Ecumenical Guidance
Presbytery Mission Planning: ecumenical working
Introduction
The Presbytery Mission Plan Act (Act VIII 2021, as amended) requires presbyteries to demonstrate in the Presbytery Mission Plan how they will "sustain the commitment to a territorial ministry as described in the Third of the Articles Declaratory appended to the Church of Scotland Act 1921 and affirmed in Declaratory Act V 2010 including its commitment to ecumenical working". In addition, the General Assembly of 2023 reaffirmed the ecumenical aspect of the secondary principles and existing guidance relating to the Presbytery Mission Plan Act, and instructed the Faith Action Programme Leadership Team to emphasise this in future guidance; and instructed Presbyteries to consider this and articulate it more clearly in implementation and at the point of annual evaluation and development of Presbytery Mission Plans.
Most presbyteries have now finalised their Mission Plans. This guidance note therefore aims to provide presbyteries and congregations with some practical support in fulfilling the ecumenical requirements at the stage of annual evaluation and development of Mission Plans.
One note of warning: the Church of Scotland is large but we should not be a dominant partner in ecumenical relationships; we have much to learn from others. Nor should we be seeking only resourcing support for our own plans; instead, we should be working collaboratively with ecumenical partners in seeking to fulfil God's mission in our varying contexts.
Annual evaluation and development of Presbytery Mission Plans
Presbyteries are required to carry out annual evaluations of the PMP so that it remains accurate, comprehensive and up to date. If you have not already taken account of ecumenical working in the PMP, these annual evaluations provide another opportunity to do so. Presbyteries should give careful consideration at an early stage to the mission opportunities opened up by closer ecumenical working. The Church of Scotland is not alone in facing resourcing challenges and presbyteries may find that a flexible approach to planning will chime with those in other denominations who are also preparing for change. Some presbyteries have found the following approaches to be effective:
* speak to ecumenical partners at the outset to explain the evaluation and development PMP process and to describe how your presbytery proposes to tackle it. Ask for their views and share information on the mission and
resourcing challenges and opportunities facing all parties. Be aware that some partner churches may feel that they have been ignored in the initial PMP process – some bridge-building may be required.
- depending on how you propose to consult your congregations, consider involving your main ecumenical partners, for example in open meetings and general communications.
- if the congregation/area you are evaluating already has a strong ecumenical connection, make sure you involve the partner denomination in your discussions around the annual evaluation. Seek their views on how the connection/partnership is working. Wherever possible, such connections should be encouraged and supported even through forms of adjustment.
- if there is no strong ecumenical link already, consider whether something could be developed. There are many ways of sharing in mission and perhaps ministry, even in informal ways.
- be open to the possibility of sharing aspects of ministry and mission with another denomination, either informally or formally. For example, you can form Local Mission Communities or regional Covenant Partnerships.
- even if congregations do not have strong ecumenical links, give some thought to the opportunities and consider introducing an ecumenical dimension to your planning.
- if a change to the PMP is to be proposed, share this with appropriate ecumenical partners at an appropriate stage of development, listening to their views and perhaps refining your proposals as a consequence. Consider inviting your ecumenical partners to a presbytery meeting which is discussing these matters.
- share your draft amendments with your main ecumenical partners and consider their views seriously.
- share the approved amended version of the PMP with your ecumenical partners.
- if a readjustment leads to the ending of an existing ecumenical relationship, please be sensitive to the impact this may have on your ecumenical partners as well as on your own congregation(s).
- seek the advice of the Ecumenical Relations Committee if you need contact information or any other general support. It is important that you get in touch with the committee at an early stage if you think you may wish to explore a formal link with a congregation in another denomination; there are various models available. Advice and support are also available from the Principal Clerk, the Solicitor of the Church, the General Trustees and the Faith Action Programme Leadership Team.
Congregations
If you are already involved in ecumenical working, congratulations! Do try to continue this through presbytery planning and any readjustment processes. Change on the scale being experienced by Church of Scotland congregations is always challenging for individuals and the understanding and support offered by local ecumenical partners can be comforting and valuable. Remember though that the main thrust of presbytery mission planning is mission. We are called as Christians to discover and engage in God's mission in our own areas; working closely with other Christians to identify God's plans for us and our neighbours helps considerably. If you are not already involved in local ecumenical working, why not think about it? So many congregations already benefit from sharing the running of a local foodbank, for example, or shared ‘warm spaces' in the winter months. Perhaps you could co- operate in providing chaplaincy in local schools or organising Christmas or Holy Week activities for children. Joint worship can be inspiring; the Ecumenical Relations Committee can provide liturgies for use in some kinds of service. And over time, personal friendships will develop and perhaps lead to even more meaningful fellowship in ministry and mission.
Presbytery mission planning is asking all of us to consider new ways of ‘being church'. Most of us are learning to work more closely with other congregations in our own denomination and now we have the opportunity to work with those in other denominations too.
Sources of information and support
Ecumenical Relations Officer (the Rev Dr John McPake): jmcpake@churchofscotland.org.uk. Dr McPake can provide information, advice and support on a whole range of ecumenical matters and he can put you in touch with members of the Ecumenical Relations Committee or other people local to you who have experience in ecumenical matters.
Faith Action Plan Leadership Team guidance on Presbytery Mission Planning: See especially section 5.3.3 on ecumenism
Report of the Ecumenical Relations Committee to the General Assembly of 2023: See especially section 2 and Appendix 1, the latter giving some examples of good practice in the Presbytery of Fife.
Faith Action – Presbyteryplanning@churchofscotland.org.uk