Area and Lay Deans from around the diocese met in person on Tuesday, 28 September, for the first time since the start of the pandemic. They all met at Ammerdown Retreat Centre for their annual conference, hosted by Bishop Ruth.
The key topic for the discussion on the day was the work underway on Enabling Ministries, the work underway to encourage a wide variety of ministries to flourish across the diocese. The latest thinking was introduced by Charlie Peer, Head of Mission Support and Ministry Development while Julia Hill, Discipleship Team Leader, gave attendees the opportunity to try out the resources that deaneries are being asked to engage with and feedback on.
Charlie Peer says, “Changing the shape of ministry in our diocese is not something we can just do, it will take place over time. What we are seeking to do, as we start down this path, is facilitate a discussion across the diocese. This will start in the first instance by us very deliberately taking a few steps back from the question of what does ministry look like and asking ‘What is church for?’ We were really pleased with the positive way all our area and lay deans engaged with the Enabling Ministries discussion and look forward to their feedback which will allow us to expand the conversations out into our parishes and benefices in the new year.”
The area and lay deans were also updated on the Lambeth Conference 2022 by Tobie Osmond and on the process to identify the new bishop by Archdeacon Simon Hill.