Transcript Weybridge Deanery Change Management Programme

Meeting of Advisory and Communications Group
January 20, 2015
Opening Prayer: Mk 1.14-20
Agenda
 Preparing the Way Forward: Feedback on Coolham
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Clergy residential by Fr. Rob Esdaile (Dean)
Discussion of Draft Vision Statement produced as a
result of the Coolham meeting
Working Together Across the Deanery – meetings
planned for Feb 24 for particular groups and ministries
Developing Communications Across the Deanery
Growing Together in Ministry and Mission
Next Steps/Future Meetings
Reflections From Coolham (1):
A New Calling for a New
Millennium
 Pope Francis’ call to become A Church of Joyful
Missionary Disciples was anticipated by JPII in 2001:
‘Put out into the deep’ and ‘Contemplate the Face
of Christ’
(Novo Millennio
Ineunte)
 Pope Francis more recently wrote to Religious urging
them: look to the past with gratitude, live the
present with passion, look to the future with hope
Reflections From Coolham (2):
Dealing With Change
 Change is inevitable in any living organisation – but
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organisations naturally resist change!
Change may be reactive (forced on us) or proactive (freely
chosen)
Change may be incremental (presuming existing
structures) or transformational (the result of ‘blue-sky
thinking’)
Management seeks to do things right; Leadership seeks
to do the right things: we need both!
Change involves bereavement – leaving behind – and is
inherently unsettling/disturbing
Reflections From Coolham (3):
Begin With The Positive
 Our rationale has to be a better way of being Church, NOT
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reducing number of clergy
A Kairos-moment (both grace and decision) as we await
New Bishop in Golden Jubilee year
Resistance costs energy, alignment increases energy – so
when we feel resistance LISTEN and seek to convert
resistance into alliances
Task of everyone is Discernment
A particular task of the Clergy is to empower the baptismal
vocation of all and guide our communities through a time
of change
Reflections From Coolham (4):
Reasons For Seeking Change:
 Freshness of the Gospel (‘New Wine, New
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Wineskins’) and power of the Spirit
Our broken world is in need of salvation
Being Christ-like and prophetic (like Pope Francis)
Nature of the Church is transformational mission
Reaching out to the hurting, to those not touched by
existing models (‘resting Catholics’); using the gifts of
all to build community
more efficient use of resources
Reflections From Coolham (4):
Moving Through A Change Process
 Need to be attentive to emotional dimension
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(honesty about feelings, hopes/fears)
What empowers us (or dis-empowers us)?
We need to articulate a clear and compelling vision
for the future: ‘even better if ...’
Ask: what steps are required to achieve that?
We need to acknowledge and value difference – aim is
alignment of energies, not uniformity
Reflections From Coolham (5):
What Sort of Change Do We Want?
What are we hoping for?
What are we passionate about?
What is the most appropriate
response to our situation?
Reflections From Coolham:
Types of Change
Proactive
Incremental
Tuning
TransformationalRe-orientation
Reactive
Adaptive
Regeneration
Draft Vision Statement
for Weybridge Deanery
 As members of Christ’s Church, reading the signs
of the times and listening to the voice of the Holy
Spirit, we respond to the call to proclaim the joy of
the Gospel to all, most especially the marginalised
and the broken hearted.
We commit to creating an inclusive
community where the gifts of all are used for
God’s service.
Why This Statement
 The Holy Spirit calls us and empowers each one of us
through our Baptism.
 We are all called to contribute our Spirit-given gifts
and to work together to build up the Christian
community.
 The very act of celebrating the Eucharist sends us forth
to share the Gospel.
 Christ comes to us unrecognised in the least and the
most rejected (Mt 25.40) both within and beyond our
community.
Why Now?
 In a rapidly changing world, new ways of witnessing to the
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Gospel are needed.
Through the media we are being made aware both of increasing
brokenness in our society and the world at large and of new
possibilities for connecting with others as our brothers and
sisters.
There is a growing awareness in the Church of our call to be
missionary disciples.
Pope Francis has challenged us all “to be bold and creative in ...
rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of
evangelisation” and in acting together to undertake the task of
sharing the Joy of the Gospel.
So we believe that ‘Now is the favourable time’ (2 Cor 6.2) – a
God-given opportunity to renew and deepen our faith and
witness in our locality.
Other Agenda Items
 Working Together Across the Deanery – meetings
planned for Feb 24 for particular groups and ministries
 Developing Communications Across the Deanery
 Growing Together in Ministry and Mission
 Next Steps/Future Meetings