Mission or Maintenance (1) - schools

Last week I was challenged by some thinking relating to the wonderful area of what we used to call 'Job Design and Quantification' that would, in my humble opinion, have made the Golgafrinchams* appear highly capable and adept individuals. One of the many interesting elements in this consideration of the clergy roles related to schools in the parish, district or area in which our heroic cleric was located. It went just a little like this:

If you have a church school in your patch then you add some points to the total job workload equation

BUT

If you don't happen to have a church school in your patch but have non-church schools

AND

You just happen to be involved there doing assemblies, RE coordination and perhaps even act as a member of the governing body then you award yourself:

NIL POINTS (all a bit Eurovision this isn't it?).

Yes indeedy folks, that's right - NIL POINTS!

Now one of my colleagues who was chair of governors at one school and was engaged in doing assemblies in four or five schools did all of this as part of their 'out of hours interest'. Turns out this isn't part of their job at all - it was their hobby!

Another of colleagues (who rarely went into the local church school for assemblies and was more often than not missing from governor's meeting) who had church schools in their patch had more points (and points could mean posts when reorganisation comes a knocking) with less real engagement in the school or the community that that role should have brought.

All seems a bit wrong when we start legislating for what is part of the job in such a way as we make pastoral and missional engagement something that is other than the clergy role doesn't it? But that's what we are apparently faced with (and that is a real ..... [insert you own word - I'm lost for one]!).

So here's a hint for all those who read this and find they have non church schools in your area - doing them is not, apparently, part of the pastoral or parochial ministry associated with the church, it's merely your hobby.

And, if you don't fancy schools ministry then all you need to do is avoid those with church schools in and you're sorted - all the others are merely a potential hobby and (of course) that's 'just not your calling' is it?

Simple? (Well some people obviously are!!!)

Pax

*If you don't know about the Golgafrinchams, can I suggest you read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

Vocation - Calling or Job?

One struggle that I have with those investigating a call on their life to ministry is that of trying to help them consider 'the ministry' as something other than a job that one does in a church setting.

We roll out models of submission (Nehemiah) and point to the life and ministry of Jesus; We this discuss primus inter pares (first among equals) and what this means in terms of being church and being called. The end of the 'nine to five' and 'leaving work at home' as we consider things ontological (you are what you do, you don't just do it!) and just as light, which is not an approaching train, appears at the end of the tunnel things get interesting.

"But it is a job because you have appraisals, just like where I work! Not only that but my Vicar told me that the church was making vicars redundant and that's what we're doing where I am at the moment! How come you're telling me that it's more than a job because it looks and sounds like one from where I'm looking at it?"

Well, it never used to be, did it?