There is profound sadness in these cuts... We are losing faithful and dedicated colleagues who have served us all so well for many decades. We need to pray for these fine sisters and brother who are losing their jobs in these difficult economic times. At the same time these cuts represent a loss of an ideal for what the Diocese of Connecticut has been. 20th century models of the Church with big diocesan staffs providing programs from a centralized office are not the way of the future.The eliminated positions include both the Missioner for Children & Adults and the Missioner for Youth & Young Adults. I worked with both these people during my tenure as both the Program Assistant for Children's Ministries Christian Education and Officer for Children's Ministries at the Episcopal Church Center.
The Diocese of Connecticut is not the first diocese to eliminate its Christian Formation and Education staff, and it will probably not be the last. Some of the dioceses' rationale for being able to cut Christian Formation positions was that parishes could count on the Formation staff at the Episcopal Church Center. At the same time, the Church Center has already eliminated two formation positions and put the filling of another on hold pending the newest phase of the ongoing reorganization.
Nor are dioceses the only institutions cutting formation and education staff as part of balancing their budgets. Many parishes are doing the same thing, either cutting the positions entirely or reducing them to half time. So this is the future Bishop Douglas is talking about. Fewer and fewer educators and formation leaders able to devote their full-time energies to the formation and education of Christians. More and more volunteers taking on those responsibilities. Of course, there is nothing wrong with volunteers. But where will these volunteers go for training, resources, and support with no one at the diocesan level and fewer overworked staff at the denominational headquarters to provide services for them?
This is a time of incredible change and possibility," said Bishop Douglas. "We're being invited to consider how to be the Diocese of Connecticut in new ways for the 21st Century. Our 20th Century models of diocesan staffing are no longer appropriate to this networked age, nor are they financially sustainable. This reduction in force gives us a chance to respond creatively to the changing economic and organizational realities. We are being invited to re-imagine who we are as the Episcopal Church in Connecticut and how we will come together collaboratively to serve and extend God's mission."In the course of this re-imagination, the church basically seems to be outsourcing by default to publishing companies and non-profit organizations. To be fair, this process has been going on for more than 20 years, and not just in the Episcopal Church. But do the denominational and diocesan organizations really want to totally abandon input for Christian Formation and Education?
Unfortunately, I don't think the church knows the answer to that question. The denominational, diocesan, and parish organizations are too caught up in the immediate financial crisis to think about the long term ramifications of their decisions. Just as many of them did not think through the long term ramifications of financial and other decisions made during years of declining attendance and pledges.
One of the ways the church is attempting to deal with a changing world is to shift its focus to mission. For years we focused on ministry--the ministry of all the baptized, of every Christian. In some ways this is an attempt to emphasize the importance of community work (mission) over that of individual work (ministry). In other ways, it's trading one buzz word and fad for another.
Ultimately, however, this is not an either/or proposition. Both mission and ministry are important. Both have their roots in our Scriptures. It is both/and. But no matter which way Bishop Douglas, or the larger church structure, wants to look at it, there is no way to get street level people involved without formation and education. Unfortunately, they are eliminating from their organizations the very people who know how to reach those people, who know how to "respond creatively" and "re-imagine in the face of change."
And where does that leave the future of the church?
I totally agree Jeff. In building that position from scratch it filled a need that so many had been looking for. Now I spend so much of my time working with those dioceses who don't have staff overseeing education - churches have well meaning and dedicated volunteers, but they hunger for training, networking and information from others.
ReplyDeleteWho will teach the teachers who will teach the children? Who will help get down to the nitty gritty and talk about mission - at home, at school, and the workplace.
We know the ordained folks are usually not trained in the education and formation of children, nor the pedagogy to understand and teach others to do so. In order to be mission minded, we have to know the Gospel and how it applies to our lives. It takes more than a sermon, more than watching a video, more than coloring bible pictures, more than having pizza and playing games.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Sharon
My life is miles away from the details of this, but. . .I was drawn in by the title of your blog entry (which hints at bigger questions) and interested enough to read it stem to stern.
ReplyDeleteMy only real connection is my memory of being in congregations that paid attention to the education of children, both in the services and in Sunday school (which I think we've talked about, perhaps at dance camp). As to the question of what to do about it, as an adult, within an institutional framework, I haven't really given it any thought - and the specific frustrations of trying to make it happen wouldn't have occurred to me.
At one level, it sounds like almost any job, where people are constantly being squeezed out by ineluctable economic forces. At another, it seems much more important than that.
Anyway, the title, relevantly or not, sent me back to Bonhoeffer, whom I think about quite a bit. The future of the church was certainly a topic he grappled with.
I stumbled across an excerpt from a collection of works by Malcolm Boyd.
"Great battles are easier to fight and less wearing than daily skirmishes," he quotes from Bonhoeffer.
It seems almost unfair, amid the clutter and greyness of ordinary life, that someone experienced as much clarity as Bonhoeffer did. Sounds like he appreciated his situation and his opportunity. I'm a little jealous - and at the same time doubtful I could face up to it the way that he did.
I look at lives like his and think "there must be a lesson there." I'm still trying to figure out what that is.
best of luck,
Robt. P.
Thanks for articulating this so well, Jeff. We are seeing similar thinking across the pond.
ReplyDeleteMary
"And where does that leave the future of the church?"
ReplyDeleteIt leaves me going back to the drawing board - starting all over again from nothing. This is so well written, Jeff. I find myself wondering how to get it to a larger audience.