Sheep without a Shepherd

Matters of vocation and ministry are very much live in our diocese at present – as they are right across the whole of the SEC. ‘What kind of ministry’ is a big influence on ‘what kind of church’

I found myself involved in quite an intense discussion on Basecamp – which is the Project Management System through which we talk to one another and keep Casting the Net in track – to mix metaphors and in spite of the fact that it isn’t a project.

I attempted – unsuccessfully – to have the last word. It’s more about formation than function – and something to do with the character which is then shaped by calling

The priest and rector is a person in whom the spirit dwells – a person who thinks and speaks from places deeper than just what he or she thinks or what people want to hear. A person who is deeply empathetic and responsive to people – but not dependent on their approval. A person of deep emotional intelligence who understands intuitively – perhaps better than they do themselves – why people speak, think and act as they do. A person who offers leadership – knowing that the journey is the journey of the people and that her role is to shape the direction, to encourage and if necessary to challenge. A person who cares and loves unconditionally. A person in whose life their own faith has been transformative