The future for Reader ministry
[This article is from our Spring 2018 issue. To read back issues dating back to 2015, please activate your subscription]
Reader ministry is changing. And Readers are changing. God is doing something new in the church and Readers, as Bishop Martyn Snow reminds us, are being called to follow where God is leading.
The context in which Readers exercise their ministry is shifting significantly. Our society continues to evolve and the wider church is seeking to discern how God is calling us to respond. It is also true that there are fewer Readers in the Church of England and the Church in Wales today, and the average age of Readers is considerably higher than it was in previous generations. At the same time, there is now a much greater variety of lay ministries in the church and some categories, such as Pioneers, are seeing huge growth.
We face a choice about how to respond to this situation. Readers continue to play a vital role in churches up and down the country. Indeed, many churches would simply not be able to function without the ministry of their Reader. But for how much longer will this be the case?
The Central Readers’ Council has begun an urgent review of our work. The rest of this article outlines our current thinking. These ideas will be tested at a series of regional meetings between January and March next year (with each diocese sending a small delegation). Our 2018 AGM will then make decisions about next steps.
We are clear that Readers will continue to have an honoured place within the life of the church, but we are also certain that we will need greater clarity about the distinctive characteristics of Reader ministry within the wider ecology of ministry in God’s church.
Context
Throughout the past century, church attendance and the influence of Christian faith in the lives of individuals and communities have been in rapid decline across much of Western Europe. It is not the church itself that has caused these changes: we are caught up in much larger movements. And the appropriate response is neither a sense of failure nor of blaming one another for the situation we find ourselves in but rather an enquiring and questioning interest in what these changes mean for the church and its mission.
A key response to the changes around us has been the steady realisation that we are now in a new kind of mission context, that much of our nation needs to be re-evangelised and that we need to shape our common life and ministry more intentionally as a movement of people in mission. Our understanding and structures of ministry in the Church of England have evolved for hundreds of years with an emphasis on pastoral ministry, sustaining communities of Christian people in a stable context. As social bonds and communities have become less stable over the past century, there has been a need to catch again a vision of God’s mission to the whole of our society. The full implications of that vision for our approach to mission and ministry have not yet been fully worked out, but there is an increasing appetite for discerning the movement of God’s Spirit.
Alongside these wider societal changes, there have also been significant changes within the church, not least a recovery of the theology of baptism. So, we are recovering an understanding of every baptised Christian being called to live out their life as a disciple of Jesus Christ and to serve according to their gifts and vocation. We are recovering a language of discipleship and exploring how churches teach the faith and enable formation of character in a society where most people now grow up with little exposure to the stories that once shaped our values and practice.
These themes of mission, baptism and discipleship are now finding expression in another area of change: the increasingly wide variety of recognised and authorised lay ministries across the Church of England. Dioceses are training people to lead worship, conduct funerals and care for people pastorally – roles which until recently were fulfilled only by clergy and Readers. And many other forms of ministry are ‘bubbling up’ as individuals, churches and ecumenical groups set up new initiatives such as Street Pastors, Foodbanks, Messy Churches and Open the Book teams.
Celebrating diversity
The recent report Setting God’s People Free1 represented this diversity of lay ministry in the diagram overleaf. It illustrates well the huge numbers now involved in ministry and also the huge variety in ministries.
Arguably, the biggest shift in recent years has taken place in the ‘gathered church: unelected roles’ or what is elsewhere referred to as ‘recognised, authorised and licensed lay ministries’. Even as recently as fifty years ago, the vast majority of lay ministers were Readers. Now Readers are a minority, still very significant but relatively small alongside Pioneers, Pastoral Workers, Evangelists, Home Group leaders and many more.
In one sense, there is nothing new about this diversity of ministries. For over 150 years the Church of England has licensed Readers but we know that there has always been huge variety in the ministry undertaken by these gifted lay people. The first Readers were true pioneers, as are many today. Many Readers have felt called to focus their ministry with children or young people, others on preaching or visiting. The diversity of ministries therefore has been hidden under the title Reader. Now this diversity has surfaced and is being officially ‘recognised’ by dioceses.
There is evidence to suggest that this increase in the diversity of lay ministries has also led to an overall increase in the numbers of people getting involved in ministry2. It would appear that people are joining Open the Book teams and Messy Church teams who would never have considered Reader ministry. They have been attracted by a specific vision and a specific sense of vocation. So, we should see this as a sign of God’s Spirit renewing the church and a cause for great celebration.
However, for existing Readers, this increase in diversity can be seen as a threat. What now is the role of the Reader? What is it that sets Reader ministry apart from other ministries? Readers have often struggled with these questions,3 but the questions have become even more pressing when other lay ministers are preaching, leading worship, taking funerals and they are also being authorised or licensed to do so (meaning that Readers are no longer unique in having a ‘recognised status’ as licensed lay ministers deployable across the Church of England).
In addition, the average age of Readers has been rising and all this has left some to wonder whether Reader ministry will eventually die out while other ministries come to the fore. This undoubtedly suggests there is an urgent challenge to review Reader ministry and discern what God is saying to the church at this moment in our history.
The urgent task facing the CRC
While we may be agreed on the need to review Reader ministry and its place within the plethora of lay ministries, the reality of doing this is complex. Forty-two dioceses (in England and Europe, and CRC also covers Wales with its six dioceses) each have their own approach. So, while Reader ministry is nationally recognised (under Canon E4, 5 and 6) and this allows Readers to transfer from one diocese to another, the dioceses vary enormously in their vocations work, Reader training, Reader deployment and support.
There is a danger therefore of spending a lot of time discussing, writing reports and seeking to reach consensus, only to find ourselves no further along (if we are honest, previous reports have attempted something like this, and taken huge amounts of time and energy while achieving little in the way of discernible difference).
However, CRC has the advantage of being an independent charity. We have great freedom (within our charity purposes) and while we would be foolish to do anything without consulting dioceses, we do not need to wait for a consensus to emerge before proposing changes to the way we work.
We are therefore using this next year to clarify our own work as CRC, and by implication, our own understanding of the focus of Reader ministry for the foreseeable future. We will then test this with dioceses and see whether, even amid complex differences in understanding and practice, we can offer something which truly supports what dioceses are already doing, while also adding value.
Three areas for exploration
- Readers as enablers of mission
As formally trained lay theologians, Readers have a unique perspective on the changes taking place in society.
Mark Greene, Executive Director of the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity said this, when addressing a group of Readers:
Now I recognise that the title ‘Reader’ covers a multitude of roles and activities – some of you have plenty of opportunities to teach and preach in local congregations; some of you never get near the pulpit but lead in prayer, some of you perhaps have no up-front role in worship services but responsibilities elsewhere. But most of you are dual citizens, with roles to fulfil both in the local church and in workplaces, schools, hospitals, clubs…
Now the reality that you have dual roles, that most of you spend or have spent most of your time in non-church paid occupations is not a disadvantage to your ministry but a huge benefit. A Reader should not merely see themselves as being a kind of surrogate vicar or curate in training or a low-cost, fuel-efficient but slightly under-powered, under-dressed priest, but rather as someone whose experience and context uniquely provide them with opportunities to enrich both the devotional and missional life of the congregation.
It is this final point, the unique experience and context of Readers, which means that Readers are well placed to enable churches to explore their part in God’s mission, mobilising local congregations for social action and growing confidence for evangelism.
In particular, Readers can envision and empower congregations for their mission in their Monday to Saturday contexts. In a church where so much attention is paid to what we do for an hour on a Sunday morning, Readers remind us that God is at work in every sphere of life. Arguably the most pressing challenge for the church today is to enable all baptised Christians to live out their faith in their workplaces, their social networks and their homes.
CRC is now in conversation with LICC about how they could help with Reader training. Resources such as Fruitfulness on the Frontline4 give a flavour for how LICC could help resource Readers as Readers help resource their own congregations.
-
Readers as teachers of the faith
As formally trained lay theologians, Readers are ideally placed to undertake the work of catechism (teaching the faith to those new to the faith), and to enable new Christians to be incorporated in to the body of Christ.
Bishop Steven Croft wrote in 1999:
Our model of Christian mission for centuries has been based on teaching the faith to children… It is estimated that at the turn of the century something like 85 per cent of the population was in contact with a church or Sunday School and learned their faith there… However, by the century’s end, that statistic was reversed. Only 14 per cent of children and young people are now in any kind of contact with the churches… We therefore have to make the enormous transition to teaching the Christian faith once again to adults who are often beginning with very little background knowledge… Even those adults who have been part of congregations for the whole of their lives may not have engaged with the themes of faith in a learning context since their own childhood.5
In many parts of the Anglican Communion today (as well as the Roman Catholic church), this ministry of teaching the faith is entrusted to
lay ministers known as Catechists. Working alongside Evangelists, they focus their ministry on a systematic teaching of the faith and a process of incorporating new members in to the body of Christ i.e. preparing them for baptism and confirmation.
To some degree, this ministry has been fulfilled in the Church of England in recent years by small group leaders, and those who have facilitated nurture courses such as Alpha, Emmaus and Pilgrim. However, Readers, with their formal training as lay theologians, are ideally placed to renew this ministry in the 21st century. Teaching the faith has always been at the heart of Reader ministry, even if it is expressed in a number of different contexts.
CRC is now exploring whether we could provide on-going training for Readers (either online or through short residentials, or locally delivered in dioceses) to develop understanding of how adults learn and grow in faith, and develop skills for this vital work.
-
Readers as mentors and coaches
As formally trained lay theologians, Readers are ideally placed to offer mentoring and coaching to other lay ministers.
The Church Pastoral Aid Society have produced various training resources for mentors (and run the website https://www.mentorconnect.org.uk). They define mentoring as ‘a dynamic, intentional, voluntary relationship of trust in which one person (the mentor) enables another person (the mentee) to maximise the grace of God within their lives and develop their potential in the service of God’s kingdom purposes’. Coaching is similar but focusses more on particular skills which need developing. Coaches operate by asking questions to stimulate reflection and learning.
CPAS also define particular moments when a mentor or coaching relationship will be helpful:
- Transitions For example when someone retires or moves job; when a church welcomes a new vicar; when a community experiences great change.
- Development A growing desire within a person to develop/grow beyond where they currently are.
- Life-stage Navigating a new life stage and the changes it brings.
- Vocation A sense of wanting to explore new possibilities in vocation.
- Isolation Many ministers feel isolated and long to have someone to explore issues, discuss concerns, and share thoughts.
- Opportunity As ministers consider new possibilities a mentor provides a safe place to share dreams and ideas.
CRC is currently in discussion with CPAS about the possibility of developing resources to train Readers as mentors and coaches. Again, this could be done online, through short residentials or through locally delivered courses.
Some further questions
The possibility of focussing on these three areas clearly begs lots more questions. Is this for every Reader, existing as well as new? How will this work alongside the variety of different approaches to vocations, training and continuing ministerial development in dioceses? How will this be delivered (CRC has limited resources)?
There is much more to explore, which is why we are inviting feedback. Some have already said that they think we are being far too ambitious. Others have said that we are not being radical enough. One thing is certain, this is a long-term change process and nothing will happen overnight.
It is our belief that reshaping the role of Readers (with an emphasis on Readers as teachers of the faith, enablers of mission and mentors and coaches) will provide a new impetus for vocations. If this is also combined with new approaches to training (allowing for more flexibility) then it is possible to envisage a younger, more diverse group of people offering for Reader ministry. It also offers Readers a clear place in the emerging ecology of lay ministries, encouraging individuals and dioceses to be specific about spiritual gifts and how these fit with particular ministries.
The Right Reverend Martyn Snow is Bishop of Leicester and Chair of the Central Readers’ Council.
[This article is from our Spring 2018 issue. To read back issues dating back to 2015, please activate your subscription]
Notes
- You can find the report Setting God’s People Free at https://www.churchofengland.org/about/renewal-and-reform/more-about-renewal-reform/setting-gods-people-free
- To take one example, in the Diocese of Leicester, although there has been a reduction in the number of stipendiary clergy in recent years (12 fewer since 2010), and a small reduction in the number of Readers, there have also been 40 new paid lay ministry posts created and there are approximately 80 new fresh expressions of church which are predominantly lay led.
- Compare for instance the exploration in the report Reader Upbeat with Rowling, C. and Gooder, P. Reader Ministry Explored. London: SPCK, 2009, and Tovey, P., Buck, S. and Dodds, G. Instruments of Christ’s Love. London: SCM, 2016.
- See www.licc.org.uk/resources/discover-fruitfulness-on-the-frontline
- Croft, S. Ministry in Three Dimensions. London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1999.
Recent Comments