Lenten Visits Wakefield Deanery - The Diocese of Leeds Visits Wakefield Deanery 26th March 2014 Summary: The evening was a positive sharing of ideas with most people engaging in the

Lenten Visits

Wakefield Deanery 26th March 2014

Summary: The evening was a positive sharing of ideas with most people engaging in the discussions. The

overall key themes to take away from this Deanery are:

Making disciples and growing churches through evangelism and outreach

The importance of good Communication

Local access to resources

Things to keep from the old:

Church schools

Mission planning

Parishes sharing and supporting each other

Importance of training

Outreach

The Mirfield Centre

Connections with the Cathedral

Key Issues the new Diocese should take forward:

Respecting Diversity – both ecumenically and within different sections of the Church

Ensure effective resourcing of parishes – providing expertise, sharing ideas and access to

resources and training

Develop mission to children and young people

Good financial stewardship

Making disciples and growing churches through evangelism and outreach

Good pastoral care in clergy

Effective administration

The importance of good Communication

Social Justice

Resourcing the Parishes to do this:

Maintaining local support and accessible resources

Family and Children’s support services

Smaller parish share

Training

The one thing to take away:

Mission and church growth – outreach to all


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Question 1: Looking back over the last few years, what is there about this Deanery and its Parishes that you

would wish to celebrate as being special and would wish to take with you into the life of the new

Diocese?

Popular themes:

Church schools

Mission planning

Parishes sharing and supporting each other

Importance of training

Outreach

The Mirfield Centre


Comments from Cards:

Church schools and the Wakefield Academy system

Parish and school service/co-operation

Education with Church schools

Need to continue with good relationships with Education Authorities

Improve education in the Wakefield area

Work with children has been valued and improved

Good imperative for mission – action plans etc.

Mission initiatives in Wakefield. Door to door outreach at St Georges

Mission action planning

Mission planning and action

Missionary Diocese

Mission planning

Mission planning

Mission and improvement plans

Missional intentionality. Plans to grow the church and desire to serve the community

Mission and improvement plans

Guidance between parishes of how to execute mission, objectives

Missional intentionality – a sense of community and church growth

Since Bishop Nigel’s time a sense of mission and purpose has grown

Designation by Bishop Nigel of Wakefield as the missionary diocese and all that stemmed

from that

Being internationally missional and serve our local community

Our missional improvement plans at the Cathedral

Growth in numbers and as worship through hospitality

Diversity/acceptance of differing Christian traditions


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Co-operation between churches in terms of social provisions

Continuation of sharing and support between parishes

Working together with other churches and faiths for the mutual benefit of all

Getting to know other parishes and their outreach too. In our parish unity we have one

another

Celebrating together and serving the community

The range of outreach between parishes

We have appreciated being part of a Deanery that supports each other. Learning about

what other parishes are doing and inviting others to join in with them have been an

important part of this and we hope that it will continue. One way this could happen is to

encourage parishes to share talents, time and resources. It has also been good to know that

the Diocese have always been there to be called upon when the need arises, and also

providing training events, safeguarding support, buildings advice and our ‘MOT’ workshops

Inspiring one another by sharing our experiences of ministry in our parishes

It has been a deanery that has been open and helpful – by being ‘local’. We know who is

who

The training/education of people to bring them forward for ordination/lay preaching

The opportunities for training and education

Lay training and involvement has increased (Pastoral Ministries etc) – a better sense of

service

Training – Children and Youth etc and parish development

Training for ministry

Desire for learning and training

The many opportunities we have been given to come together in Deanery celebrations,

particularly the Cathedral

Coming together with other churches in our parish e.g. outreach, CAP, recognising talents

and gifts that can be shared

Co-operation of parishes to alleviate need

I think knowing the clergy personally who represent us in our missions

Outreach events in the City centre, parties in the precinct etc.

Outreach programmes

St Georges community centre and CAP centre in Wakefield

CAP centre in Wakefield

Time of joint services within a small part of the Deanery for Lent, Pentecost

Rich educational and spiritual resource at Mirfield

The gift of our renewed Cathedral, its staff, worship, music, mission etc.

Sense of family in the diocese, not heavily structured, know each other

Sense of a local identity distinct from being subsumed into a large sprawl of anonymity

The availability of the Mirfield centre

The Mirfield Centre

Mirfield

Education at Mirfield Centre

Education – the Mirfield Centre is excellent

Mirfield – centre and retreat house


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Spiritual inspiration and deepening Mirfield – awake, resource centre

The current structure is well known. We need to be careful not to confuse the public with

the new terminology

The current Bishop is widely known. We need to ensure that the Bishop of West Yorkshire

and the Dales is not remote

The current Bishop of Wakefield knows all the clergy by name and sight. This is unlikely

under the Bishop of Leeds

Present Bishop walking around the parishes - visibility

The professional support we get from the Children’s and Young People’s team in Church

house

That churches are not made any smaller and develop the small churches

Is Deanery staying under Wakefield for meeting or made bigger?

Serving the local community


Spirituality through the Cathedral Chantry Chapel – Community of the Resurrection – special

places

Cathedral presence – belonging

The cathedral and ecumenical links

Wakefield Cathedral as a centre of excellence

Benefits of renewed Cathedral in Wakefield

The truly splendid worship at Wakefield Cathedral, particularly on Diocesan occasions

Wakefield Cathedral as a ‘city centre’ presence

Our Cathedral – it’s continued role in the city, it’s traditional of choral music

Neighbouring parishes – worship/training

A shared focus and sense of belonging to Wakefield Cathedral

Our Cathedral’s central role in our city of Wakefield

Music – Cathedral

Historic loyalty to the Cathedral

Worship and choral tradition at Cathedral and civic links

Re-vamped Cathedral serving the local church parishes and community

Availability of celebrations in the Cathedral enabling attendance - participation

The Bishop walking alongside the miners (Bishop Nigel) and concern for the common man –

speaking their language

Links with Tanzania – diocesan link started 1988

Our links with parishes in Tanzania

Our parish has re-ordered and now reaches out into our community in many ways, and

particularly with asylum seekers, whose faith puts ours to shame

The Deanery has tried to share it’s riches in worship, social action, spiritual growth

Co-operation with ecumenical partners

The introduction of Back to Church Sunday

Interfaith issues – Bishop Tony

The love of Christ experienced in the life of the congregation of the church – expressed by

welcome and hospitality to strangers


Page 5 of 15

The way it kept unification of the Wakefield and Chevet Deanery and kept everyone on

board

The active participation by most churches in the Deanery function

The close attention the Archdeacon pays to the Deanery

Meeting as a group of fellow Christians from outside my own parish

Ease of access to various meeting places

Lack of formality in proceedings

Churches working together in social action

The fellowship within the Deanery and knowing individuals

Fellowship between church family and community – church pantomime, church café

We in one part of the Deanery have joint services during Lent – it would be good to continue

The use of different churches for services, particularly during Lent and with our particular

parish, different church denominations

Joint shared services with neighbouring parishes

Our parish life

There has been a great deal of work in making parishes active and relevant within main local

areas – outreach work, adult education, disability groups etc often with coffee and other

catering initiatives

The work we have done in the community – friendships

Worshipping together

Cursillo

Links between parish church and the Methodists

Historical continuity

Geographical integrity

Catholic spirituality

Parish – faithful people

Authorised Lay Pastoral Ministers

Diocese – knowing the whole of the Diocese – I fear this will now be lost

Relative accessibility of churches from Wakefield

A sense of family at parish, deanery and diocese level

Resource centre in Wakefield – easily accessible

Several churches in the Deanery that are inspirational to others e.g. St Catherine’s and St

Georges in interacting with the community

Small but perfectly formed like the Chantry

Development of significant links with the community in the parish

A group connected as fringe to the church. Support from the Diocese – Jo Beacroft-Mitchell

and Susan Rundle

St Peter’s Stanley moved from its parish church into old school building – declared

redundant. Realises that the building is not what is really important. More community links

established

Ecumenical services

Small compact area

Knowing each other

Respect of differing traditions


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The sense of identity within this long established Diocese, especially as it celebrates it’s 126th

year


Page 7 of 15

Question 2: What should be the key issues that the new Diocese should make a priority that would enhance the

Mission of the Church in the parishes of this deanery?

Key themes:

Respecting Diversity Partnership

Resourcing/sharing ideas – Good for practice

Children and Young People

Finance Stewardship

Making Disciples/ Grow Churches Evangelism and Outreach

One Clergy/One Parish Multi-parish benefices Clergy Care

Being part of something bigger – Administration

Communication

Vibrant Spiritual Life

Social Justice

Oddments

Respecting Diversity Partnership

Inter-faith contacts

Proper provision for those not in favour of the ordination of women as priests or bishops

That the local ecumenical links are not lost but strengthened

Respecting different traditions and building ecumenical links

Being part of something bigger - Administration

The big gap between the ‘big’ Diocese and smaller areas – making sure that the areas don’t become too parochial. It’s important to be stimulated by ideas of others

No managerialism – not run like an industrial concern

Ensure Wakefield retains it’s identity and is not swallowed up in the larger Diocese

Well located administrative centres with adequate staffing


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Resourcing/sharing ideas – good for practice

How to maintain strength of Mirfield

Preserving traditions

Importance of inward depth in learning as well as outward movement in mission

Maintaining the Resource Centres in each area

Sharing of Resources/Strengths – personal, physical and material

Access to resources e.g. Church House in Wakefield – not far away

Diocese resource the parishes not the other way round

Coherent sensible management of resources including both financed, technical and person power resources. Putting right people in right places to do right job

Education training

Lay training – (Bereavement support) for growth

Resources – Training, things to borrow, sharing ideas, working together

Continuation and developing of authorised Lay Pastoral Ministry

Communication

Unity and communication with others

That our valuable links between parishes and their identity with Wakefield is not lost

The Bishop of West Yorkshire and the Dales I hope will visit all the parishes over the whole area over time

Ensure robust and open lines of communication in all directions

Effective co-ordination not burdensome bureaucracy

Establish effective communication for the Bishop down to parishes

Co-ordination and communication

Communication to be sent out in good time for us to put in our parish magazine before we have to go to press. e.g. things for January to be available early December

Rural areas folk to urban areas to foster understanding

Effective prioritised communication within the church and parishes

Communication logistics involved with travelling and meetings and offices within the Diocese

Better communication Diocese – parish

Follow ‘Thought for the day’ and have a Bishop’s thought for the week (Use Tom Butler)

Communication – especially for Deanery Synod members. Nobody ever contacts us and we miss meetings – busy vicar!!

Communication – more of it please! 2 way

Communication – remoteness of deanery and diocesan personnel – more visits please – visible Rural Dean in touch with parishes

Communication – remoteness of diocesan/deanery language

Children and Young People

Mission to youth – need a core of youth workers – diocesan/deanery

Mission to youth – events arranged around the deanery/diocese

Attractive to young people

Draw younger people into the church

Mission to youth – training for all involved in parish youth work

Support of local parish involvement in schools to encourage children to support the church – communication

Vibrant Spiritual Life

Facilities for retreat – vibrant spiritual life


Page 9 of 15

Finance stewardship

Worry about closures of churches, loss of clergy etc for financial reasons

Require clarity for the future funding of our Cathedrals

Finance – equitable parish share

Rationalisation of church buildings

Social Justice

Speak and act prophetically and courageously in issues of social practice

Work with the needy and marginalised

Working against poverty and social exclusion

Community involvement – Christians against Poverty and Community Awareness Programme

More CAP centres – Christians against Poverty

Tackling poverty/debt in communities

Take the church to the people, for the people will not come to the church

Take the church to the people

Links to prison

Links to Wakefield City of Sanctuary – asylum seekers and Angel Lodge

Church leaders – wider moral issues – human traffics etc

Making Disciples/Grow Churches Evangelism and Outreach

Engaging with younger people – young and middle aged parents

Encourage families and young people to come to church

Promoting Christianity to a wider audience

Successful planning – future generation of Christians

Intentional Missionality

Equip the church to go out

Local mission outside of the church

Evangelism outreach

How to maintain a sense of intimacy in the enlarged diocese

Recognising what’s working in our area and to make sure resources are available for the mission to continue

Show and model the hospitality of God

Mission intentionality

Strengthening relationships locally (parishes/deanery/area/ecumenically)

Take church to the people rather than waiting for people to come to us

Social outreach

Discipling families and young people (if necessary clusters of churches working together)

Supporting clergy and parishes in mission task

Setting clergy and laity free of mission instead of propping up a dying institution

Averting decline through evangelism

Oddments

Opportunity to appoint first woman Bishop

Mara

The significance of Wakefield Cathedral is not diluted and lost in the system

Relevance of deanery to parish life!

Relationships with and support of the third world

Focussing on relationships in our own areas, we cannot be expected to encompass the bones of rural North Yorkshire communities

Joined up thinking about our ministry and mission in church schools – primary and secondary

Education – Church schools, discipling (Mirfield Centre)


Page 10 of 15

One Clergy/One Parish Multi-parish benefices, Clergy Care

Good pastoral care for the clergy

To make sure that no parish is left in isolation

Recognition of work done in parishes – the basic unit

Encourage churches together – groups and more

Supporting and enabling ministry and mission in the parishes

Finding commonality between the different areas of the Diocese – working together – a visible Bishop and Area Bishops to motivate parishes

Ending multiple benefices (clergy/parish)

Leadership – resident priest in every parish no matter whether stipendiary or self supporting

Vicars for parishes – shorter interregna

Please don’t keep giving us hoops to jump through that bear no relevance to our needs

Recognition that we are different and that we know what we are doing in parishes


Page 11 of 15

Question 3: How can the new Diocese best support this Deanery and its parishes in ways that will enhance the

work of the Church locally in growing disciples and being a “Christian presence in every community”?

General Comments/Themes:

Maintaining local support and accessible resources

Family and Children’s support services

Smaller parish share

Training

Support for Parish:

Access to local support (within each Area Bishop)

Creating local support/resources networks

Resource Centre

Accessible local resources Centre e.g. Church House, Wakefield

Maintaining and developing an accessible Resources Centre for use by parishes

Resources accessible

Share resources e.g. mentoring

Continue to provide professional advice and training and support services e.g. Children and

young People, Safeguarding, Bereavement

Availability of dedicated family and children support services (Diocesan workers who go out)

Encourage parishes to broaden their horizons – share insights

Understand local needs, strengths and weaknesses

Don’t enforce conflict of interest at parish level which overstretches resources

To be able to cultivate at parish level without feeling burden by other financial demands

Keep finances realistic

Cut down parish share – release cash for parishes

Smaller realistic parish share to pay

Encourage or require full payments of parish share by all parishes

Encourage lay training – make it more accessible

Training for church officers

Diocesan expertise available at parish level e.g. Registrar (Legal), stewardship, DAC experts

and accessible

Clergy in place and able to train/go on retreat

Bishops, Archdeacons to visit, preach and have lunch in parishes/schools. We want to know

what they believe

Encouragement – spiritually

Motivation

Leadership

Trust us

Cathedral – use us for Diocesan events, develop a worship for three cathedrals – one diocese


Page 12 of 15

Leave us ‘our head’ for our mission/encouragement/witness in the city/business

communities/ local schools/deanery etc.

Use the Cathedral for Diocesan events

Encourage and equip clergy and parishes in evangelism

Education and training

Return senior resources to parish work – mandatory ‘Parish days’ built in all senior staff

diaries

Co-ordinate development of clergy to match need and cover interregnums

Mobile task force mission team to boost parish efforts

At the present moment finding us a priest for St Luke’s Church, Sharlston with New Sharlston

and Streethouse

Training for youth worker

Continuation and support of stewardship

Support for Deanery:

What functions will the Deanery have?

Training opportunities 1 day or series of days e.g. worship leading

Training days for Church Officers and other lay people e.g. PCC

In service training for clergy and reader and lay pastoral ministers

Provide training and retired facilities e.g. Mirfield accessible

Senior staff dairies to include mandatory ‘Parish Days’

Smaller deaneries function better

Open and visible funding arrangements

Until we know what the deanery aspires to, we feel we cant really answer this question

Support for Rural Dean

Support for the Rural Dean to fulfil parish expectations

Enhanced role for Area/Rural Deans

Avoid key events clashing e.g. Toddler praise and Deanery Synod

Provide resources e.g. Church House locally, not far away

Bishops and Archdeacons to communicate with deanery via email, blog or other, not via the

national news

By strengthening the cathedral

Keep support as local as possible

Flatten organisational structures

Emphasise bottom up rather than top down approach

Financial support for Youth Workers

Deanery events for youth


Page 13 of 15

What one thing do you want us to take forward from this meeting?

That the Diocese plans to grow new disciples, reverse decline and nurture mission

intentionality

That all the valuable mission that is already happening in Wakefield Diocese doesn’t struggle

to continue as readjustments take place

A central strategy for growth, discipleship and service which is delivered locally

‘Church growth’ particularly in the parishes

Encourage young people back to church

Making them growing disciples

For the Cathedral to be able to reach out to the people of Wakefield

Encouragement and Provision for children, young people and families

To be encouraged to feel part of the ‘big picture’ individually and as a parish

Life and love of Christ to be experienced

Be a servant church i.e. truly serve ALL the people in our parish, no matter what race or

creed

To embrace and draw into faith and church membership families and young people

(currently largely absent in our church)

To reach the un-reached through all the ways that we can devise; to lead them into a

personal relationship with Jesus

More young people to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and find the fullness I’ve found in Him.

Evangelism and mission

More opportunities for praying with and for others across the Diocese and worshipping

together – so that others outside “church” want to join in

Stability and growth in the parishes of the new Diocese

Pastoral care – don’t let anyone slip away because they feel unneeded or unwanted

More quality time from the clergy in shared parishes. Too many jobs do not proved the care

and commitment required of a parish priest

For our church I would like Church hall. For many walking through the church door is

difficult. To go into the Church hall for a coffee morning may be an easier way into church

For us to continue working together to grow our congregation in today’s society and for the

future

Central strategy delivered locally for mission and growth of the church

Joint approach in being in/reaching into our communities to serve God and all people and

experience and be part – bringing about transformation in Christ

How do we reach and disciple 18-35s and what will the church look like in 30 years time

(technologically) that we need to prepare for now?

To reach out more to the ‘not yet’ believers with God’s gift of the spirit to empower us in

this mission outreach

Create provision and sustained pastoral workers within the church to enable better outreach

within the community

To establish relevance through outreach work on poverty and social exclusion

Help, either physical or with form of ideas on how to reach out to people within the parish


Page 14 of 15

A hope that the church will never forget the message of Jesus – that we love one another.

That we spread the news to all – no matter what affiliation we hold

That more young families will come to know our Lord Jesus Christ and find peace and the

love of fellow Christians

The continuation of the Training Forum

Maintain character and identity as Church of England not a “denomination” (and no more

Americanisation)

A miracle – not only to bring young people in but couples aged 30-50 to run “the church” as

there are so many aged 60 plus

To see younger people and families attending church and to be able to reach out to all

members of local communities

Keeping the main thing as the main thing – how do we respond in love to a God who first

loved us? Good discipleship

Helping parishes to share ministry and developing outreach and mission

Looking forward and trying to improve the whole new Diocese in making a successful future

Let’s focus on making and growing disciples – people who go deep with God. Let’s not get

caught in the trap of seeking “success” – let’s be faithful, even if things are tough

To see the Gospel preached if necessary using words but preferably through love, joy, peace

and action in every aspect of community life in and outside the church

More people to find Jesus as their saviour and friend, in the church or outside of it and to

find the value of prayer and Bible study themselves

To proclaim hope and love transforming a caring community which is a beacon of Christ’s

church in West Yorkshire

To recognise where God is alive and active outside the church and to join in

That our new Diocese be a vibrant ‘happening’ place where we feel good about belonging

together in Christ and energised by the Spirit to reach out in love to all

To find a way to trust a church hierarchy which has imposed the new Diocese, despite 2/3

voting against and being told in Synod that the new Bishop would be form outside the 3

Dioceses. I feel duped and disregarded. This does not help us start well. I pray the ‘top

brass’ both clergy and lay will truly listen to us in parishes – we are at the coal face

The church should move and change it’s views in a modern 21st century embracing

technology for example

A growth and desire for children’s ministry

Working together with God and with others to serve the community which we live

Pastoral care should be important in the whole of the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the

Dales

For us to have visionary leadership that will enthuse, inspire and encourage us all to have

confidence in the sharing of the Gospel

To see God’s wonders and miracles at work within my church and reaching out to the people

of our towns and cities.” Come Holy Spirit and bless everyone who reaches out”

Outreach stretching form every parish throughout the Diocese

To ensure that this re-organisation remains focussed on the church’s mission and does not

spend time and resources on internal politics and organisational issues

Pray together about everything. Learn to listen to God. Obey Him


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That the vision that has led to all this massive reorganisation is fulfilled. That it will all have

been worth it and lead to a reinvigorated C of E in WYAD

The combined Diocese will be seen to be relevant to each parish and people outside the

church will realise the relevance and need of Jesus

That there is a Christians against Poverty centre available for every person in the Diocese

More people coming into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (invite ‘Through Faith

Missions’ to help us?)

To get the pews full of people who could enjoy the fellowship in God as we do, especially

children who should know this God and what he does for us all unconditionally

For God to bring the Holy Spirit into the church, to make people want to join and come to

know Him and his love for us so that the church becomes vibrant and alive and provides

something for everyone

That this decision for a ‘super’ diocese works and does not deteriorate to the detriment of

all – clergy and the people

A passion and enthusiasm for spiritual, social and practical outreach to local communities

That the new diocese reverse the decline in congregations although the parish is seeing a

slight resurgence

Documents

Lenten Visits Wakefield Deanery - The Diocese of Leeds Visits Wakefield Deanery 26th March 2014 Summary: The evening was a positive sharing of ideas with most people engaging in the