or ‘fresh expression’, stipendiary or not, lay or ordained, of any denomination. It is particularly hoped that it may prove refreshing and reinvigorating for those who have been in ministry for some years.
Exercises and questions to ponder are provided for those who may wish to use them to reflect on the issues raised either alone or with others: other readers will prefer a straightforward read.
The pattern of the chapters
The number of ways in which charism or ministry can happen in us or others is very varied, but we have found it helpful and reasonable to classify it in an eightfold pattern, though of course the pattern is not definitive. As noted below (pp. xiv–xv), the New Testament has several different lists of ministries, of different lengths. It is often the case that what this book treats in one chapter has distinct areas that could each have had its own chapter, or perhaps that what we cover in two could have been amalgamated into one. Inevitably and obviously, different areas and approaches to ministry shade off into one another, but to give this book structure, distinctions and divisions have to be made. One could argue about distinctions in the colours of the rainbow – for example that indigo should be included with blue to give just six colours of the rainbow rather than seven (something one of us has contended for since childhood!). How we divide the rainbow is arbitrary, but its variety of colours is not. Likewise how we divide the ministries is arbitrary, but awareness of the varied ‘rainbow’ of ministries is essential if ministry is to be mindful.
Each ministry can be linked also with biblical and theological resources for reflection, and certain kinds of skill that can be learnt, and particular ways of rooting it in mindful practice. It is such correspondences that we have discerned that determine the broad shape of each chapter.
The eight identified ministries, which together build up the body of Christ, are discussed in the chapters numbered as follows: The apostle : Mindful Representing as the Christlike shape of ministry. The holy one : Mindful Praying as the still centre of ministry. The pastor : Mindful Serving as the hardworking body of ministry. The teacher : Mindful Nurture as the wise soul of ministry. The leader : Mindful Oversight as the overseeing mind of ministry. The go-between : Mindful Collaboration, Conviviality and Communication as the interlinking and encouraging hands of ministry. The herald of Good News : Mindful Evangelism as the swift, urgent feet of ministry. The liberator : Mindful Subversion as the courageous heart of ministry.
The overall pattern of each chapter is intended to follow, roughly, the cycle of theological reflection (p. xix), moving from experience, through reflection in the light of tradition, scripture and other resources, to possible courses of action. The surface structure varies a little from chapter to chapter,