sustain:if:able kiwi

totems for ministry training in the Uniting Church

Totem – A natural object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and adopted by it as an emblem.

The pathway to ordained ministry in the Uniting church is divided into four phrases.

First, an initial period of discernment. For at least a year a person has a mentor, some set ministry tasks, some study, which includes the range of ministry opportunities within the Uniting Church, and some intentional retreat experiences. These are designed to explore the question – what is God calling me to.

Second, the Core Phase. If the person believes they are called to ordained ministry, they apply to become a candidate. If accepted, they enter a period of around three years, in which they mix intentional study, ministry practice and formation. This includes being partnered with the Formation Panel, who work with them three times a year, discerning together the best pathway by which to nurture each person’s unique ministry charism.

Third, Phase 3. If deemed ready by the Church, they are ordained and enter a first placement. They are primarily in placement in ministry, but are surrounded by a stronger set of supports. These include a supervisor. They also remain with their formation panel and continue to study.

Fourth, lifelong learning, in which they continue in placement. They are blessed out of a Formation panel. They are encouraged to continue in supervision and in learning.

With that oveview, let me return to totems, in this case the objects by which a particular society places spiritual significance. At the start of Phase 2, the new candidate meets with the Principal. As part of this, the Principal gives them a number of gifts.

I reckon these are totems. Symbolically they speak of what is considered essential to Phase 2. In the case of Uniting College, historically they have included a worship resources (Uniting in Worship 2), a book about the regulations of the church, a book of essays on key polity decisions and a book on the history of ministry formation.

Here’s my question.

What five things would you give to a person about to start training for ministry within a denominational system?

(Note, I am focusing on Phase 2, training, not Phase 3, first placement. The Uniting church has another set of totems for that!).

Go Danica, Go Pilgrim, Go indigenous immersion

Sunday was Reconciliation Sunday here in Australia. A week to focus on partnership with indigenous people and communities.

Earlier this year, Uniting College partnered with one of our local churches, Pilgrim Uniting, to begin Walking on Country – a long weekend immersed in a local indigenous community, supported by pre-readings and post-trip debrief. This was part of a non-formal teaching plan to ensure our ministry candidates and their families (optional) experience cross cultural immersion among Australia’s indigenous peoples.

Sunday was a fitting time for this new venture to connect back with the local partner church. Danica Patselis (student at Uniting College, currently in a Period of Discernment and married to a candidate) spoke, reflecting on what the experience meant to her. As she later emailed me –

Thanks for prioritizing this trip for the formation of ministers. Nick and I were both renewed and transformed in our thinking and actions from our time with Uncle Tom and Aunty Denise. We are hoping to take a group from Hope Valley to the Congress church to begin conversations, worship together, and learn from the vibrant spirituality of these peoples. But we’re taking small steps as we want it to be long-term action not reactive.

As part of the service, as Principal, I offered a greeting (which I emailed sitting on a Melbourne motel floor)

Uniting College have been delighted to partner with Pilgrim Uniting in the Walking on Country initiative. It has been life changing for some participants. It has enabled ongoing conversations about the Preamble, justice, partnership across cultures. It has both broadened, yet humbled, our understandings of mission and ministry. We hope its the start of an annual event and an ongoing partnership both with Pilgrim and local indigenous communities. Maori culture has a proverb “He tangata, he tangata , he tangata” – the people, the people, the people. That was our experience with you and at Camp Coorong. A Pentecost gift to cherish – Principal Steve Taylor

mission research (post-graduate)

One of the joys of my current season is the opportunity to work with a good number of post-graduate students, on some really interesting aspects of mission research. At Uniting College, we’re seeing a growing number of post-graduate students wanting to focus their time on mission. What is even more interesting is that a good number of the projects are empirical in nature, actually working with real people, reflecting on what is happening on the ground, in lives and communities.

These are some of the projects I’m currently involved in supervising

• Phil (DMin) is interviewing pioneers. Dianna Butler Bass has argued for a pastoral imagination. So is there a pioneer imagination? What are the implications for formation?

• Gary (DMin) is exploring new monasticism. He has pioneered a course, one that helps people apply Benedictine spirituality to their everyday life. But does it? And what would Benedict say about how one might live monastically in today’s society?

• David (PhD) is analysing the cultural intelligence of ministers. What factors contribute to cross-cultural expertise? Can they be taught, or is it caught?

• Lesley (PhD) is analysing how migrants do theology. How is it different from Western approaches to theology? What might be the implications for theological education, especially as Australia sees increasing numbers of migrants call this place home?

• Fred is investigating male spirituality. He has used the Australian film Mens Group, as a window and is then reflecting missionally on ways to develop male spirituality, whether inside or outside the church

• (There are two more PHD projects who’ve spoken to me regarding supervision, both currently working their way through university entrance processes. Both will also be empirical projects, exploring the practice of mission and ministry. But I will hang off on naming those until they are a bit further down the track.)

One of the advantages of Uniting College is that we can offer qualifications both at PhD level, through Flinders University and at Doctor of Ministry, through Adelaide College of Divinity. It’s a great combination, allowing us to encourage a range of student interests, all while cultivating a growing research culture in mission and ministry. It’s great in the midst of a busy day, filled with meetings about the College, to suddenly be able to spend an hour with a keen and thoughtful mind, discussing mission, based not on theories but on actual around research.

Upgrades – resourcing ministry agents

When I was interviewed in regard to being a Principal at Uniting College, I was asked to present how I’d go about the first 3 months, the first 12 months, the first two years.

One of the ideas I suggested has just taken concrete shape.

up·grade
/ˈəpˌgrād/

Verb – Raise (something) to a higher standard, in particular improve (equipment or machinery) by adding or replacing components.

Noun – An act of upgrading something.

Synonyms
verb – improve – better – ameliorate – promote
noun – ascent – rise – climb

UPGRADES (open to any and all): All of us with computers know about upgrades: the constant need to provide protection from viruses, to keep abreast of changes, to ensure integration.

The same applies in ministry. As people, as congregations in mission and in ministry, we need to upgrade, to keep reading, to refresh our resources, to be inspired by others, to modify best practice for our context.

At UPGRADES four essential areas requiring our attention as the Uniting Church in South Australia have been identified from the most recent National Church Life Survey.

For 90 minutes, lecturers from Uniting College and ministry agents from Mission Resourcing South Australia and out in the field will offer their best wisdom and practice from the last three years around new insights, books and life-giving, hands-on ideas.

TUESDAY 18th June
· UPGRADE 1 – “Worship that inspires” 4.30 – 6.00pm
· Order a meal (Pay for your own, of course!) then stay for…
· UPGRADE 2 – “Communities that welcome” 7.30-9.00pm
**Crazy Kingdom Cost: Attend one for $25. Attend both for $1!**

WEDNESDAY 19th June
· UPGRADE 3 – “Mission and Ministry that thrive” 4.30 – 6.00pm
· Order a meal (Pay for your own, of course!) then stay for …
· UPGRADE 4 – “Innovation that engages” 7.30-9.00pm
**Crazy Kingdom Cost: Attend one for $25. Attend both for $1!**

Upgrades occur upstairs in the Jervois Room at Royal Hotel, 180 Henley Beach Rd, Torrensville. Register and pay online here.

beaming in the bishop: technology and formation

Technology is amazing. So are creative minds who explore ways to connect technology to formation of leaders.

On Friday, Anglican Bishop, Justin Duckworth (I’ve blogged about his appointment here), came to Uniting College. Not physically, but via video conferencing. He sat with a group of post-graduate students, mainly church ministers in our Master of Ministry – Missional Leadership cohort. Again, not physically, but via video conferencing, because these leaders are spread all over Australia.

They share a passion for mission, within their established church structures. To help facilitate their growth, a group of them are doing a combined learning exercise, called Church Re-think. Spread all over Australia, they gather together regularly, again using video conferencing to share resources.

Books are one resource they share, reading in community, gleaning wisdom for the missional journey.

People are also a resource (see my reflections on the place of living libraries in leadership and ministerial formation here and here). In the case of Bishop Justin, he’s a leader with many years experience of mission on the edge of the church, with that charism now invited into the structures of the church.

Who better to resource a group of ministers thinking about mission inside and outside their own structures?

But he is busy and Adelaide to Wellington is a day of travel.

Enter technology, in which the bishop is beamed in, digitally, to resource a group of leaders, who are also gathered digitally. Together, for a few hours, they wrestle with leadership and mission today. All organised and facilitated by the creative mind of Dr Rosemary Dewerse, Post-graduate Co-ordinator at Uniting College.

Pentecost worship in indigenous language

Daily chapel at Uniting College today was superb. Our Director of Missiology, Rosemary Dewerse had created a visual environment. In the centre was a world map, with red counters and a red candle lit. The invitation was to lay a counter on the table, and in so doing, to name a place and situation in the world we wished to pray for.

To begin she taught us a chant, in the language of the Adnyamathanha people, from the Northern Flinders.

undakarana ardla, ngapalan yarta yanangka.
In English “The light of Christ has come into the world.”

Using indigenous clap sticks to keep the beat, we began to sing this simple refrain, a gift to us from those who’ve gone before us in this land. A people who’ve endured colonisation and hardship, exploitation and persecution, yet who have still find space to offer their language, their praise, their experience of the life of Christ come into their world.

It was a beautiful, natural, heartfelt way to be in the presence of God. It is part of a shift at Uniting College, in which in more and more ways, we are finding ourselves engaged with indigenous peoples. An important part of this has been relationship building, one to one, and then in Walking on Country, an immersion experience with our candidates for ministry at the beginning of this year.

It’s easy for this to be tokenism, and yet the result for us over recent months has instead been increased enrichment – in stories told in our midst, in shared candidate life together and now in our chapel life. The awareness of the other is becoming such gift.

And with Pentecost this week, it was a wonderful embodiment of the Spirit’s work, the enfleshing of faith in native languages, the crossing of cultural boundaries.

And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Acts 2:8

It looks fantastic

“It looks fantastic. Opening ourselves to new ways of encountering Scripture has got to be a good thing. Having had a tantalising taste of Sense Making Faith for myself (see here and here), I’m keen for other ministers and Christian leaders to experience it. We will distribute this to all our ministers and key leaders with a hearty endorsement – Dr Greg Elsdon”

A very supportive comment from Dr Greg Elsdon, State Minister. Churches of Christ in SA & NT, when he saw the Sense Making Faith publicity.

“Sense making faith” is a course specially designed to help participants be more aware of God through all their senses. It is an experiential course that takes you on a spiritual journey. Each session will uncover Biblical resources, the church tradition and our world today. Space will be given to reflect on the implications for mission, church and discipleship. Specific coaching in relation to application to speaking and worship leading in the context of the local church and its ministries will be available if wanted.

Ten weeks of journey facilitated by three guides:
Steve Taylor – Principal of Uniting College, writer, blogger
Mark Hewitt – Minister at The Corner UC, visual artist, photographer, with a passion for creating spaces that are worshipful and allow spiritual exploration
Sarah Agnew – a poet and Biblical storyteller. She leads the church with biblical storytelling, workshops in storytelling, poetry, worship and public speaking, teaching biblical studies and writing stories, prayers and liturgy.

So if you would like to deepen your spirituality and/or to help lead others in worship, preaching or devotions in ways that are engaging and inspirational, then “Sense making faith” is for you.

Wednesday evenings 7pm for 7.30-9.00pm, commencing April 24 through to June 19, The Corner Uniting Church, Warradale

Audit fee: $275.00. (Or can be taken for credit as a Guided Reading in the Diploma or Bachelor of Ministry)

For more information download brochure from Sense Making Faith April web or contact Eloise Scherer at Uniting College: 08 8416 8420.

National conference on mission and evangelism

Uniting College are delighted to be partnering with this initiative, with President Andrew Dutney and the Uniting Church of Australia:

A national conference on mission and evangelism in Adelaide next year: 28-30 March 2014. Uniting College for Leadership & Theology is planning to a five day intensive course on mission and evangelism immediately following the conference for those who are interested and available to participate.

The conference will be open to anyone in the Uniting Church, but it is intended to be particularly helpful for people involved in missional innovation, leadership, community development, training for ministry, and in service across a variety of contexts – congregations, agencies, schools, presbyteries, synods, and global connections. And we’re particularly keen to ensure that the young adult leaders who initiated the idea get to address their agenda in the gathering.

But why would we want to call a national conference on mission and evangelism for the Uniting Church anyway? Well, it’s really all about who we are.

The Uniting Church was formed around the realisation that the Christian movement is all about mission. In paragraph 3 of the Basis of Union the mission God is identified as “reconciliation and renewal…for the whole creation”. Moreover, “The Church’s call is to serve that end…” The church exists for the sake of that mission of God, as a sign, instrument and foretaste of what God in Christ has done as is doing by the power of the Holy Spirit. It exists for mission and evangelism, to live and share the Gospel that heals and transforms broken people and societies.

The Copernican insight that resulted in the formation of the Uniting Church was that in the church of God everything revolves around mission and evangelism – and that none of the things that were keeping the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian churches apart could be justified in terms of the mission of God. It was hard, risky, but there could be no more excuses. It all had to go and a new Uniting Church in Australia inaugurated with the prayer that “God will use their common worship, witness and service to set forth the word of salvation for all people” (Basis of Union paragraph 1).

It’s still true, however, that a lot of what we do, enjoy and are comforted by as a church is not about mission at all – even less about evangelism. A lot of it is just habit, nostalgia, vested interest, or merely a lack of imagination. The need to discern what participation in the mission of God requires of us is ongoing – and so is the need to measure what we are already doing against it.

The Uniting Church is going through a time of tremendous change. Some of it we have chosen but much of it is simply generated by the force of circumstances. In this time of change it is critical that we keep in front of us the point of it all – mission and evangelism or, more properly, participation in the mission of God in Australia today.

In recent years most of our presbyteries and synods have engaged in some kind of process intended to do just that. A national conference on mission and evangelism is a means of acknowledging and encouraging that work. It is also a means of bringing together the insights of the different councils of the church into a fresh national process of missional discernment. It is an opportunity to articulate a shared vision of mission and evangelism linking the church’s congregations, councils and community service agencies.

education changes

This would make a great discussion starter for an organisation, for a church leadership retreat, or for a group of ministers, who are all, after all, in the educating line.

Hat tip Scot McKnight.

Two of the points: Point 1 – from physical and digital and Point 6 – from isolation to connectivism were actually wonderfully illustrated in an interaction I had with Scot back in early 2011. At the time, I was writing a distance learning topic, on Jesus Christ today. Scot has a wonderful story, in his excellent book, A Community Called Atonement: Living Theology, which I had used it one Easter and it struck a chord with many folk.

The story mentioned a song, the lyrics of which had inspired a nurse in her care for a disadvantaged human. Wondering, for the sake of a distance learning topic, in case a student asked, what the full lyrics of the song might be, in a random moment, I emailed Scot, as the author, to ask if he knew.

Overnight he replied, saying he didn’t know, but providing the contact details for the nurse.

Whom I then emailed, now able to not only ask for a detail, but to also tell her about the impact of her story on the other side of the world!

She replied, grateful, with a few more details which I was able to add to the distance learning topic. All of this happened within 36 hours: made possible because of the shift from physical and digital, bringing about not isolation but connectivism. It provided feedback and encouragement for Scot and the nurse, added needed detail to the distance topic for students, plus some richer information for them in the communication of the story.

regional delivery: taking training from college to community

Uniting College this year is exploring regional delivery. This involves us running selected courses, not at College, but in churches. For 2013, these are experiments – assessing the impact on our energy levels as a College, working to see if these are mutual partnerships, with us gaining students and churches gaining ground with discipleship and in mission.

As a College we serve a broad church and we’ve tried to identify a range of contexts, from rural to urban to suburban and across the theological spectrum. We want churches that are hubs, that see themselves serving their regions. This will take quite some time to bed down, to work out if it’s mutual, but for 2013, the partnerships include

• Advanced leadership at New Life Uniting, Gold Coast
• Sense making faith at The Corner Uniting, suburban Adelaide
• Walking on Country immersion, partnering with Pilgrim Uniting<, central city Adelaide/li>
• Lay training, with Uniting Churches in Fleurieu Peninsula
• Spirituality for 21st Century Disciples, Hope Valley and Seeds Uniting, in north and south Adelaide.

I’ve already advertised Sense Making Faith on my blog. Just out today is Spirituality for 21st century disciples.

Monday Nights from 29th April : Seeds Uniting Church, or Thursday Nights from 2nd May : Hope Valley Uniting.

We shall be exploring elements involved in being a follower of Jesus Christ in the midst of modern culture. This will be through an informed biblical foundation, as well how our experience of God shapes faith. We shall also explore how to make ethical decisions, and ways to live a full, vital life in modern Australia.

Times: 7:30pm – 9:30pm at both places.

All of us at College are looking forward to seeing what might emerge as we partner with local churches and begin to find ourselves directly participating in their local mission.

mission matters – Uniting College Missiology stream news

Just out is the latest (February 2013) comings and goings from the Missiology stream at Uniting College. It includes description of the Walking on country indigenous immersion experience, with a wonderful participant experience, told as story –

God looked down upon the lands of Australia and saw that things were not well with the Land and its People and something had to be done.

God looked more closely and saw a Mob of good people who each had stories to tell, but they were scattered across the Land, so they were brought together.

People from the coastal area of Queensland, from the lands of the Snowy Mountains, from across the waters to New Zealand, and from the red sands of the interiors, and they came from the southern coastal areas and the plains of the hills. They were black and white, students and teachers, young and old, male and female but they had all come to learn and experience the ways of the land.

Followed by some emerging missional reflection –

They also learnt that the past could not be changed but the present and future is where change can take place. God saw this and called upon the Creator to gather these people, and with one big hand the Creator picked up these people and moulded them into a tall strong tree that produced beautiful brightly coloured flowers and a sweet tasting fruit that attracts the birds and animals of the area.

The seeds of the fruit are carried far and wide some falling onto fertile soils others not, but in time more trees grow and more seeds are produced, all learning and carrying away the stories of the good people and in time the Land becomes well and also the People of the Land. Then God looked down and said, “all is good.”

Ecclesiology mixed with eschatology! Rich indeed.

It also includes various teaching experiences being offered in 2013 – Reading Cultures (online option); Mission then, mission now; Multi-cultural Worship, Leadership and Mission – which makes you appreciate how missional the stream is becoming. (But they did miss out promoting the Sense Making Faith course.)

Anyhow, for the entire newsletter – Mission Matters Feb 2013

discipling young adults

Another new programme, alongside our Diploma of Ministry in Chaplaincy and Leadership, being launched this 2013 year at Uniting College. (All hatched while I’ve been on sabbatical – which says something lovely jubbly about the team I’m part of :))

The Big Year Out is a 2-day a week program of discipleship & study suitable alongside Uni, TAFE or part-time work. We believe that the discipleship of young adults is a profoundly important and unique activity, and have been brewing a new unique discipleship journey for young adults during Uni or TAFE study, rather than only being a gap year experience.

You can read more by downloading the brochure here.

Obviously this seems a late stage of the year to be launching a new program, but we are convicted about the importance and need of this experience, and thrilled at the unique, integrated opportunity it offers.

There is an info evening – Thursday 21 February, 7:30pm, CitySoul, 13 Hutt St, Adelaide.

sense making faith: an invitation to play

I’m playing at the edges in Adelaide after Easter. I’m using the senses to offer a journey of exploration, over 10 weeks. Start with experiences of God through sight, sound, smell, touch, taste and in light of those experiences, what might it mean for church, discipleship and mission.

People engage faith and mission in many ways. Some begin with the head. Others begin with the stories. All are valid. This is about beginning with the body.

I’ve gathered some learning guides – Mark Hewitt, Sarah Agnew – to help me play. It’s in a local church, but can be done for University credit through the channels.

A downloadable PDF is here – Sense Making Faith web.

Multi- sensory storytelling

“Passionate people wanted to produce something new”

I went today to the recently opened Historium in Bruges. A wonderfully creative way to access history, that has some challenges for Christian communication and shows the enormous potential of storytelling.

It began with a question, what was it like in the Middle Ages?

The question was answered by multisensory storytelling. They took a red robe, a green parrot and the girl model from a van Eyk painting, Madonna with Canon, to create a narrative, told in audio and through video screens cunning placed around a set, spread over 7 rooms). Each set involved senses, simulating fog, snow, local produce. Animation was used, both to ensure historical accuracy, in the backdrops, costumes, hats, jewellery, but also to enhance the storytelling. The 7 sets/rooms allowed a focus on a wide range of life, customs to guilds, public baths to harbour, created from miniatures and art of the time. The goal is an emotional insight. In other words, not just information. But neither just entertainment. But a use of senses to help people make a connection, and thus to bring the past into the present.

After the experience comes the information, a room full of displays to browse. Imagine if church history or Biblical studies were taught in this way!

It is important to note also the place of collaboration – film makers, musicians, historians, business people all working in partnership.

I’m hoping (numbers willing) to teach a course in 2013 (starting April) on the place, potential and possibility of senses in mission and ministry, working with a local artist and local storyteller. What I saw today may well become a contemporary case study.

For a video of the making –

Historium: The Making Of from Historium Brugge on Vimeo.