CHANGE is not something that we can control: it is organic and continual, whether we like it or not. But we can choose how we respond to it. If ever there was a time when churches needed ministries to help them to respond to change, it is now.
It is sad that the Church of England has done little to help forward the ministry of change and transition which it fostered in 2015, when it authorised time-limited interim-ministry (IM) appointments, ranging from six months to three years. It is neglecting a gift in its midst when it most needs it; witness the number of dioceses committing to radical change strategies, and the anxiety among some of those who are experiencing it (News, 2 June; Letters, 9 June; Features, 18 March 2022).
The theories of how change destabilises people and families are well known, thanks to the work of the American psychotherapist Murray Bowen. It follows that, if change is inevitable in churches and dioceses, so also is anxiety, since the two go together as historic patterns of ministry and parish life shift.
The strategies that dioceses have generated are not themselves the change, but the response to it, and they need to be undergirded with the right ministry and training that can help to support people through transition and reduce anxiety. This is part of counting the cost before starting to build (Luke 14.28-29).
IM USES a tried-and-tested process that intentionally and collaboratively explores issues and future options, led by someone appropriately gifted to serve as “a non-anxious presence”.
In the five years that followed the authorisation of IM in 2015, research found that it was an effective and beneficial way of bringing about transformation. It offered stability and reduced anxiety, helped parishes to overcome difficult histories, and enabled churches to find a new outlook and way forward. It brought confidence and spiritual refocusing, enabling parishes to reset and to build confidence, and a “can-do” attitude. IM was considered to be “an essential part of the Church of England’s toolkit”, which “enables” lay leaders and “empowers the Church”.
National networking evolved, then resource-development and pilot training: Training for Transition. This culminated, in 2021, in the launch of a resource hub on IM (News, 9 April 2021), which is still generously hosted by the diocese of Chelmsford (www.interimministry.org.uk).
Promises were made that this work would become part of Vision and Strategy. IM practitioners who have been voluntarily holding the fort have been disappointed that it has not. Instead, IM has been used to “casualise” clergy appointments, or for half-time and house-for-duty posts, rather than intentionally and strategically to equip churches to face change. At a time when ministry that can help churches to prepare confidently for a different future is needed so urgently, this seems a wasted opportunity,
There is still limited awareness of IM among senior staff, even though this is a ministry that is underpinned by C of E legislation, for which people are being gifted and called. There have been at least 12 appointments a year in the Church of England, but none are being trained or equipped for the position. The training and networking support structures exist, but they lack funding. Nor does there seem much hope that the National Strategic Investment Programme can support it: the programme’s criteria is so tightly targeted that IM falls through the gaps.
Yet there is a need for IM. Those recently appointed have been relieved to discover the IM Resource Hub, often through accident or desperation, when they should be directed to it by directors of ministry, and by the archdeacons and bishops who are appointing them. Sometimes, even archdeacons and directors of ministry get in touch to find out more.
THERE are gifted change-makers coming into ministry with a sense of call; but this is going unrecognised and their full vocation undeveloped. There are others, meanwhile, who would love to work in IM, but who cannot afford to take half-time or house-for-duty posts. Nor is there likely to be any shortage of opportunities, judging by the ongoing number of IM and change appointments advertised, and the change strategies announced.
These posts should be taken seriously, and they require resourcing properly. There is room for creativity around interim-mnistry positions, so that they can become resource opportunities supporting change strategies in different dioceses — perhaps in dual-role ministries and in-team appointments. What is missing is the recognition, equipping, and awareness.
Is the Church of England going to continue neglecting this gift — and those whom God is calling into it — or will it do something about it?
The Revd Helen Gheorghiu Gould is a professional transition specialist, and serves in the Church in Wales in Transition Ministry. She was previously Interim Minister and Vacancy Development Adviser in the diocese of Chelmsford, and she serves on the IM Practitioners Group.