by Ian Paul, Psephizo
Angela Tilby, in her weekly column in the Church Times, has claimed that the Church of England is pastoral and not missional. But she can only do this by being highly selective from the ordinal, from the text of John 10, and from the Church’s own theology of mission.
Angela Tilby is a retired Canon in the Church of England, and writes a short weekly column in the Church Times. Last week, her column boldly argued:
Mission of Church of England is primarily pastoral.
She argues this by noting that: within the ordination services in the Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship, a primary image of those ordained presbyter (‘priest’) and bishop is of being a shepherd; that this image is drawn primarily from John 10; and that it is about knowing and being known by the flock, rather than engaging in evangelistic mission amongst those who are not (yet) known.
By drawing on these texts at ordinations, the Church of England commits itself to a ministry that is, in essence, pastoral. It is about “the cure of souls”. Priests and bishops are meant to be committed to people and place, knowing their people and being known by them.
Yet, for well over decade, the C of E has been questioning this understanding of ordained ministry. A more mission-focused ministry has been urged in recent years, to counter the falling numbers of worshippers and replace those who are dying off.
She contrasts this historic pastoral orientation with a more recent emphasis on evangelistic mission. And seeks to seal her argument with a critique of schemes to combine historic parishes into unmanageable and unwieldy multi-parish benefices.
Earlier this month, the Church Commissioners considered a scheme that is already being implemented in Truro diocese (News, 1 May). This is to merge 16 parishes, comprising 21 places of worship, into a single giant benefice, with only three paid and ordained area clergy, one of whom, as a pioneer, is to focus on mission, and a house-for-duty priest. Five vicarages are to be transferred to the diocese.
As in other diocesan-led schemes, this represents a takeover of power and resources. While parishes are deprived of paid live-in priests, diocesan staff are increased in number and expected to “run” the diocese from the diocesan office. Meanwhile, more and more local responsibility falls on retired clergy and the laity.
Her argument has drawn lots of comment on social media, and it has been expressed both by her and by others previously, so it is worth engaging with. To do so, we need to reflect further on the ordinal, reflect on John 10 and the image of shepherd, and (slightly separately) consider the situation of dioceses like Truro.