Listening to the diocese
Mutual Ministry Review provides feedback about diocesan strengths, areas of stress
By Christie M. Wills
At its August meeting, the diocesan Executive Board accepted the report of the Mutual Ministry Review Committee. The board also approved the next step, a Long Range Planning Committee to be chaired by the Rev. Dr. Doug Wigner, St. Paul’s, Lynchburg.
According to MMR chairman Kim Webster, 39 parishes, the clergy of four convocations and the Executive Board completed the survey. Although Webster was careful to protect the anonymity of responses, he said that it was clear that most took the opportunity to give “extremely honest” feedback.
Webster said that the strengths the committee saw widely among the responses were diocesan outreach, youth ministry and worship. They also noted appreciation for Evans House staff and the ministries of diocesan institutions such as Grace House, the Phoebe Needles Center and Boys’ Home.
The committee discerned a yearning for a clearer “vision for the diocese that we can not only support with our funds, but with our hands.” They identified a desire for a more free-flowing, open system of dialogue and expressed a desire that the bishop play a proactive role in the exchange.
Lastly, the report concluded that respondents were honest in their assessment of where the areas of stress are located within the diocese. The committee captured the essence of the concerns with a statement: “Our system currently lacks a process within which we can express our frustrations/concerns in a transparently open format and expect an engaged, concerned, loving response.”
Webster said that even though his committee had completed their charge, the findings in the report will be used to continue the conversation about living together as a diocese. “This isn’t the last time we as a diocese talk about these things, this is just the next step.”
To continue the process, the Executive Board approved a Long Range Planning Committee comprised of the ten deans and presidents (two from each convocation), Wigner, and diocesan staff member Kate Garcia as liaison.
Wigner said that the deans and presidents were a natural fit for designing the Long Range Plan since they are the clergy and lay leadership in each congregation. Wigner himself just completed his doctorate in ministry with an emphasis on the Appreciate Inquiry method. He expects the committee will produce a draft plan in time for fall convocation meetings which begin in early October.