The new Strategic Plan Implementation Group met together for the first time on Thursday September 22^nd.  The Group will meet regularly on the fourth Thursday of the month.  It was agreed that a communication would be sent to the Diocese following each meeting via missionconversations.blogspot.com with a link provided to the site in the Sunday announcements.  The Director for Mission and Ministry will also report regularly to the Diocesan Council and to the whole diocese through the Huron Church News. 

The Group spent much of its first meeting getting to know one another and being updated by The Venerable Richard Salt as to what steps have been taken and what has been accomplished during the first five months of his new ministry to the Diocese. Among many other things Richard reported that he had initiated the Prodigal God Study which will take place widely across the diocese during the six weeks following Thanksgiving and held a clergy day to prepare the clergy for the study; consulted with the Archdeacons and Executive Staff to establish some priorities for the use of financial and time resources;  worked with the Bishop’s and Archdeacons to develop guidelines for motions coming to Diocesan Council regarding the disestablishment, reorganizing and realigning of congregations and parishes; and has started conversations about planning for the future with a number of  congregations.

Later in the meeting the Group spent some time discussing the possible direction for and content of the proposed Lay Leadership Day that will be held in four different locations in the diocese in early 2012.

Finally the group elected John Thorpe as their chair and Paul Knowles as their vice-chair.

Ministry in Three Dimensions – by Stephen Croft

In his book “Ministry in Three Dimensions” Stephen Croft examines the work of ordained ministry in light of our changing culture and circumstances.  He traces the biblical roots of the three-fold ministry of diakonia, presbyter and episcope and then points out how these roles have changed and developed over the centuries as the needs of the church have changed. He points out that authentic ministry that meets the needs of today’s church has elements of the traditional work of all three orders.  Personally I believe that those of us who are priests have not fully developed the various dimensions of the ministry we are called to. We were all ordained deacons and yet most of us considered it a transitory place and did not come to fully embrace the role of servanthood that deacons are called to.  The fact that we remain deacons after being priested does not always continue to form us as it should. Similarly, if we have grown up in the church of the 20^th century we do not always see the need to provide locally the vision and leadership that have traditionally been the role of the episcope.  Croft’s book is a good read that encourages all who are ordained to reexamine what their ministry is about and how it needs to develop and grow to meet the challenges of the 21^st century. 

- Richard Salt