426 Local Shared Ministry

Note: This guideline has not been formally recognised by all Partners and is currently under discussion. The proposed amendments to the original Guidelines are based on the Memorandum of Understanding, Stella Maris Wellington 14&15 July 2005

426.1 Introduction

Local Shared Ministry is a model in which all roles of ministry are fulfilled by members of the cooperative venture. It is an alternative form of ministry to either full or part time, provided by one or more stipended or non-stipended persons appointed to the Parish. It includes models of local team ministry currently used by any of the Partners. It is a model of one of the ways by which the community of the baptised carries out their ministry.

426.2 Preparation

The first step in the possible introduction of Local Shared Ministry may be taken either by the Parish or by one or more of the Partners and/or the JRC at any time. A natural time for this discussion to take place is when a notification of a vacancy occurs and/or a mission strategy review is initiated. At this time both the church of oversight and the person or people who will take responsibility for facilitating the ongoing enquiry process are decided. It is imperative that all parties - the Cooperative Venture and its Partners - are involved in the dialogue from the beginning. The Joint Regional Committee shall be responsible for bringing all parties together, for coordinating the dialogue and for brokering any possible developments.

It is important that any decision to opt for LSM be preceded by an appropriate time of visioning, education, discussion and support. This extensive time of widespread enquiry/exploration into the models available will culminate in a meeting of Parish and partners to decide the future course of ministry.

A CV may choose an LSM model for theological reasons rather than financial or any other more pragmatic reasons.

If it is jointly agreed that Local Shared Ministry is a responsible strategy for the venture the Joint Regional Committee shall make a recommendation to the regional courts for their approval. This may include the form of locally provided ministry to be adopted, or it may require further dialogue between all the parties, again coordinated by the Joint Regional Committee.

Local Shared Ministry is appropriate in cooperative ventures where certain conditions apply. Such conditions may include:

It can be adequately recognised that for local contextual reasons, which may include financial criteria, that locally provided ministry rather than stipended ministry is a preferable model.
There is adequate potential for local leadership.
There is a clear majority decision of the membership of the parish to pursue this model of ministry.

426.3 Establishment

Ideally, decisions concerning the tasks appropriate for the ministry team in that Parish, the process of selection, discernment, confirmation, training and authorisation should be made jointly by the parish partners in close consultation with the Parish. The Enabler would normally facilitate this process.

426.4 Oversight

It is part of the model of LSM that all LSM congregations have an Enabler appointed.

Enabling is a specific ministry role which requires training in understanding the particular nature of LSM and the enabling role

The Ministry Enabler shall be appointed from outside the Parish. The church of oversight shall be responsible for appointing the Enabler, who may come from any of the partner churches, and for providing the job description.

Enabler responsibilities

Resourcing and training both the Ministry Support Team and the Congregation.
Encouraging and empowering the gifts of all the baptised.
May provide supervision / mentoring for all or individual members of the Ministry Support Team.
Facilitate team-building
Self-development in ministry coaching skills
Understanding of and sensitivity to the special nature of CVs and the partners.

Enablers are not members of the congregation that they are enabling. Enablers are not the decision makers for the congregations they enable

Oversight of Enablers
Oversight of the Enabler is the responsibility of the judicatory (eg Bishop, District Superintendent, Presbytery) of one of the partner churches

The appointment of an Enabler shall be for a specific term. Changes in Denomination Oversight shall not change the model or personnel of Local Shared Ministry in the Co-operative Venture. Any changes must be fully discussed by all parties, again with the Joint Regional Committee as coordinator.

Payment for ministry of the enabler shall be met by the Cooperative Venture.

426.4a Selection of Ministry Support Team

Once a list of Ministry Team roles have been established, the Enabler arranges a calling process, whereby members of the congregation are invited to nominate people for each position on the ministry team, including ordained ministers. These names are sent in confidence to the Enabler. A team representing the parish and the Partner churches will then consider all nominations, meet the persons nominated whom they consider suitable candidates (and bring the names they choose back to the parishioners to make any confidential comments they wish to make on the proposed names. After considering these comments,) the selection team will make a final decision

426.5 Training

It will be a condition of appointment that all members of the Local Shared Ministry Support Team accept initial and continued training. The nature of that training will be local and will normally be carried out in the local context. Training shall be the responsibility of the Partner churches and shall reflect an ecumenical awareness.

The parish shall be expected to contribute financially for local training

426.6 Ordination

The form and place of ordination shall be appropriate to all the parties and shall be part of the dialogue developed by the Joint Regional Committee.

Any ordination and other appropriate authorisations shall be in the context of an ecumenical service and must include all parties. The service shall be at a place appropriate to the Partner authorising the Local Shared Ministry.

Induction or other recognition services to the parish shall take place in the local setting and shall include all parties.

Letters of ordination and authorisation would be issued by the ordaining denomination to individual team members.

In an LSM CV each Partner Church recognises the validity of the ordained ministry of the other Partners.

426.7 Discipline And Ethics

Each member of the Ministry Team shall be subject to the discipline of his/her own partner denomination, or may agree to be subject to the discipline of the Church of Oversight.

Each member of the LSM support ministry team must personally sign the Code of Ethics adopted and approved by the Forum of Co-operative Ventures. (See sect 219 of the Common Provisions).

Each member of the Local Shared Ministry Support Team (other than the ordained) shall, prior to the authorisation service, state in writing to the Joint Regional Committee which denomination shall be responsible for his/her discipline. If a member of the Team is uncertain as to accountability, they shall be subject to the discipline of the church of oversight.

Where matters of collective discipline are concerned, the Ministry Support Team as a whole is subject to the discipline of the Church of Oversight.

426.8 Reviews

Normal three-yearly reviews of the ministry of the parish and its Team will take place. After one such term, the parish or any of the parish partners may request a review of the whole LSM strategy at the time of the next three-yearly review.

426.9 Parish Council

Parish Council continues to be the local court of governance. Members of the locally provided ministry support team shall be responsible for carrying out the tasks assigned by Parish Council. They may or may not be members of Parish Council as a matter of local preference.

It is desirable to achieve a balance between achieving some common membership between the two groups and avoiding too great a common membership.