Diocesan SynodPresidential Address- 6 July 2016
Recently my daughter gave me a book, Speeches that Changed the World. It contains speeches by Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Francis of Assisi, Queen Elizabeth 1, Cromwell, Washington, Pankhurst and many others. And it contains two speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. the first is his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. That speech includes the words: ‘I have adream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low,the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together’. And speaking to a Synod, whose members know their Old Testament backwards, you will have immediately have spotted that Luther King pinched that from Isaiah 40. The second speech is his ‘I’ve seen the promised land’ speech at Memphis. This was to be King’s final speech that he gave the night before he was assassinated. In it he spoke about having ‘been to the mountaintop’. He said ‘I just want to do God’s will. He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land… Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.’ The following day he was killed by a sniper’s bullet.
Martin Luther King was an academic theologian, ordained as a Baptist minister age 19, gained a PhD in systematic theology and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. His life, teaching and example advanced the cause of desegregation and led directly to the Civil Rights Act. He is remembered for many things but perhaps particularly for his ‘I have a dream…’ speech.
Dreaming is important. When I first wrote about the development of a strategy for the diocese I said that this is an iterative process. There are no ‘tablets of stone’ setting out a Grand Plan. We need to continue listening, thinking, praying, dreaming, talking, planning reviewing and working together. And we have all done quite a bit of that. The leaflet and prayer card which you were given when you arrived tonight begins to pull together some of the strands which will help us to take forward our vision. I will be saying a bit more about that later in the agenda.
Presentations have already been made to the Bishop’s Council and to Synod; to Rural Deans and Lay Chairs; to the Old Deanery Staff; to the Ministry and Mission forums; to the Board of Education and Headteachers and CEOs from the Multi Academy Trust; to prospective new training incumbents; to some 70 clergy and laity at a rural consultation; to several deanery synod and chapter meetings and in many other contexts and conversations. These have been dynamic conversations with opportunities at each stage to take stock, reflect and clarify what our vision and priorities should be. And this is only the beginning of conversations which will continue to cascade across and throughout the diocese as we seek together to be God’s people living and telling the story of Jesus. As followers of Jesus we are called to listen to his words, follow in his steps and allow him to transform our lives.
I have always been clear that a strategy is not a document – it is a way of living. As members of Diocesan Synod we have a particular responsibility to find ways to enable the diocese - and that means everyone who lives in our parishes and communities - to flourish and grow. My hope is that as we continue to journey, pray and talk together that we will be able to address the challenges which we face as a Church and as a Nation and to grasp the very real and glorious opportunities that there are for mission and evangelism today.As we meet tonight as a Synod we are also meeting as the Diocesan Board of Finance and it is important that as a diocese we attend very carefully to developing a financial plan to resource and support our vision and strategy. There are some ambitious goals set out in the leaflet you have been given tonight and we must ensure that we have the confidence, courage and resolve to develop and finance those ambitions. You will have heard me say on previous occasions that we need to speak about the three M’s of mission, ministry and money and hold them together. It is easy to get excited about our mission and our vision and yet not attend properly to how we will resource the things we might be dreaming about.
There are some pieces of good news which we can rejoice in. I understand that we are now 17th rather than 27th in the diocesan giving stakes across the Church of England. I believe our average giving per person in Bath and Wells is just above the national average. But I wonder if that will be enough to meet head-on the challenges and the opportunities which I believe we need to grasp. There is so much in our parishes, schools and communities which is breathtakingly inspiring. But we will need courage, confidence and -dare it say it – ‘cash’ if we are really to see the numerical and spiritual growth we are praying for. We will need to listen and pray faithfully if we are to re-imagine and deepen our own discipleship and witness. And we will need to be become more grateful and generous as the people of God if we are to increase the well-being of others and help the communities we serve to flourish.
Martin Luther King spoke about going up the mountain and looking over. He said that all he wanted to do was God’s will. He said ‘Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.’ May we as a Diocesan Synod be inspired by his life and his example.
Rt Revd Peter Hancock
Bishop of Bath and Wells