The Three "Selfs" #2 - Self-governing

Part of what it means for Connections to belong to The Imagine Project is to articulate and communicate some of the things we have learned and are learning in pioneering fresh expression ministry.

Almost twelve months ago I began a series of blog posts about the consideration of "the long-held principle for guiding the planting of new congregations and churches that the ultimate aim is that the new body be characterised by the the 'three self's' - self-governing, self-financing, self-reproducing [or self-extending]." In that first post I looked at our learnings and experience in the area of finances.

In this post I want to look at the second principle of "self-governing." To introduce the concept let me quote from the definitive Mission-Shaped Church report that laid a solid foundation for fresh expressions in the Church of England and was of great influence here when Connections was being conceived.

"All church plants and fresh expressions of church benefit from the process of learning to run their own affairs, as far as they are able. Learning to make decisions and taking responsibility (including permission to fail) are part of growth and maturity. Protective 'sending' churches need to discover how to give away control and power, and celebrate the independence and interdependence of the new church." (Page 122)

This is certainly something we have experienced in the five years of the Connections project. At the moment Connections has no legal existence in itself and exists as a cost centre within the wider Parish of Burnie.

At the beginning of the project it was emphasised, as recounted in the introduction to our current Mission Action Plan (MAP):

"From the outset the 'Somerset Project' has been much more than simply 'starting a new service.' The focus is on forming and operating a genuine community of believers that care for one another, worship together, and help one another grow into the persons they are called by God to be."

The implications of this have not always been well understood from both sides - that of the congregation, and that of the wider Parish. Early on I remember the many situations in which there was tension between eager, energised church planters wanting to move ahead but being held up by months-long decision-making, and diligent and concerned stewards of the Parish resources unsure of how much and to whom they should be invested.

At the beginning of 2007 we drew up our MAP. It did (and does) what all Mission Action Plans should do - articulate our vision, outline our values and objectives. It also, however, gave the broad brush-strokes on how the "Connections Leadership Team" could be formed and take on certain responsibilities by delegation from the Parish Council. The MAP itself, when adopted by the Parish Council, therefore became an instrument of delegation. The conversations and debates in the process that led to the MAP's adoption were energetic and substantial and touched on fundamental matters of ecclesiology and identity.

Both our "sending" Parish and Connections have changed in the last couple of years and the MAP is now somewhat out of date and leaves questions unanswered. For instance, how will our planned Youth Minister relate to the governance of the congregation - who will that person be answerable to and how? What about our plans for an Ordained Pioneer Ministry training position - can that go ahead "in faith" or only if approved and financed by the larger organisation? What is the strategic planning of the wider body, and how does this relate to the priorities that Connections has? etc.

And so we are about to begin again the process of considering the way in which Connections is governed and stewarded and the place of that governance within our wider context. And yet again, we will touch on fundamental matters of ecclesiology and identity.

Some parties are keen to for Connections to cut the apron strings and to become independent of the Parish - existing alone, perhaps not as a separate Parish, but as a Special Ministry District or some other identity within the Diocese. There is merit in this position. Although it would take some re-arranging, this path appears to be financially viable. Connections has its own momentum that is not always in the same direction as that of parochial context and this could be a way of "growing up and leaving home" with blessing and rejoicing from all.

Others are keen for Connections to remain a part of the Parish and to bless and to be blessed from "within the family" so to speak. There is also merit in this position. It would enable economies of scale, provide an environment for inter-congregational initiatives and provide some long-term financial security. It would allow Connections to take it's place within the Parish and to be an influence on the "bigger machine" at local, regional and wider levels.

In the end the reality that the "self-governing" principle points to will bring us to a place of asking the question of "to stay or to go." Either option will require a willingness from both the congregation and the Parish to invest in relationship and to detail priorities and negotiate arrangements with good grace, the love of Christ, and Kingdom priorities.

The Connections Project will be reviewed in the next 12-18 months and I'm sure governance will be a key part of the considerations. Whatever the eventual direction, the status quo will be untenable, and everyone will come out the other end changed. Let us pray it is for the better!

There are many ways to implement the principles of balancing autonomy with accountability and interdependence. All I know is that I am aware of the truth of this statement from Mission-Shaped Church:

"Lack of legal existence can make a plant collapse at a time of stress and, if present, can help support it through crisis."

The Three "Selfs" #1 - Self-financing

It is a long-held principle for guiding the planting of new congregations and churches that the ultimate aim is that the new body be characterised by the the "three self's" - self-governing, self-financing, self-reproducing.

In earlier stages of the Connections project we have put a lot of work into governance issues - particular when it came to our relationship with our immediate context of the Parish of Burnie. This work will need to be tweaked over time.

Our vision includes elements of "self-reproduction" - which ultimately would include sending out a group to plant a church from amongst us somewhere else. But in the meantime we are committed to reproducing some of the blessings that God has given us and taking our place in contributing to the wider church through whatever opportunity arises.

I've called this article "The Three Selfs #1" because I hope that at some point I'll write about the self-governing and self-reproducing aspects.

However, in this entry I want to reflect a little on the self-financing aspect of this principle. The Parish recently had it's Annual Meeting and for the first time a clear demarcated budget for the Connections Process has been adopted and approved. We've always had self-sufficiency financially on our list of aspirations - but now we need to actually have a plan to achieve it.

Underneath the self-financing principle lies a necessary vision for growth. We have to plan for growth and, therefore, to be basing certain decisions and projections on things that don't yet exist!

The way it works for us is this. At the moment the Connections project is subsidised to the tune of what it costs to provide one paid clergyperson. Half of this money is provided through the Diocese by Bush Church Aid (BCA) and the other half comes from the contribution of the Parish of Burnie. The rest of the budget (which in the coming year needs to incorporate amounts to pay for youth ministry and to support the ongoing children's ministry) comes from general giving at Connections - either in donations, regular electronic transfers, or "in the plate." Our giving is reasonable - about $18 per adult per week (although it could be better) - and covers these expenses and balances the budget.

But it is unhealthy for us to depend on the subsidy from Parish and from BCA. To be self-sustaining, and ultimately a net-giver to the Kingdom we need to budget for a phase out of this subsidy. We are projecting a phase out of around 25% of the original subsidy per year over the next few years. So subsidy will go down and costs will necessarily go up as more ministry is done.

And so we plan, believe, pray for growth. We are planning for an increase in the number of adults. We have to act on that plan by removing the obstacles to that growth - things like the size of our current venue, and our lack of efficient structures for incorporating newcomers. We can see what we need to do.

The growth needed in the next twelve months is for about another 5-10 members or families. This is the grace of a target that looks reachable but is only available as a gift from God. Pray that we will get there - for the faith that's needed for subsequent years will be greater still.

Some are uneasy talking about money matters and church. I count myself among them often. But in the end we aren't talking about riches here, we're talking about corporate maturity and growth as a gospel-organisation. We wish to be blessed to be a blessing, to give and to contribute. And so we must take the risky, difficulty, scarey path of growth.