Bishop Alan Wilson has done it again. Late last month he checked in with a piece called “How to Change Your Vicar”, an insightful meditation on priest-parish conflict.
“How To Change Your Vicar: Part Two” makes the seemingly simple point that one can’t remove a priest from a parish because the priest isn’t doing things that priests can’t be expected to do.
Bishop Wilson writes:
Clergy have all kinds of unusual talents. Vicars have managed to combine ministry with keeping bees, woodcarving, climbing the Himalayas, even inventing submarine detection equipment.
Some clergy have Really Useful collateral skills — playing the guitar, journalism, fundraising, stage magic for school assemblies.
Second Last Thing
My second piece of advice is for people who believe there may be a capability issue with their vicar. For this to go anywhere formally, it should normally relate to what incumbents are actually there to do. A hymn writing, guitar playing or beekeeping fail is bad news. But it’s unlikely to support capability proceedings.
What are parish clergy actually there to do? What fails really count? The answer lies in Canon C24 of the Church of England. Such is the variety of circumstances in which clergy work that these norms are indicative, taken in context, not exhaustive and literally applied. Bear in mind that nobody scores 100% in any or all areas, but these are their core functions.
1. Prayer
– Maintaining a pattern of prayer in the parish, traditionally understood as drawn from the Daily Office — the prayers of the whole Church provided for in Prayer Book and Common Worship.
2. Celebration of Holy Communion – They should provide for the regular celebration of Holy Communion, especially on Sundays and Holy Days.
3. Preach – Clergy should provide for regular preaching in the Churches for which they are responsible.
4. Teach – Clergy should teach, both adults and children, being willing to visit schools when invited.
5. Present candidates for Confirmation – having prepared them for discipleship within the life of the Church.
6. Visit both the sick and housebound, and make themselves available for spiritual counsel and advice.
7. Consult with a Parochial Church Council – about matters of general concern and importance to the parish. This should meet at least four times a year.
8. Arrange substitutes when unable to perform their basic duties themselves
You might react to this list in various ways — where are the targets? Where are Performance Indicators? You may indeed see praying, leading Sacraments, preaching and teaching as less than vital functions for the Church compared to other things. Yet these are still the primary activities clergy are there to enable in the Parish.
Why no KPI’s? Well one reason is that clergy do have tremendous liberty to approach these tasks according to conscience and personal conviction. Imposing on the consciences of clergy is likely to induce more losses than gains. The breadth of the working space clergy have is not always ideally used. The besetting sin of clergy, however, is far more often overwork than laziness.
So, secondly…
If you are thinking of Capability, relate your concerns to what Vicars are actually there to do.
http://bishopalan.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/how-to-change-your-vicar-part-two.html