Exec Away Day

The MCN Exec: Joe Moffatt, Hilary Barber, Al Hutson, Ian Penny, Tom Mumford, Mark Wood, Dan Tyndall

Mark Wood writes:

The MCN’s Executive Committee met, on 4th March, to progress the organisation’s registration with the Charity Commission.

It was agreed to apply for recognition as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation: a structure which enables us to give voting rights to all members, not just our Trustees.

We began by affirming our core aims of offering support, advocacy and training to Major Parish Churches within the network. To help us deliver these objectives, we plan to recruit a part time coordinator -  to facilitate communications within the network and facilitate its growth-both numerically and in the level of support we can offer.

We recognised that we already benefit from the support and shared experience of member churches - now including the smaller “Market Town Churches”. These churches generally face the challenge of maintaining a building of exceptional architectural importance but with few, if any, employees - to help with the joyous tasks of interpreting the eccentricities of the DAC, or navigating the labyrinthine application processes of the various funding bodies. Whether our church is largish, large, or colossal, however, membership of the Network offers a both a degree of solidarity with others in similar situation – and a stronger sense of where those other church are, especially at regional level.

We affirmed our aspiration to make the residential conference an annual event, rather than a  bi-annual one – with the assumption that not all members would wish to, or be able to attend,  in any given year.  

Advocacy is likely to take a variety of forms, and be shaped by the  prevailing needs of member churches. As a national network, and in our regions, we recognise opportunities to speak on behalf or member churches - to raise awareness on the particular challenges and responsibilities of Major Parish Churches across wider church structures; and of the particular contributions they do, or could, make to the local community and economy of our own particular contexts. 

Training needs to be relevant and effective - and we explored ways in which we might develop this. Initially we plan to develop more structured opportunities for self-led learning, with virtual “round table meetings” regularly held throughout the year to enable members of any region to participate. Discussion topics would be invited and agreed in advance, so that members would then be able to see whether a particular meeting is likely to benefit them.

A survey of members will follow so that we will be able to see if there are issues affecting a number of us, and what expertise we may need to draw on in producing a suite of more formal training opportunities. And as part of that process, we plan to explore the possibility of establishing links with external partners who can help us deliver this.

For Major Parish Churches of all shapes and sizes - we want our regional hubs, and larger gatherings, to provide a safe space where we are free to vent our frustrations, as well as share ideas, with other clergy and office holders of similar churches – with confidence that those conversations are also ‘in confidence’. 

We were capably guided though our comprehensive decision-making processes, by Isabel Merrifield of ISME Management Consultancy. And, at the end of the day, we had agreed a final draft of the Constitution (our governance document); and also a 5 – year financial plan – both of which will now be made as presentable and visually pleasing(!) as possible, and submitted to the Charity Commission for approval.

 The final version of both documents will also be circulated to members of the network.

Dealing with Contested Heritage

Dan Tyndall, Vicar of St Mary Redcliffe, and Chair of the Network, writes:

In June 2020 the statue of Edward Colston, slave trader and philanthropist, was tipped into Bristol harbour. The north transept window of St Mary Redcliffe was dedicated to Colston, showed the story of the Good Samaritan and bore his motto ‘Go and do likewise’.

Over the last three years we have held a competition for new designs, not for the whole window, but for the four panels at the base of the window which showed Colston’s motto, legend and dedication.

In August 2023, on the day of the 60th anniversary of the ending of the Bristol Bus Boycott (which was the same day as Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech) we revealed the new windows.

It turned out to be one of the most important events in the city this year: the sixtieth anniversary of the ending of the Bristol Bus Boycott, paving the way for the Race Relations Acts and then the Equalities Act of 2010 which provides rights for people with Protected Characteristics. 

Since then I have been asking if people have heard of either Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech or the Bristol Bus Boycott. Pretty much everyone has heard of the first and very few the second. There is a real need to reset this to show that both of these events are equally significant in the unfolding development of race relations in UK and abroad.

We welcomed Pioneers and Elders of the black community, some of whom organized and ran the original protest. It was a thrill to see the delight in their eyes when they saw the new window panels for the first time.

Jesus was asked "And who is my neighbour?" by the lawyer and Jesus tells the story of The Good Samaritan. The lawyer could not conceive of the possibility that any Samaritan might be 'good'. We are now faced with that same story and three others - the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans, the Bristol Bus Boycott and Small Boats migration - with that same question ringing in our ears: And who is my neighbour?

And, as someone said "Of course, the power of that question is what happens when you flip it round and ask 'And who do we exclude?'"

Sheffield Diocese pay for MCN membership

Zoe Kemp, Resourcing Churches Building Officer for Diocese of Sheffield, writes:

In the Diocese of Sheffield we are keen to support all of our churches and we do this through the work of our Mission Action Support Team. We recognise, however, that our Major Parish Churches face particular challenges and opportunities and so we have recently set up a specific Diocesan Major Churches Group. The aim of this is to provide a forum where our seven Major Churches and Cathedral can meet together to share ideas and discuss concerns, and where we can bring together local and national expertise to address key issues affecting these very significant buildings.

The first meeting was held at the beginning of October and the Revd Canon Adrian Daffern, Cathedrals and Major Churches Officer, kindly agreed to be our keynote speaker. Adrian shared information about the national support available, including the Major Churches Network. Revd Canon Phil Batchford, from Rotherham Minster, had just returned from the MCN conference and spoke enthusiastically about how useful it had been and how much he had valued the opportunity to meet with other people involved in caring for Major Churches from around the country.

Our churches have decided they would like to meet twice a year within the diocese and will identify the topics they wish to explore; the next meeting will be in April and will focus on the challenges of meeting the net zero target as a major parish church. We are also keen for our Major Churches to benefit from the national support available to them and so, on the back of the success of the first meeting, the Diocese took the decision to offer to pay for a year’s membership of the Major Churches Network for those churches that were not already members. This offer has been warmly embraced and four new churches from the Diocese of Sheffield have recently joined the network.

Our Major Churches reach out to their local communities through the wide range of activities, events and services they organise and host. These include much needed social action projects, world-class cultural events and opportunities to learn new skills and meet new people. By investing in these churches we are investing in our mission. We hope that this new group; a mix of clergy, church staff, churchwardens, PCC members and office holders; supported by key members of the diocesan staff team, will grow and develop, sharing ideas and good practice and supporting each other to encourage a proactive and innovative approach to mission in the Diocese.

Our aim in setting up this group is to ensure that our Major Churches thrive and flourish through the week and that the dedicated teams who are responsible for them feel supported, valued and well resourced. Rotherham Minster hosted the first meeting of the group and Canon Phil summed up the mood of the group by saying, 'This is a really helpful initiative that provides a forum to share together with those who are responsible for looking after similar church buildings within our Diocese. It was good to explore both the challenges and opportunities we face’.

Interfaith Connections

Hilary Barber, Vicar of Halifax Minster and Co-Chair of Interfaith Network UK, writes:

Not long after I arrived at Halifax there was an English Defence League March through the town. 600 men were corralled into a carpark opposite the Minster, and I was ordered by the Chief Constable to lock the Minster, while 200 Police in riot gear stood outside to protect the environment. I found this a shocking experience, and soon realised that I had moved into a town where racism was just under the surface and within my own community. Very quickly my own children began to see and experience this for themselves, especially at school. In response to this context, I decided that I would commit part of my own ministry and that of the Minster, towards building a strong resilient community, where there would be good social cohesion and that everyone would be valued for who they were, for what they brought to the community, and for what they might become. For over ten years I was the Vice Chair of Calderdale Interfaith Council supporting the sitting Mayor who was always in the Chair. There have been numerous challenges to overcome especially in enabling the other faith communities to get to know one another, and to visit each place of worship, and to come together for times of celebration and trauma. It has been very interesting to observe that as the Established Church, and as the Mother Church for Calderdale, this window of opportunity for hospitality reaches far beyond the Christian community, to all the other faith communities than enrich the life of the Borough. At a recent Public Theology event, led by The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP (who was stabbed by a Muslim in his constituency office), a prominent local muslin woman asked Stephen a question, by welcoming him to 'our Minster', such is the affection of the Minster by the other faith communities.

For the past two years I have been the Co Chair of the Interfaith Network for the UK, the principal  agency between government and the faith communities across the four devolved nations. There are 22 representatives on the Board, running the Faith Community Forum at a national level, local interfaith groups affiliated in most communities across the UK, and working with the Moderators for each faith across the sector. I report to both Lambeth and Mr Gove! The last few weeks since the 7th October have seen me Charing some high-level engagement between both Jewish and Muslim organisations, as the effect of the Israel Gaza situation begins to affect the communities of the UK. I believe passionately that as Major Churches we have an important contribution to play as faith leaders in the public square, and I want to encourage all of you to engage and provide hospitality beyond the Christian community, and to play an active role in building resilient communities in your own context. I'm happy to offer any practical advice and support, so do email me if I can help in anyway. Your Local Authority should be delighted to support you, and I encourage you to consider a Faith Covenant between your local faith communities and the Local Authority as a model of good practise for going forward. This is a strategic area where Major churches can take the lead and serve the wider communities in our locality.

Conference Reflection from a newbie

Mark Wood, Vicar of Wilton Parish Church, a first time attender at MCN conference, writes;

As both and Oxford alumnus and an MCN “new boy”; this year’s Conference provided me with a wonderful blend of nostalgia and novelty! As Rector of one of the smaller “Market Town Churches”, it was really useful to meet others in the Network who are also working with a relatively small team of volunteers, and very few employees. And the sense of mutual encouragement, alone, made the conference worthwhile – but there was much more! Jim Walters (LSE) set the bar high at the opening session reflecting some of the ways our very public buildings can reflect, and speak into, changing circumstances. More practical advice was on offer as well. Workshops ranging from net zero carbon programmes to insurance and security issues and Bishop Andrew Rumsey offered some theological underpinning to our churches’ role within the broader “story” of our communities.

There was an inspired session on leadership facilitated by Dr Pegram Harrison of the Saïd Business School. After a brief demonstration, a number of delegates were pitched into conducting five solo singers, without any training or music!  As leaders with complex responsibilities that may not fit our own skill set, we were being asked: “How can we enable others to play their part as well as they can?” And the answer? Focus on them, not your own anxieties. Ask them what they need and who can provide it. Lastly, wordless communication can't be faked. A sobering thought!

For me, the Oxford Conference offered a perfect venue – splitting our time between the University Church and “Teddy Hall” – and with just the right balance of structured input and incidental networking at meals, and in the bar. My first MCN Conference will definitely not be my last!

Conference Reflection from the Organisers

Tom Mumford, Vicar of St Mary le Tower, Ipswich and Vice-Chair of the network writes

In September we held the first Major Churches Network national conference since before the pandemic. Held over two days across St Edmunds Hall and the University Church we explored various aspects of ministry pertinent to major churches. There was a fantastic talk by Jim Walters on ministry in the public square, presentations on Church buildings by Emily Gee and others from the Church Buildings Council. We heard brilliant reflections on the witness of major churches from the Bishop of Ramsbury, as well as stimulating teaching on the nature of leadership by Eve Poole. All of this was complimented wonderfully by a number of workshops, as well as the opportunity to gather together for worship, food, and fellowship. It was a wonderful couple of days where we hope new friendships were made, existing relationships were deepened, and a growing sense of support and encouragement were fostered. With grateful thanks again to the University Church and particularly Will Lamb for his role in hosting and coordinating. We look forward to the next one!

Christmas in a Major Church

Al Hutson, Operations Manager at Hull Minster, writes:

Two weeks in to the Festive Season, and by now you know how well prepared you are; the planning, the rotas, the spreadsheets and general communication to make sure everyone who needs to know what is going on when knows what is going on when. As you look at the diary and start to count down the number of services and events left to go before you can even think about putting your feet up, you remember you never did find the 3rd wise man for the nativity scene, nor check if the magician and stilt walker confirmed for next week’s banquet dinner. As you sigh, realise you must get up and do it all over again tomorrow, doubt starts to creep in about the meaning of it all, and are our efforts in vein? Will we ever see a revival where it doesn’t take a boy band or Victorian market to fill our churches at Christmas or, will we have to continue to think up ways to reinvent a christigle service taking into account the latest frantic parent who is more worried about their little darling burning their hands but have no thoughts about the copious amounts of wax and half chewed jelly baby which is being ground into the floor.

I am sure that I am not the only one who occasionally has these momentary thoughts of anguish and doubt. I am also certain that it happens every year…so why do we do it!?

As with many major churches, Hull Minster strains itself to have a full diary of public and private services and events to give opportunity to as many people to encounter ‘the true meaning of Christmas’ and to captialise on and monitise the merriment of the season by bringing in those much needed funds in the hope we can limp through the cold new year months, and not run out of money before visitors start to reemerge on mass in the spring.

We have 28 public and private events in December on top of usual routine activities. It’s a serious undertaking which demands time, energy, dedicated volunteers and a lot of late nights. It also requires a determination to not separate the secular and sacred. To easy it would be to assume that when the local symphony orchestra rocks up for their annual Christmas concert that people are neither interested or receptive to hear from a dog collar. At every event there is an opportunity for an ask (be it money or advertising), a reminder of when the church is open and a cementing of the openness and steadfastness of the church in the community and that they are welcome and that you still exist as a church!

As I type this at 1:23am after getting back from an event, I found that glimmer of hope that God gives us in the times of doubt. Last night we had a local orchestral group in, medium crowd, lots of people who come every year and plenty of people who are new to the church building. Our ethos of welcome, hospitality and kindness lead to positive comments, 2 people signing up to being volunteers and 3 people who wanted to find out more about services. God (literally) knows if any of these people will come to Christ through this, but I at least know that our efforts are not completely in vein. Not every event is like this but there’s no reason we can’t pray that it will be….

Major Churches Network emerges from difficult times.

Please click the link below to see the May 2022 Newsletter.

---