1. We belong to God and our dignity and calling comes from the fact that we are all baptised. We are all commissioned for 'mission' by Confirmation and we are bonded together in 'communio' with the Lord and with each other by the Eucharist. These sacraments are common to us all and our varied and different ministries flow from them.
   
   
2. Good relationships are needed because only out of them can flow the trust and recognition which lie at the heart of collaborative ministry. Good relationships do not simply happen; they have to be worked at and that may involve pain as well as joy.
   
   
3. There needs to be a shared vision, a goal and a purpose I which engages enthusiasm and commitment. My purpose to-day is to share my vision with you, together with my own enthusiasm and commitment, and to ask you to work with me in making it real.
   
   
4. There needs to be an enabling of persons, coupled with the recognition and welcoming of gifts. Every member of the Church has a contribution to make and it is very important that they have the opportunities to do so.
   
   
5. In the end, we are not about trying to produce a better or more efficient diocese, however nice and good that might be. We are to be a community of love; this is to be the sign we give. The Good News we proclaim is about transformation – and even transfiguration – of the community and of the beauty of a unity which has a deep respect for the different and the diverse.
    
   
6. We need to discover and affirm a fundamental desire to work together because we are called to be a community of disciples, not isolated individuals or, indeed, isolated parishes or commissions. The call to collaborative ministry has nothing to do with the shortage of priests, it has everything to do with our innate dignity as disciples of Christ called by Him into mission.

Practical consequences

In the first instance this review concerns the Commissions and Agencies of the diocese. It is the best place to begin because their work is one of the major ways in which I am enabled to exercise my ministry. I want to share this vision of diocese with them so that together we can make it a reality. However, it inevitably also concerns many other groups because it is about the life of the whole diocese.

No one can be untouched by this vision and it is important that as far as possible it should be owned by the whole diocese. Of course, it demands change from us all – changes in attitudes and priorities, change in working relationships and readjustment of vision. I hope the process does not prove to be too painful but I cannot guarantee that it will not be so.

Change is about growing and if we cease to grow, then we cease to live. As John Henry Newman so succinctly puts it : "In a higher world it is otherwise, but here below to live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often." (J.H. Newman: Essay on Development)

We will all be touched by this process but I am convinced that we are on the right lines and that this is the way forward. I want to suggest a few of the ways in which we will all be affected if this vision is to be come a reality.
 

1. The Bishop
   
   "It is in the ministry of bishops that the communion nature of the Church and renewed understandings of hierarchy, authority and power can become particularly visible and fruitful. His style of leadership and his proposals for diocesan life will give clear messages about what this means in practice. In particular, he can affirm patterns of collaborative ministry and give priority to structures and plans which make it possible." (The Sign We Give: p 24)
   
   I need to ensure that all my councils are as widely representative of the diocese as possible. I want to concentrate especially on enabling people to use the gifts that they have. Increasingly I wish to gather the people of the diocese in their various groups so that, together, we can discern and plan for the way ahead. In practical terms, this requires a severe look at my diary and at the sorts of commitments which occupy me at the moment because I need to concentrate more on my role as teacher and preacher. This means making much more time for prayer, reading and reflection.
   
   
2. The Clergy
   
   The work of the clergy - priests and deacons - is absolutely crucial to the development of a collaborative Church. Far from their importance being diminished, their pastoral and sacramental role assumes even greater significance even though the priorities may need to change. The primary work of the clergy is to enable the community to grow rather than to run the parish.
    
   This means that we have to enhance our skills of discernment so that all our people feel that they have the opportunity to serve both the "communion" and the "mission" of the Church. Increasingly this means that we have to learn how better to work in partnership with others which will require a real openness to on-going formation.
   
   We need to make sufficient time to listen with care to what people are saying and hear them when they speak of their needs. If we are to make that time then the skill of delegation must be developed: the ability to discern when to 'let go' is crucial.
   
   There is a very real and proper role of leadership for the priest, though it may be different and changed from that with which we have become accustomed. But, let no-one say that the priest is not important - as the minister of Word and Sacrament his role in leading the people is vital.
   
   
3. Religious communities
   
   The presence of Religious Communities in the diocese is a very important aspect of all our lives and I value very much the contribution made by our active and contemplative communities. The contemplatives support us all by their hidden life of prayer and sacrifice, by their hospitality and by their sharing of the facilities of their houses. Those in active work also make a major contribution to so much of our diocesan life.
   
   All I would urge on our religious communities is that they continue to respond as positively as they have always done to the priorities which are those of the diocese. I can ask no more.
    
   
4. Lay people
   
   In a collaborative Church, the gifts and talents of all are priceless and need to be readily offered and accepted. The parish is yours - it does not belong to the priest. Your calling is not simply to help Father, but to be in partnership with him and with each other in the community's work for the Kingdom.
   
   Ministries and ways of serving the community in the parish are many and varied and the discernment and fostering of them is very important. Beware of the temptation to see your faith as something entirely private. The world in which we live can cope with privatised religion because it presents no threat. A faith which is deeply and personally lived, but in community, becomes a powerful force for good in the whole community and can be one of the major factors which shape the well-being of society. It can also be seen as a distinct threat to our materialist and secular world and we must be prepared to accept the consequences of that.
   
   
5. Parishes and Deaneries
   
   The parish is, for most of us, the place where we experience the Church - this is where Christian faith is caught and taught, so the parishes are crucial to the life of the diocese. In an earlier document – "Under the Guidance of the Gospel"– we spoke of the need to respect parish agendas in all our plans. If the diocese is to develop and grow then this must continue to be the case. The role of the diocese is to help and support the parishes as they discern and develop their own agendas. It is also the role of the diocese to provide a framework - a vision- in which this can happen. If the diocese is to be collaborative, that pattern has to be found also in the parishes, so I remind you again of the need to establish and develop Pastoral Councils at parish and deanery levels.
    
   There are now a good number but the pattern is by no means diocesan-wide. These Councils are a very important way to share the mission that is ours. Both Councils at deanery and parish level, which are active, need to respond to the priorities which are those of the diocese. The Deanery represents the community of parishes in a given area and has the task of fostering and co-ordinating that communion. No group of people can afford to go it alone. "Communio" means recognising the need we have of each other.
   
   
6. Schools
   
   I have tried, over the years, to emphasise the value and importance of our diocesan schools and I want to do so again here. They form a vital part of our apostolate to young people and their families and we would be immeasurably poorer without them. The challenge our schools face is in seeing themselves as an integral part of the "mission" of the diocese. They must constantly explore ways of working with the parishes that feed them - and in that process the parishes need to meet them half way.
   
   
7. Commissions and Agencies
   
   As I have already said, the Commissions and Agencies are those bodies which enable my ministry as Bishop. They have no independent existence of their own and they need to share the vision that is mine. Because the respecting of parish agendas is to be an integral part of the vision for the diocese, then commissions and agencies are clearly there to help me serve the parishes.
    
   There has not always been a clear diocesan vision for all to share, and this has led to Commissions and Agencies developing their own agendas and ploughing their own furrows. Good work has often proceeded on parallel lines and I want those lines to begin to converge. The question that must be asked now is not 'how do we reform the commissions that we have'. It is far more fundamental than that. We must ask ourselves 'what commissions or diocesan structures do we need in order to implement our vision for the diocese'? What support structures do we need in order to serve the priorities of "mission" and "communion"? Another way of putting it would be to ask what we would put in place if we were starting from scratch in a totally new diocese. This is not an academic question but one which needs to exercise us in all the demands and practicalities that it contains.
   
   
8. Support Structures
   
   Lastly, there are what I call the support structures and I want to single out those which deal with Finance, with Communications and with the responsibilities which we have for our churches and other buildings.
   
   a) First and foremost the diocese is a pastoral and evangelising community. Its agenda cannot be driven by money, possessions or buildings. But these are important tools given to us to be used properly as a means to an end. The Finance Office has long held this view that the pastoral priorities need to be established to enable the best use of our resources. I hope this vision will go some way towards remedying that.
   
   b) Communications are increasingly important because if we cannot communicate our Good News, then we cannot be in business at all as an evangelising community. It is also very important that we learn better how to communicate among ourselves so that we can be aware of the availability of resources and strengths which are present in the diocese.
    
   c) We have a proper responsibility for our heritage and, quite apart from statutory requirements, we owe it to those who have gone before us "marked with the sign of faith" to care for those things which have come to us as a result of their generosity and sacrifice.

Hopes and Priorities

The vision I have presented has been debated for a long time in the diocese over the last eight years and so, in itself, it is not up for debate. The question now is : " how do we transform the vision into reality?"

In this penultimate section, I want to outline what, for me, are the salient points of the vision. These are the factors which are not negotiable and which need to feature in this diocese in the 21st century.

a) We have to accept that the diocese should understand itself as an Evangelical and an Evangelising community. We find our origins in the Gospel and in the teaching of Christ and the Apostles - that is our "communion" - and we are called and charged to proclaim and be Good News - that is our "mission." Everything else about the diocese has constantly to refer back to those characteristics.

b) We need structures, both pastoral and administrative, which properly reflect our vocation to "communion" and "mission" and they must be collaborative in the way they work. To quote the modern phrase, it is important that we all sing from the same hymn sheet.

c) Christian Formation for young people and adults has to be a priority and this must focus the attention of clergy and laity. All whose concern this is need to work much more closely together, although I acknowledge that a great deal of work has already been done in this respect.

d) We need to pay much more explicit attention to Liturgy and Spirituality. This too demands formation and the investment of resources. It concerns the quality of our liturgical celebrations, the development of a high standard of music in the parishes and proper training for all those who participate in our liturgical celebrations. It has been well said that if our liturgy is celebrated collaboratively as it should be, then we will have no difficulty in understanding and implementing collaborative working in our other diocesan structures.

There is a hunger for prayer and a thirst for a spirituality which is relevant to the lives of our people. We must be equipped to answer that need.

e) It concerns me that we have no proper structure in our diocese to answer the needs of what might be loosely termed Social Responsibility.
We are constantly being challenged to address contemporary relationships between the Church and the world in which we live and we struggle to find a consistent voice which is both informed and relevant.

f) It is increasingly clear to me that we cannot achieve our potential as a Christian community if we attempt to do so without reference to our brothers and sisters in other Christian communities. Ecumenism has, therefore, a very important part to play in fostering both "communion" and "mission." We have important things to say throughout the diocese and we must witness to the fact that Ecumenism is an integral part of the vision of the diocese.

g) I have mentioned Communications already. I do so again here because it needs to be given a high priority in all future plans for the diocese.

I am not simply referring to the way in which we use the media, though that is important and we need to devote time and resources to it. I am speaking also of the manner and style of our relationships because they are an integral part of the sign we give and cannot be distinct from the Gospel of Good News that we live and preach.

h) Wherever they do not exist I want to see the establishment of parish and deanery pastoral councils throughout the diocese. Where they do exist, I want to see them nurtured and developed so that by the year 2000 we can have a firmly rooted Diocesan Pastoral Council which is properly representative.

These structures will not happen by accident so there needs to be an allocation of resources and support to enable them to come into place.
Not only do they need to be established as one of the real signs that we mean business by "communio" but they need to be monitored and supported where they exist and formed and encouraged where they are beginning. The Commissions and Agencies have a direct responsibility to these councils, and need to be represented on and answerable to the Diocesan Pastoral Council which is at the heart of our collaborative structure. The Councils at all levels are a major way in which the vision of diocese can be shared and implemented.
 

Closing remarks

Finally, I make no apology for having taken up your time. You have asked for a vision; we need a vision for the diocese and this is an attempt to answer that need. It only remains for me now to ask you to enter into the process by which this vision becomes a reality. It will mean hard work and clear thinking, together with much prayer and reflection, but we are not starting from scratch - much great work has already been done and I am grateful for that. Our development must continue. I am aware that it may take a long time to get it absolutely right but we must not sacrifice the good for the perfect. Therefore, as a start, I would like any structural changes we feel we need to make to be in place by the autumn of 1998. I expect change because to remain as we are is not an option. It is important to remember that we are in God's time and in His hands, which is why prayer is such an important part of this process. But we must never forget that we are His people - "once you were no people and now you are God's people" (1Peter 2:10) – and it is God Himself who both calls us into "communion" and sends us out on "mission." This is a process of renewal and it is one which - I hope - we can cheerfully undertake in order to be a Church which can enter the 21st century with confidence, with conviction and with a sense of what the Lord is calling us to become.

The Question:

"What changes are needed within:

1. Commissions and Agencies
   
   
2. Parishes and Deaneries
   
   
3. Councils and Committees
   
   
4. Ourselves - clergy, religious and laity

if the vision of 'Communion' and 'Mission', as outlined by the Bishop, is to be a reality in our Diocese?"

Groups do not have to address every category, but only those which are appropriate for themselves.

However, I do want all groups to consider (d) in their discussions, otherwise we may be tempted to change structures but not ourselves!