Stewardship, Education, Diocesan reorganisation and Safeguarding were among the agenda items at the November 5th Diocesan Synod which met at St Aidan’s High School, Harrogate.
The day began with Bishop Nick's Presidential Address in which he called on Christians to model a different way of conducting public discourse. More here.
Giving for Life initiative reignited at November 5th Synod
A new initiative to encourage generous giving throughout the diocese has been launched at the November 5th meeting of Diocesan Synod in Harrogate.
Giving for Life: Continuing the Journey is a pack of discussion materials to help parishes review their stewardship and giving patterns. It is being sent out to every PCC in the coming few weeks.
The new material was presented by the Stewardship, Funding and Development Team (pictured) and redevelops and expands the original Giving for Life report produced by the Archbishops’ Council in 2009.
Seven years on, a survey of over 1100 parishes has shown that adopting the advice has had a significant impact on levels of giving and attitudes to generosity. Since 2009, church giving have risen by 19.4% at a time when much charitable giving has suffered.
Stewardship Advisor, Jo Beacroft-Mitchell, told Synod, “What we are hoping will happen with these packs is that every PCC will set aside time in the next 12 months to discuss this material and review where they are as a parish against what we have identified as being the best practice across the country.”
Pictured above, the Stewardship, Funding and Development Team, (lt to rt) Susan Rundle, Michael Southworth, Paul Winstanley, Jo Beacroft-Mitchell, Uell Kennedy, and Cath Fox.
Team members will be available to visit parishes and churches can contact them via sfdadmin@leeds.anglican.org or by calling 0113 353 0221.
Diocesan Reorganisation – progress so far
Bishop Nick (pictured left), reporting on diocesan reorganisation, said much has now been achieved – a single office, a new parish share system from the New Year, gradual delegation to area bishops, and governance now being established with a Diocesan Board bringing together the Board of Finance, Mission and Pastoral Committee and Bishop’s Council. Employees now have clear job descriptions - and the recent clergy conference had been a great success.
However, there are risks, warned Bishop Nick. These include getting the right balance between one diocese and five episcopal areas, with the danger of inconsistencies emerging across the diocese. Having three cathedrals could be a challenge, though each brings “immense creative energy” to the diocese, he said. Church commissioners funding is not guaranteed , and it is important that parish share continues to come in. Other challenges were the anticipated fall in clergy numbers, and the challenge of reaching children and young people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “If the next generation is going to be there then we have got to do serious work in reaching children” he added.
Coherence of diocesan activities was important, said Bishop Nick. Closer support to clergy and parishes will be achieved by further delegation to area bishops. Looking ahead, the next two years will be a period of bedding in the diocesan reoganisation and monitoring the effectiveness of the governance arrangements. ‘Loving, Living and Learning‘, he concluded, was the basis of all our activities.
‘The Future of Education’ …. more uncertainty, more church schools?
The Diocese of Leeds has more pupils in its church schools than any other diocese in the country. That was one of the many facts and figures presented to Synod by the Director of Education, Richard Noake (pictured left) and the Chair of the Board of Education, Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, as they reported on ‘The Future of Education’. 62,000 children and young people are being educated in 247 church schools and academies, and with frequent changes to government policy, they made it clear that there are many challenges ahead facing the Board and Education Team.
A ‘Paradigm shift nature of education and schooling’ and ‘Changing messages from government’ were just two of a long list of challenges. “There are huge changes afoot in the world of education”, said Bishop Jonathan. “What those changes are keeps changing from week to week as the government changes its mind.” A further challenge was the reduction of the scope of Local Authority involvement and a shift of focus towards the diocesan responsibilities. “There has been a shift in expectation from the Department of Education in regards to diocesan education which has been immense. The spotlight which used to be firmly on local authorities.. has completely changed and there is now a huge expectation from the Department of Education that the diocese is put under the spotlight and is significantly interrogated.”
However, Richard Noake added that there are significant opportunities to provide much needed school places especially in areas of overcrowding and shortage of places. “The Board of Education would like to establish more church free schools if it possibly can”, he said, referring to the government's free school programme, “so in the last month or so I have been working with some external advisers looking at how we can advance proposals for additional church schools both primary and secondary across the diocese …I would like to see us providing at least six additional church schools across the diocese”.
In other business...
.... proposals to allow small deaneries to increase the number of representatives on Deanery Synod to 50 people, to meet the mimimum number required by Church representation Rules, were approved. A raft of Diocesan Standing Order changes were also approved by Synod after several amendments were rejected by members.
Diocesan Secretary, Debbie Child, reported on Safeguarding developments including a recent national audit of diocesan safeguarding - early indications suggested a positive audit, she said. Consultation on a new national policy, ‘Promoting a safer church’ have been taking place, and there would now be a duty placed on all clergy and licensed lay ministers to have 'due regard' for the House of Bishop's Safeguarding Guidance.