Esgobaeth Llanelwy

Esgobaeth Llanelwy

Diocese of St Asaph

Adroddiad Pwyllgor Sefydlog 2016/17

Report of the Standing Committee 2016/17

Report of the Standing Committee

The following meetings have been held since the2016 Diocesan Conference:

24 November 2016 – Pensarn

1. Welcome

The Bishop of St Asaph, Rt Revd Dr Gregory Cameron opened the meeting by welcoming everyone, and in particular newly elected members to the first Standing Committee meeting of the new triennial period. The Bishop outlined the Committee’s purpose and responsibility to direct diocesan strategy and explained the role of the Vice Presidents at meetings of the Standing Committee and the Diocesan Conference.

2. Bitesize St Asaph

The Bishop introduced the booklet ‘Bitesize St Asaph’. The purpose of the booklet is to provide easily digestible information about 2020Vision. The booklet is widely available and everyone was encouraged to read it and pass it on.

3. Review of the Diocesan Conference and Diocesan Elections

Mrs Diane McCarthy, Diocesan Secretary and Secretary to the Diocesan Conference provided a review of the 2016 Diocesan Conference. The Conference was held on 8th October in St Joseph’s Anglican and Catholic High School, Wrexham a venue that has not been used previously to host the Diocesan Conference. Although there were a few issues regarding the lighting and parking which will be addressed if the school is used again next year, the facilities in the school enabled Mission Areas to meet in separate break out rooms which would not have been possible at the Llangollen Pavilion where the Conference has been held for the past few years.

The delegates consisted of a new cohort of elected members including provision for one representative aged under 25 years of age from each Mission Area. The Conference was very well attended, 75% of lay members of the Conference were present on the day and 84% of clerical members were present. This is a significant improvement on the 2015 attendance figures.

The Bishop reflected on the current process for nominating and electing members to provincial and diocesan bodies and the challenge of achieving demographic balance and utilising available talent appropriately.

4. 2020Vision – Unlocking our Potential

a) Update on the creation of Mission Areas

Canon Chancellor Pam Powell, Transition Missioner provided an update on the creation of

Mission Areas. Members were provided with a document setting out the current situation in each Mission Area and emerging Mission Area in the Diocese. The final Mission Areas will be commissioned early in 2017.

b) Creation of Pool Mission Area

Revd Steve Willson presented a proposal to create Pool Mission Area. The proposal

was approved unanimously.

c) Creation of Penedeyrn Mission Area and Valle Crucis Mission Area from the former Deanery of Penllyn and Edeyrnion

Revd Canon Martin Snellgrove presented a proposal to divide the Deanery of Penllyn and Edeyrnion into two Mission Areas: Penedeyrn Mission Area and Valle Crucis Mission Area.

The proposal was approved unanimously.

d) Creation of Aber-Morfa Mission Area, Bryn a Môr Mission Area and Cathedral Mission Area from the former Deanery of St Asaph

Revd Canon Ian Day presented a proposal to divide the Deanery of St Asaph into three Mission Areas: Aber-Morfa Mission Area, Bryn a Môr Mission Area and Elwy Mission Area.

The proposal was approved unanimously.

5. Update on a Hope and a Future

Miss Sarah Wheat, Diocesan Engagement Officer provided an update on the Hope and a Future training initiative that was funded by the Transformation Fund. The workshop-based training equips churches and Mission Areas to try new ways of working together and connecting with the community. A team of seventeen facilitators have now been trained to deliver the course across the Diocese.

6. Representation of Women in the Church in Wales

a) Statistical Analysis

Mrs Diane McCarthy spoke about the current gender balance within the diocese. A complete analysis of the gender balance within all diocesan groups and roles was contained in the accompanying report.

b) Diocesan Commission on the role of Women

Revd Dr Manon James presented a report on behalf of the Diocese of St Asaph Commission on the role of women.

c) MAECymru

Revd Canon Sue Huyton provided an update about the work of MAECymru. She reported that a service to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the ordination of women into the priesthood in the Church in Wales will be held on 7 January 2017 at the Cathedral.

7. Matters raised by Deaneries and Mission Areas

a) From Denbigh Mission Area

Does Bishop Gregory intend to write either to congregations or to parents at church schools with any further information or encouragement to think about admitting all the baptised to communion? The Bishop responded by saying that a pastoral letter and a study guide had already been issued and there was no plan to send anything further to congregations. The Director of Education and Lifelong Learning is developing resources for schools.

b) From Maelor Mission Area

If updating parish noticeboards, what should the title be?

Mr Llyr Williams, Diocesan Registrar’s advice was that the name of the Church remains unchanged and can be included on a noticeboard, however it should also be borne in mind when writing the text for a noticeboard that in legal terms, the Parish is now the Mission Area.

c) From Maelor Mission Area

Can Church Councils sanction insurance matters or would it need the approval of the MAC?

Mr Llyr Williams responded that the MAC should be fully informed and any action must comply with the terms of the Mission Area Covenant and insurance policy. The Head of RB Property Dept., Mr Alex Glanville will be asked to issue guidelines.

8. Report on the St Padarn’s Institute

Revd Dr Jeremy Duff, Principal of St Padarn’s Institute gave a lively and engaging presentation about St Padarn’s.

St Padarn’s was launched in July 2016 with responsibility for the delivery of formation and training in the Church in Wales. Dr Duff explained that St Padarn’s Institute is not a college in the traditional sense but is a community of formation for mission, working in partnership with bishops, dioceses, Mission Areas and local church communities to deliver theology for life.St Padarn’s main areas of activity and priorities were outlined. He commented that the good practice already in place in St Asaph was a useful model.

9. 2020 Vision

a) Update on usage of the Transformation Fund

Mrs Diane McCarthy provided an update about the Transformation Fund. To date £566,000 has been released for purposes relating to 2020 Vision of which £400,000 was awarded during 2016. Most of our 21 Mission Areas have benefitted from the fund to some degree and the rate of applications from the grass roots has gathered momentum this year. All applications are assessed by the Grants Committee and awards are made according to the agreed criteria.

b) Mission Area Finance

Mrs Diane McCarthy briefed members about the implementation of Mission Area Finance and provided an update on the transition from Parish Share to Mission Area Share. A number of Mission Areas are piloting the new arrangements and the process of transition will be complete by 2018.

10. Casual Vacancy on the Diocesan Board of Finance

It was reported that the retirement of Revd Jackie Carter has caused a casual vacancy on the Diocesan Board of Finance for an elected cleric representing the Archdeaconry of Wrexham to serve until 31 May 2017.Revd Huw Butler was elected as a member of the Diocesan Board of Finance for the remainder of the current triennium

11. Any other business

The Bishop encouraged members to report back to their Mission Areas about the matters discussed at the meeting. Karen Maurice, Diocesan Communications Officer, will be preparing a Bulletin of the key points from the meeting in the next 48 hours to helprepresentatives with this task. The Bulleting will be emailed to all members of the Committee and will also be published on the diocesan website.

29March 2017 – Garden City

1. Election of Vice Presidents of the Diocesan Conference

The Bishop outlined the role of the Vice Presidents of the Diocesan Conference. Under the terms of the Constitution of the Diocesan Conference, up to four Vice Presidents may be appointed - two clerics and two lay persons. There are currently three serving Vice Presidents: Dr Hilary Murray, Revd Martin Batchelor and Revd Sarah Errington all of whom have indicated their willingness to continue in post. It was agreed to defer electing a second lay Vice President until all Mission Areas have elected a lay representative to the Standing Committee.

2. Growing the Church, Growing Disciples

The Bishop introduced this item and referred to his presidential address at the 2016 Diocesan Conference on the theme ‘Build my Church’. He also spoke about the recent Growth Strategy Conference at Swanwick at which a number of senior members of the diocese joined representatives from dioceses across England and Wales. Shared ministry is at the centre of Growth Strategy and for this to take root two shifts of culture are necessary:

• Equip lay people to follow Jesus confidently in every sphere of life
• Equal worth and equal status for laity and clergy based on baptismal mutuality

Diane McCarthy, Diocesan Secretary, spoke about the ‘Leading your Church into Growth’ course which had been funded by a grant from the Transformation Fund and attended by 60 people from 19 Mission Areas. Feedback from the course was extremely positive. A follow up event is planned for November and it is hoped to run further courses in 2018 and 2019. The ‘Hope and a Future’ training that is available throughout the diocese is another useful resource that complements the ‘Leading your Church into Growth’ course.

‘Growth’ will continue to be a primary focus for the remainder of our 2020Vision journey and it will be the theme of the 2017 Diocesan Conference. Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford and specialist on the subject of growth, has accepted Bishop Gregory’s invitation to the Diocesan Conference and will be the keynote speaker this year.

3. Matters raised by the Mission Areas and Deaneries

Estuary and Mountain Mission Area asked the Standing Committee to approve a formal Sharing Agreement between Tabernacle United Reformed Church, Holywell and St Peter’s Church, Holywell. The congregation from Tabernacle has been worshipping at St Peter’s since their own church closed two years ago and the arrangement has worked well for everyone.

The formal Sharing Agreement between St Peter’s Church, Holywell and Tabernacle URC Church, Holywell was approved unanimously.

4. Update from the Engagement Steering Group

Miss Sarah Wheat, Diocesan Engaging Officer provided an update on the work of the Engaging Steering Group. Miss Wheat spoke about three current strands of work and showed a video about the projects:

• Holiday Hunger
• Developing a Dementia Friendly Church
• Modern slavery and human trafficking

5. 2020Vision

a) The Transformation Fund

Mrs Diane McCarthy provided an update about the usage of the Transformation Fund. Information about all the projects supported by the Fund were detailed on the accompanying document.

b) Refreshing our brand and communications

Ms Karen Maurice, Diocesan Communications Officer reported that the ‘Unlocking our Potential’ logo and brand was being re-developed and refreshed.

6. A new way of approaching property

The Diocese has been working closely with the Church in Wales Property Department to look at how the pressure of managing property could be eased. A Property Summit was held in November 2016 that resulted in a recommendation to create a new ‘Property Board’, amalgamating the work of the Diocesan Parsonage Board and Churches and Pastoral Committee.

In order for the work of the Property Board to be executed effectively it is proposed to create a new post of Churches Inspector to work alongside the Parsonage Board Inspector.

Under the new arrangement, it is not proposed to change the remit of the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) which will continue to operate in the same way to provide specialist advice on church buildings and oversee the faculty process.

After an opportunity for questions, the proposals were put to the vote.

• The proposal to create a Diocesan Property Board was approved unanimously
• The proposal to create a post of Diocesan Churches Inspector was approved unanimously

7. Election of the Diocesan Board of Finance

Mr Clive Myers, Chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance, reported that a new Diocesan Board of Finance must be elected as soon after April as possible to serve for the triennial period 2017 - 2018 – 2019.

22 June 2017 - Llandrinio

1. Leading your Church into Growth

The Ven John Lomas, Archdeacon of St Asaph provided an update on ‘Leading your Church into Growth’. To build on the success of the conference at Swanwick earlier this year, a follow up event will be held at the Cathedral on 18 November. This event is open to everyone who wishes to get a flavour of LYCiG and members were asked to promote the event in their Mission Areas. Another conference at Swanwick has been booked for April 2018 and it is planned to arrange a third conference in 2019. The aim is for 480 persons from across our diocese to have attended a LYCiG event by 2019. The initiative has been funded by grants from the Transformation Fund.

2. 2020 Vision – Unlocking our Potential

a) Refreshing our brand and communications

Ms Karen Maurice, Diocesan Communications Officer outlined the plans for refreshing the Unlocking our Potential and diocesan communications brand and presented a montage of visual images that had been developed for use on diocesan publications, stationery, website and social media. The new branding is versatile and will ensure that everyone who engages with the Diocese will experience consistent, clear communication which is instantly identifiable.

b) Toolkit Parts 3 and 4

Mrs Tracey White, Funding Officer, reported that the Toolkit Part 3 which provides advice and guidance about Mission Area administration is now available – it has been circulated to all Mission Areas and can be downloaded from the diocesan website. Toolkit Part 4 with focus on Mission Area finance will be launched in the near future and will be sent directly to all Church Treasurers, Mission Area Treasurers and Mission Area Leaders. It will also be available to download from the website.

3. The Diocesan Constitution – proposed amendments

The Bishop stated that he had written to the Diocesan Registrar asking for a number of amendments to be drafted for the consideration of the Standing Committee and Diocesan Conference.The Bishop’s letter and a schedule of proposed amendments were circulated in advance of the meeting and the detail of the proposed amendments were presented by Mr Llŷr Williams, Diocesan Registrar.

It was agreed unanimously that the Constitution of the Diocesan Conference will be amended in accordance with the schedule of amendments presented by the Diocesan Registrar and presented to the Diocesan Conference for formal approval on 7 October 2017.

4. 2016 Diocesan Accounts

Mrs Helen Jones, Vice Chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance presented the annual accounts for 2016.

Income

•There was no increase in the total amount of Parish Share requested in 2016, despite an increase of 1.8% in clergy stipends and an increase of 2% in clergy housing costs

•The Parish Share Discount Scheme was improved and continued: 90% of our parishes now qualify for the discount

•The Parish Finances Support System offers targeted help and support to parishes in financial difficulty with some real success stories

• 92.3% of all Parish Share had been paid in full by 31.01.17. (92% by 31.01.16.)

• The £1.063m block grant from the RB represents 23% of diocesan income

Expenditure

•Expenditure has once again been managed carefully and finished the year

-4.5% on the budgeted level

•Direct clergy costs, including housing, represented 72% of total expenditure

•The diocese match-funded the Representative Body’s contribution to the Transformation Fund of £166,667

Summary

•We ended the year with a deficit of £148,095 on operations

•Careful management of investments saw the balance sheet strengthen and it is currently valued at approx. £7.5m

•The 2016 deficit on operations needs to be placed in a 10-year context: over the period 2007 – 2016, the position is a net surplus on operations of £852k. This has been designated within reserves to support 2020Vision, new initiatives and growth

•Our challenge is to invest for growth without putting unreasonable financial pressure on our churches. There will be difficult decisions ahead as we try to achieve this balance

The 2016 Accounts were accepted unanimously.

5. DBF Elections

The following nominations for membership have been received for the next triennial period 2017 – 2020.

Name / Category of membership / Archdeaconry
Revd Sally Rogers / cleric / St Asaph
Mr Chris Mayer / Lay - elected / St Asaph
Mr Clive Myers / Lay – co-opted / St Asaph
Mr Phil Williams / Lay - elected / St Asaph
Revd Hermione Morris / cleric / Montgomery
Dr Lynne Ash / Lay - elected / Montgomery
Mr Trevor Trevor DL / Lay - elected / Montgomery
Mr Bernard Harris MBE / Lay – co-opted / Montgomery
Revd Huw Butler / cleric / Wrexham
Mrs Mavis Bartlett / Lay - elected / Wrexham
Mrs Helen Jones / Lay - elected / Wrexham

The appointment of all the proposed candidates to the Diocesan Board of Finance for the triennium 2017 – 2020 was approved unanimously.

6. The changing context of ministry – a report from the Developing Steering Group

Revd Canon Dr Manon James, Director of Ministry and Lead Officer of the Developing Steering Group reported that the diocese is implementing the principles of shared ministry by offering a common discernment process, common training for all licensed ministries and training together for all members of the diocese.

There is a significant increase in the number of people offering themselves for licensed ministries. A strategic approach to vocations is an investment for the future and initiatives such as those listed below has borne fruit: