As I neared the end of the circuit of dioceses to visit, I started to compile a list of the Local Ministry Teams I have met. (Some are called "Local Ministry DEVELOPMENT teams".) It will be a while, however, before I get the list done.
There are many things that are different about the places where I have visited, and I have been in many different settings: rural, urban, and suburban. I have visited some relatively new churches and many that go back as far as the 4th century and have no indoor heating or plumbing. I have also toured six beautiful cathedrals (plus Westminster Abbey), and I have met dozens of people who were willing to take time out to meet this Lutheran pastor from New York who is making the rounds.
I have met several vicars and leaders on a 1-to-1 basis, and I have been privileged to meet archdeacons, praecentors, and several bishops (including the Roman Catholic Bishop of Northampton). I have also attended several regular Local Ministry Team meetings and observed how they carry out their business.
I have a college-ruled electronic notebook with nearly 50 pages of notes (with recordings), and I carry along my trusted pocket journal book to make miscellaneous notes as I ride along with some very enthusiastic and knowledgeable people who are happy to answer questions and tell all sorts of stories about all sorts of things.
There are at least two things all of the LMTs have in common. First is that each member has a clear, personal commitment to serving Jesus Christ through the Church. Some of the team members have received theological training in various forms, but most team members are just "regular Christians" like the people I have been privileged to serve with in my own ministry as a pastor. They express surprise that their fellow church members would have selected them to be asked to serve on a Local Ministry Team, but they humbly accepted the responsibility as well as the training they were expected to receive in order to be "mandated" by their bishops for this role in their respective parishes.
The other thing they have in common is a willingness to focus on the mission of God wherever it may take them. They did not volunteer to serve, and they do not see their ministry as being limited to the local setting where they are. They know that God's mission is going on locally, but they also recognize that they are part of something much bigger. They are not the Vicar's Helpers. They were ordained as ministers of the gospel on the day they were baptized, and now through their parishes they have the privilege of living out that calling.
Can we all learn from their experience and example?
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