Leading Together

Over the past few years, we've been asking parishioners to help shape the future of St Laurence. Now we're looking at how we can make it easier for people to take part in the life and leadership of our church.

When St Laurence was preparing to welcome a new Rector, parishioners helped create our Parish Profile. It gave us an opportunity to reflect on who we are, what matters to us, and what we hoped for in the years ahead.

Last year, we continued that conversation through Listening Forward. Led by Jan Taylor, the consultation brought together the views of 86 people, from some of our youngest parishioners to those approaching 90.

People told us what brought them to St Laurence, what keeps them coming back, and what they would like us to focus on next.

There was much to celebrate: our worship and music, the welcome people receive, the friendships they have made, and the care and support they find here. People also shared their hopes for the future, helping us identify priorities for worship, community life, learning, pastoral care and our relationships beyond the parish.

But there was something else we needed to hear.

Making it easier to get involved

Some parishioners told us they weren't always sure how things worked at St Laurence.

Who does what? Who makes which decisions? If you would like to help with something, whom do you approach? And if someone asks you to take on a role, how do you know what is involved?

These may seem like small questions, but they matter.

When responsibilities aren't clear, people can find it difficult to become involved, even when they would like to contribute. It can also mean that too much falls on the shoulders of those who already hold leadership roles.

Listening Forward encouraged us to be clearer about roles and responsibilities, help people discover opportunities to contribute, and offer support to those taking on something new.

That seems a good place to start.

Leading Together

Over recent months, a working group has been looking at how leadership is organised at St Laurence and whether some changes could help us work more effectively together.

We've called this work Leading Together.

The proposals would clarify the different responsibilities of our Corporation (Trustees) and Parish Council.

The Corporation would continue to look after the parish's legal, financial, property and administrative responsibilities. Parish Council would give particular attention to our vision, mission, ministries and the life of our parish community.

All members of the Corporation would also sit on Parish Council, helping to keep these responsibilities connected.

We're also proposing clearer distinctions between:

• Committees, which have particular responsibilities delegated by the Corporation.

• Ministry Teams, which lead and support ongoing activities such as worship, welcome and pastoral care.

• Working Groups, which come together for a particular task or project, then finish when their work is done.

The idea is not to create more meetings or make parish life more complicated. Quite the opposite. We hope that clearer responsibilities will make it easier to understand how things work, share the workload, and help more people find ways to contribute.

More than an organisational chart

Of course, changing a structure on paper won't solve everything.

We will still need to communicate well, invite people into ministry, explain what different roles involve, and support those who take them on. We will also need to make sure that people have opportunities to contribute their ideas, whether or not they hold a formal position.

But having a clearer structure should help us do those things better.

And as St Laurence develops new ministries and welcomes new people, we want to make sure that the way we organise ourselves supports that growth.

We'd like to hear what you think

These are proposals, not decisions already made. We'd like to know what you think before taking things further.

On Sunday, October 18, we'll have opportunities after both the 9:00 and 10:30 am services to talk through the ideas, ask questions and hear your thoughts.

You can also share your thoughts through our online feedback form. Whether you join us in person, respond online, or do both, we'd welcome your contribution.

What looks helpful? What concerns you? Is there something we haven't considered?

You don't need to know anything about church governance to take part. In fact, if you've ever wondered how something works at St Laurence, or thought about becoming more involved but weren't sure where to begin, we'd particularly value hearing from you.

One of the things I've appreciated about St Laurence is people's willingness to share their experiences, ideas and hopes for our community. The Parish Profile and Listening Forward have already helped us make decisions about our future.

Leading Together is another step in that conversation. We want to make sure that, as our parish grows and changes, the way we work together gives people a real opportunity to contribute and helps us care well for the community we've been entrusted with.

I hope you'll take part in whichever way works best for you.

Philip

Rector, St Laurence Anglican Church