Presbyter's Ramblings

Presbyter`s Ramblings

Presbyter`s Ramblings

The Annual Synod, often referred to as the August Synod, recently met over two consecutive days – Friday the 17^th and Saturday 18^th July. Normally this meeting would happen in August. The Annual Conference is being held one month early this year which has pushed all other meetings and report writing ahead by a month.

 On Friday the Ministerial Synod met. This meeting usually consists of clergy and laity in stationed parish appointments,  ministers in other appointments, and retired clergy. Amongst other discussions

Rev. Robyn Humphreys provided updated  information on the

Ministry Discernment Process. This process assists individuals who feel the call of God on their lives for ministry. The discernment process helps an individual decide on what type of ministry an individual is called to.

Presently this might be  presbyteral, diaconal, lay preacher, or possibly something else.  This is a discernment process only. If for example, the discernment process highlights presbyterial ministry, the individual might then move to the Candidating Process. It is this latter process that the  Church would test the person’s call to ministry.

I reported  on the Research Project “From Isolation to Connection” The reports that  will inform some important decisions at the coming Conference were:

Te Amorangi Ki Mua  This is the new entity that replaced Mission Resourcing. It will look after a number of functions that were carried out by Mission Resourcing. Significantly it is looking at how it might serve both partners within the Methodist Church of New Zealand Taha Maori

and Tauiwi. In the past Mission Resourcing was primarily responsible for Tauiwi. (Tauiwi represents all English Synods and the Cultural Synods).

Diaconal Ministry   The  Methodist Church  has two ordained ministers:  the Presbyter and the Deacon. While the role of Presbyter, the minister of word and sacrament ,is well understood by the church, the role of Deacon is much less so. Both ministries are held in equal standing. The Deacon however,  embodies  servant ministry. The Deacon’s ministry is  often described  as  one of costly service. It is very rare, for example, that a Deacon receives a stipend. The report recommends to Conference to relook at what it means by Diaconal Ministry.

Draft Waka Hourua Framework for Statistical and Narrative Reporting for a few years the Church has been questioning the relevance  of meaning of its statistical reporting. It  has been felt in the past that the collected statistics provide little significance in the life of the Church. The stats are reported to the Charity Commission. In the past there was a position in the Church known as the Statistics Secretary who would report each year on the parish statistics collected and what they might mean for the Church as it was and what it would mean for the future.

The proposed change to the collection of information would include narrative reporting.  This would collect qualitative information on the life of the church, telling the story of our Parishes.

The Synod Strategic Plan 2026 – 2031is not quite completed, and annual An area of concern to the Synod is to do with children and young people.  It is looking like the final When the Strategic Plan will be finalized in March of 2027. Once it is completed it will inform Parish Strategic Plans.

Finally the  Synod Superintendent’s Report to the 2026 Annual Synod was received. It included information on the piece of research I am presently engaged in.

Finally, the Stronger Together Initative

Two things have occurred  in the last few weeks. A Lego Youth Event held at Beckenham and a meeting  with leadership  representation with the leaders of the six parishes that are a part of the initiative. Our next meeting of the parishes’ leadership team is on Wednesday 9^th September.

At that meeting we will be discussing the following questions: 

What do parishes want and/or need from each other?

What can each parish offer?

What might Stronger Together look like in 3 years’ time?

In one of our services before this date we will talk about this.

                                                                                                    Andrew.