Category : Ministry of the Ordained
(Church Times) Clergy posts are a priority, says Truro bishop
Increasing the number of stipendiary priests in the diocese of Truro is the “top operational priority”, the Acting Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Hugh Nelson, who is the Bishop of St Germans, said this week.
His comments followed claims by the campaign group Save the Parish Cornwall (STP) that the number of stipendiary priests in the diocese had fallen to 38, and that there were 19 vacancies to be filled. The group says that the diocese is “struggling to recruit new priests to undertake the unrealistic roles proposed by the restructuring plans — in particular ‘oversight ministers’ . . . in giant benefices”.
A diocesan spokeswoman said this week that there were 58 stipendiary clergy in post at the end of last month, including incumbent-status clergy, assistant curates, and archdeacons. In addition, eight new appointments had been made in the past three months. The plan was to increase the number of stipendiary clergy to about 85, “dependent on clergy being attracted to our posts”.
Increasing the number of stipendiary priests in the diocese of Truro is the “top operational priority”, the Acting Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Hugh Nelson, who is the Bishop of St Germans, said this week https://t.co/Xg8Zz5KOH7
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 15, 2024
A Report on the 2024 Convention of the Anglican diocese of South Carolina
Bishop Chip Edgar called the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina to exercise hospitality in his address to the 2024 Convention. The event, which drew more than 300 clergy, delegates and guests to the Cross Schools in Bluffton, was held March 8-9.
“If we are true to our nature as the people God has called to himself, keeping our blessings to ourselves is not an option,” he said.
He urged those present to be ready to welcome the stranger. “People by the thousands continue to move to South Carolina… Many are unchurched, and study after study suggests that unchurched folks are more likely to visit a church plant than an established church,” he said. “But many are churched, too, and churched folks are more likely to look for churches. To be hospitable, we have to both strengthen our existing churches and plant new ones.”
He made three proposals: “One, that we continue to encourage deaneries to work together to strategize church planting, and we set the goal for ourselves to add a new congregation to our diocese each year going forward; two, we reestablish our Congregational Development Committee to help our existing congregations; and three, that we, as a diocese, continue to raise up and emphasize the ministry and work of deacons in our diocese.”
Join us this Sunday, July 23, 2023 as we, in The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, pray for Bishop Chip Edgar and Bishop Emeritus Mark Lawrence as they begin their summer respites. #ACNA #ADOSC pic.twitter.com/ipSeFrsA13
— Anglican Diocese of SC (@anglican_sc) July 21, 2023
(Church Times) Wedding photographers and clergy at odds, petition suggests
Ed Lloyd Owen, a society wedding photographer, described the initiative “as a storm in a teacup”: he had not signed the petition and did not intend to, he told the Church Times this week. He saw the issue as a matter of co-operation.
“There is always going to be some friction between two people trying to do their jobs and getting in each other’s way slightly,” he said. “It’s overcome by simply making sure you speak to each other. I also observe the rule of no flash and don’t go near ‘the bubble’. I wear smart clothes (usually tails) and rubber-sole shoes, only move during hymns, and use silent cameras with long lenses.”
His view was not far from that of the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams, who told The Sunday Times this week: “While some vicars can be a complete pain and over-controlling to a degree, clergy too need to be able to do their jobs.”
It was reasonable, he said, for officiating clerics to ask photographers “not to be intrusive during a service when something significant is supposed to be taking place at the spiritual level”.
Read it all (registration or subscription).
A petition to “improve working conditions for wedding photographers in churches” — who have been accusing clerics of “abusive” behaviour towards them — has attracted almost 1000 signatures https://t.co/aiPUPXuo5s
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 5, 2024
(BBC) First female Bishop of Peterborough is installed in ‘uplifting service’
The first woman Bishop of Peterborough has been installed in an “uplifting and inspiring service”.
The Right Reverend Debbie Sellin was welcomed as the 39th bishop in the diocese during a 90-minute service at Peterborough Cathedral.
The 59-year-old will lead the Anglican communities across Northamptonshire, Rutland and Peterborough.
She previously acted as Bishop of Southampton after the sudden retirement of the Right Reverend Tim Dakin.
New female bishop installed in 'inspiring service' https://t.co/y8H4akRr4z
— صحيفة مباشر العربية (@mubasheer2022) March 3, 2024
(Church Times) Clergy in Living Ministry study report suffering depression
More than one third of the incumbents questioned for a survey published this week exhibited signs of clinical depression. The authors of the survey — part of the Church of England’s ongoing Living Ministry study — say that the matter deserves “urgent attention”.
One third of the respondents to the survey (32 per cent) said that they did not trust the diocese to look after their well-being; and nearly one fifth (18 per cent) did not believe that their bishops had their best interests at heart.
The fall in church attendance since the pandemic (News, 10 November 2023) and the cost-of-living crisis are among factors influencing the clergy’s well-being, the authors of the survey suggest. And almost half the stipendiary-clergy respondents agreed that their financial situation was causing them anxiety.
The Living Ministry study of clergy has been running since 2017. The latest report highlights that more than a third of the incumbents responding reported levels of mental health that indicate possible depressionhttps://t.co/roew8BtSId
— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) February 22, 2024
(CT) How a Radio Current Jolted a Christian Leader into Staying in Ministry
When the late Federico “Fred” Mission Magbanua Jr. preached a radio sermon on offering one’s body as a living sacrifice, he probably didn’t imagine he’d one day hear these words again as a 10,000-watt radio frequency current surged through him in a near-death accident.
It happened one night in early 1961, while Magbanua was working at the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) gospel radio ministry. He was mulling over a job offer in the United States with a salary far greater than what he currently made as an FEBC engineer and as a pastor of a small Baptist church.
Suddenly, the warning lights on the 308-foot radio tower went out. Magbanua loaded some new bulbs into a bag and began climbing the structure. From his home nearby, his daughters and his wife, Aliw, watched him scale the tower.
What Magbanua didn’t realize was that the grounding system—which diverts energy to the ground to prevent surges—wasn’t working. A radio frequency current “hit his head using his body as a lightning rod,” his friend Harold Sala later told God Reports. “Literally, he was being executed by the tremendous surge of electrical power.”
The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Enewsletter
Seven Ordained to the Diaconate
“From the moment I entered the cathedral, my heart soared with joy,” said the now-Rev. Scott Poelker, one of seven ordained to the diaconate at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul on January 27. “It felt like I was carried aloft by the household of faith to the banquet of our Lord. I was fed spiritual energy for the task that lies ahead.” Read the full story and view photo gallery.
Bishop Chip Edgar Ordains Seven to the Diaconate https://t.co/H0rYhqPyIg #anglican #parishministry #southcarolina #lowcountrylife #deacons #service pic.twitter.com/w4ycYFcVK2
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) February 13, 2024
(CT) Super Bowl Gambling Grows, But Pastors Are on the Sidelines
With the Super Bowl this weekend, don’t expect many pastors to place a bet on Kansas City or San Francisco to win the game, but a few may have more than a rooting interest riding on the game.
Despite its legalization across many states, US Protestant pastors remain opposed to sports gambling, but they’re not doing much about it, according to a Lifeway Research study. Few pastors (13%) favor legalizing sports betting nationwide and most (55%) say the practice is morally wrong.
“Anything can happen in sports, and many Americans want the same allure of an unexpected win in sports to translate into an unexpected financial windfall,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Most pastors see moral hazards in sports betting and believe American society would be better off without it.”
,
A surge in betting on the Vegas-based game between Kansas City and San Francisco has not pushed church leaders to speak about the issue. https://t.co/bq1jRkBU0D— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) February 9, 2024
(Church Times) Clergy minimum stipends to grow by seven per cent from April
A 7% increase in the National Minimum Stipend (NMS), set to come into effect in April, has been welcomed by the trade union Unite.
The increase, agreed by the Archbishops’ Council, acting as the Central Stipends Authority (CSA), will see the minimum stipend jump from £26,134 to £28,670.
Last July, the CSA announced a five-per-cent increase for 2024. The greater uplift to seven per cent has been made possible because dioceses, which will have to fund the stipends, need pay less into the Church of England pensions scheme. In December, the Pensions Board announced a drop in the contribution rate by three percentage points from April this year: to 25 per cent of the previous year’s National Minimum Stipend.
A seven-per-cent increase in the National Minimum Stipend (NMS), set to come into effect in April, has been welcomed by the trade union Unite https://t.co/jroZM9yEUY
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 7, 2024
(RNS) Burned out, exhausted, leaving: A new survey finds clergy are not OK
This month, the Hartford Institute for Religion Research released a foundational report about the health of America’s churches and the leaders that serve them in the post-COVID-19 moment. The survey’s title, “I’m Exhausted All the Time,” will resonate with anyone who, like me, is leading a house of worship these days. But I wish the news were even that good.
The report, from Hartford’s Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations project, documents the growing number of American clergy who are burned out and have considered leaving either their current congregation — 44% — or the profession itself — more than half (53%). The latter figure represents an increase of 16% since 2021. The percentage of those considering leaving their current congregations, meanwhile, has more than doubled.
This isn’t the time for U.S. congregations to be facing the type of leadership transition of this magnitude. Less than half of participants in the study reported that their churches had rebounded to pre-pandemic levels of attendance or giving. Congregations are also less willing to embrace change than they were pre-pandemic, according to study participants, reversing several years of pandemic gains that saw congregations embrace change in order to survive.
OPINION: "What makes the present moment so difficult is that, in addition to the strain of recovering from the pandemic, congregations are also contending with a larger crisis that has been approaching for decades."https://t.co/S5IwdoXnt3
— Religion News Service (@RNS) January 28, 2024
A Prayer for the Feast Day of Samuel Shoemaker (Moved back from Tomorrow)
Holy God, we thank thee for the vision of Samuel Shoemaker, who labored for the renewal of all people: Grant, we pray, that we may follow his example to help others find salvation through the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ our Savior; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.Holy God, we thank thee for the vision of Samuel Shoemaker, who labored for the renewal of all people: Grant, we pray, that we may follow his example to help others find salvation through the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ our Savior; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Remembering one of my PECUSA heroes : Holy God, we thank you for the vision of Samuel Shoemaker, who labored for the renewal of all people: Grant, we pray, that we may follow his example to help others find salvation through the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ our Savior… pic.twitter.com/TMCwDAdwtE
— Dave Langille (@cdnusboy) January 31, 2023
Kendall Harmon’s Sunday Sermon–What are we going to do with the Authority of Jesus (Mark 1:21-28)?
You can listen directly via the link above or via downloadable podocast there.
“What is this? A new teaching with authority.” -Mark 1:27
“Exorcism at the Synagogue in Capernaum” (c. 1000) Lambach Abbey pic.twitter.com/okImLk7xyD
— Lady of Good Counsel (@ofgoodcounsel) January 10, 2023
CH on John Chrysostom for His Feast Day–Golden Tongue & Iron Will
In the spring of 388, a rebellion erupted in Antioch over the announcement of increased taxes. Statues of the emperor and his recently deceased wife were desecrated. Officials of the empire then began punishing city leaders, killing some, for the uprising. While Archbishop Flavian rushed to the capital in Constantinople 800 miles away to beg for clemency, John preached to a city in turmoil:
“Improve yourselves now truly, not as when during one of the numerous earthquakes or in famine or drought or in similar visitations you leave off your sinning for three or four days and then begin the old life again. . . . Stop evil slandering, harbor no enmities, and give up the wicked custom of frivolous cursing and swearing. If you do this, you will surely be delivered from the present distress and attain eternal happiness.”
After eight weeks, on the day before Easter, Flavian returned with the good news of the emperor’s pardon.
John preached through many of Paul’s letters (“I like all the saints,” he said, “but St. Paul the most of all—that vessel of election, the trumpet of heaven”), the Gospels of Matthew and of John, and the Book of Genesis. Changed lives were his goal, and he denounced sins from abortion to prostitution and from gluttony to swearing.
He encouraged his congregation not only to attend the divine service regularly but also to feed themselves on God’s written Word. In a sermon on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, he said, “Reading the Scripture is a great means of security against sinning. The ignorance of Scripture is a great cliff and a deep abyss; to know nothing of the divine laws is a great betrayal of salvation.”
His applications could be forceful. About people’s love of horse racing, he complained, “My sermons are applauded merely from custom, then everyone runs off to [horse racing] again and gives much more applause to the jockeys, showing indeed unrestrained passion for them! There they put their heads together with great attention, and say with mutual rivalry, ‘This horse did not run well, this one stumbled,’ and one holds to this jockey and another to that. No one thinks any more of my sermons, nor of the holy and awesome mysteries that are accomplished here.”
Today, January 27th ✝️
in the #Catholic Church (Traditional Rite)
is the feast day of
Saint John Chrysostom 😇
Lived c. 347 – 407 AD, born in Antioch
He began his clerical career at a young age.
However, he soon abandoned it and as a hermit, devoted himself to asceticism and the… pic.twitter.com/KeSuMAawYL— Adam Bil (@1addamB) January 27, 2024
Charles Spurgeon for the Conversion of Saint Paul–Pressing Questions of an Awakened Mind
Paul fell to the ground overcome by the brightness of the light which outshone the mid-day sun, and as he lay there he cried, “Who art thou, Lord?” After receiving an answer to his first question, he humbly asked another, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
This morning I spent all my strength, and I scarcely have any remaining for this evening, but the subject was well worthy of the greatest exhaustion. I tried to show that we must receive the kingdom of heaven as little children, or else we could not in any wise enter into it. I wanted, if I could, to add a sort of practical tail-piece to that subject, something that would enable me, yet more fully, to explain the childlike spirit which comes at conversion, and which is absolutely needful as one of the first marks and consequences of the work of the Spirit of God upon the heart. I cannot find a better illustration of the childlike spirit than this which is now before us.
Paul was a great man, and on the way to Damascus I have no doubt he rode a very high horse. He verily thought that he was doing God service. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, and had a very high estimate of his own character ; and now that he had letters from the high priest upon his person, he felt himself to be armed with great power, and to be no mean man. He would let those poor Christians in Damascus know! He would worry them out of their fanaticism. He would take care to let them see that Saul of Tarsus was greater than Jesus of Nazareth. But a few seconds sufficed for the Lord to alter the man. How soon he brought him down! The manifestation of Jesus Christ himself from heaven soon subdued the great man into a little child, for the two questions which are now before us are exceedingly childlike. He enquires, with sacred curiosity, “Who art thou, Lord?” and then he surrenders at discretion, crying, “What wilt thou have me to do?” He seems to cry, “I give up my weapons. I submit to be thy servant. I only ask to be taught what I am to do, and I am ready to do it. Thou hast conquered me. Behold, at thy feet I lie; only raise me up and give me something to do in thy service, for I will gladly undertake it.” To this spirit we must all come if we are to be saved. We must come to think of Jesus so as to desire to know him; and then we must reverence Jesus so as to be willing to obey his will in all things. Upon those two points I am going to speak with a measure of brevity to-night.
Our first object of thought will be— the earnest enquirer seeking to know his Lord; and the second will be the obedient disciple requesting directions.
Caravaggio (1571–1610), The Conversion of Saint Paul, 1600 pic.twitter.com/hUBkB1EHgY
— Pictures of Churches (@ChurchPictures8) January 25, 2016
Bishop Chip Edgar writes the Diocese about the recent Mere Anglicanism Fracas
From there:
24 January 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina,
Grace and peace to you through God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Most of you will not have been at the most recent Mere Anglicanism Conference held in Charleston this past weekend, January 18-20. You might well have heard of it, however, and the controversy resulting from the presentation by Calvin Robinson. If you have, it is likely you have heard that the Revd Robinson was “cancelled” due to his position on Women in Holy Orders. I write to correct that notion, and to tell you that he was removed from the final panel because his talk was deemed to have veered substantively from the topic he was asked to address. Instead, he took advantage of the opportunity and opined on what he considers the exceeding evil of women in Holy Orders. Most importantly, he did so in a way which was inexcusably provocative, and completely lacking in charity and pastoral consideration of the people in attendance—especially the many women clergy both of our diocese and others who attended.
It might be said that more could have been done in the moment to address the situation, but I want to commend the Revd Jeff Miller, Rector of St Philip’s Church, and host of the conference, for the deft way he tried to diffuse the situation, and the controversial, but bold step he took in removing the Revd Robinson from the remainder of the conference. Any failure to address the situation in a more direct, up-front manner, is mine. And for that failure, I apologize. Especially to the women present who were deeply insulted by his remarks.
The Anglican Church in North America, and the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, and I, as bishop, are deeply committed to the idea that both those who favor women’s ordination, and those who oppose it, do so in fidelity to scripture and are both welcomed and valued in our common life. We refer to this recognition of both positions throughout the ACNA with the unwieldy moniker, “dual integrities.” While that is a less than helpful designation, it points to the deep reality that both views ought to be held with integrity, are welcome, respected, and will be defended on either side.
I, as your bishop, believe that the ordination of women comports with the teaching of scripture, most importantly, and is not ruled out by the tradition of the church. I welcome and encourage women in all levels of ministry. At the same time, given my commitment to “dual integrities,” I will support any who disagree with me. There will never come a time when I require anyone to act contrary to their conscience and commitments.
I do require, as a matter of godliness among us, that we always treat those with whom we disagree with love and charity and kindness. The kind of demeaning talk that marked the Revd Robinson’s presentation will not be countenanced.
In my admittedly short experience as a member of the ACNA’s College of Bishops, I have seen that our willingness to commit to each other in the spirit of “dual integrities,” has brought us into deeper fellowship and love, not less. It is easy to love those with whom you agree. The great reward comes from pressing into relationships of love with those with whom you disagree.
It is my prayer that, throughout my episcopacy, this will mark the life of our diocese, as well.
Now, to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or imagine, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3.20-21)
+Chip Edgar, Bishop
The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina
We welcome our new Bishop, the Rt Revd Chip Edgar, who was consecrated March 12, 2022. Let's pray regularly for our new bishop, his wife and family and labor alongside him to produce fruit in the vineyard to which we're called. View the service: https://t.co/4dRKj3inei pic.twitter.com/ShByUuXRIk
— Anglican Diocese of SC (@anglican_sc) March 13, 2022
The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Enewsletter
Camp Jubilee Needs YOUR Help
We ask for your prayers and your financial contributions towards the purchase of property that we believe the Lord has shown us to be the new home for Camp Jubilee. We have raised $1.5 M but still need to raise an additional $2.3 million by February 23. We invite you to prayerfully consider helping us to acquire this land. It will be a place for our diocese and beyond for generations to come!. Find out more here.
The Latest Edition of the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/shzErlFAL4 'We ask for your prayers and your financial contributions towards the purchase of property that we believe the Lord has shown us to be the new home for Camp Jubilee. We have… pic.twitter.com/QyvSbhNuSp
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) January 24, 2024
A Prayer for the Feast Day of Phillips Brooks
O everlasting God, who didst reveal truth to thy servant Phillips Brooks, and didst so form and mold his mind and heart that he was able to mediate that truth with grace and power: Grant, we pray, that all whom thou dost call to preach the Gospel may steep themselves in thy word, and conform their lives to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts, 1893
Long the Rector of Trinity Church Boston & briefly Bishop of Massachusetts, he is also remembered for writing "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
Memorial in Boston (Photo by Daderot, via Wikimedia) pic.twitter.com/a2D3P9eZyd
— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) January 23, 2024
Your Prayers Requested for this week’s Mere Anglicanism Conference here in the Diocese of South Carolina
A great topic–“Speaking the Truth in Love:The Church and the Challenge of the New Morality”
You may find the list of speakers there and the conference schedule here.
Run, don’t walk, to register for the 2024 Mere Anglicanism Conference! We have an incredible lineup of speakers: D.A. Carson, John Dickson, @RebeccMcLaugh, @amyorrewing, Vaughan Roberts, @calvinrobinson, and Carl Trueman, and more! Register and learn more https://t.co/HMhInevD1D!
— Constantine (@SinnerSaved45) July 26, 2023
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: I Have a Dream
You can find the full text here.
I find it always is really worth the time to listen to and read and ponder it all on this day especially–KSH.
David Cumbie’s Sunday sermon–What does God want to teach us About Epiphany (Matthew 2:1-12)?
You can listen directly just above or you can download it also there.
One the little joys of the Epiphany happens at Compline:
Blessed art thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven;
to be praised and glorified above all for ever. pic.twitter.com/FlX1Dtx7Jw— laudablePractice (@cath_cov) January 5, 2021
A Prayer for the Feast Day of William Passavant
Compassionate God, who hast raised up ministers among thy people: May we ever desire, like thy servant William Passavant, to support the work of equipping the saints for service among the sick and the friendless; through Jesus Christ the divine Physician, who hast prepared for us an eternal home, and who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Died #OTD in 1894: William Passavant, a Lutheran minister who is commemorated as a Prophetic Witness by the Episcopal Church
Passavant brought the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States & was a pioneer in social services among American Lutheranshttps://t.co/ODb93djrKy pic.twitter.com/AGuz56WQoC— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) January 3, 2024
Sunday food for Thought for Christmas
‘At a moment in history God broke through an adolescent girl’s womb in the Ancient Near East,
eternity intersected with time,
the supernatural became the natural,
the author of the story entered as a character in his own book,
and, in the memorable words of JB Phillips which I have always loved, we became the visited planet.’
–Yours truly from the morning sermon
Adoration of the Shepherds by Dutch painter Matthias Stomer, 1632. pic.twitter.com/KnJq38VjXy
— Archaeology & Art (@archaeologyart) December 24, 2021
Kendall Harmon’s Sunday Sermon–What can we learn from the shaken religious establishment’s interrogation of John the Baptist (John 1:19-28)?
You can listen directly via the link above or via downloadable podocast there.
Today's pick: Caravaggio: St John the Baptist (1604) https://t.co/4GpRchR5GI pic.twitter.com/n9obXdpmzL
— Art and the Bible (@artbible) May 7, 2021
David Cumbie’s Sunday sermon–How can Waiting for the God of Judgment be Good News (Luke 3)?
You can listen directly just above or you can download it also there.
David Cumbie of Church of the Apostles, Houston, called to be new rector of Holy Cross, Sullivan's Island #SouthCarolina https://t.co/0ylo4poNBE #parishministry #lowcountrylife #anglican #religion #faith #transition #leadership #marriage #family #children #texas #acna pic.twitter.com/oAsFYduwBZ
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 18, 2023