The idea of our Senior Minister living outside of the parish is a change for NAC. Change often produces conflict. Usually, the conflict is internal. The change causes us concern. Sometimes, we find the change hard to accept. One way to help reduce the conflict change causes is to understand the implications of the change.
Most people who have spoken to us about the move have been supportive and positive. But there are still many questions to be answered.
Until only a decade or so ago, almost all ministers in Sydney Diocese lived in their parish. Then, a few blokes wanted to live in their own home rather than the rectory. This was a change. It produced conflict. Some of them lived in their own home that was outside of their parish. This produced even more conflict.
Today, the number of ministers who own their own home is increasing and some of them drive up to 15 minutes or more to get to the church. (Peak hour creates congestion.)
With the approval of the archbishop, I have decided to live outside of my parish in order to better look after Robyn’s dad. It takes just over an hour to drive to Northmead if I travel outside of peak hour. But there are many questions in parishioners’ minds, many implications.
Someone asked: “What about emergencies if Neil is on the Central Coast rather than across the road?” This is a reasonable question. But in the last 20 years there’s been only a handful of emergencies and even in those cases it wouldn’t have mattered all that much if I’d had to travel from the Coast. In fact, in one case I went to Hornsby Hospital, which wouldn’t have taken too much longer to get to there.
In any case, NAC is a multi-staff church. As we have grown the role of the Senior Minister has changed. Now, many parishioner’s primary ministry relationship is with their Congregational Minister – George, James, Col or Ed (for youth). But it’s still nice to feel needed!
Someone asked: “What about Connect09? How will the move affect that?” This also is a good question. If I were in the first four or so years at NAC then the move would not be possible. I’d still be learning about the Northmead/Winston Hills community, still becoming part of the community. But we’ve been here nearly 20 years and are well established in this community. Our moving won’t affect our sense of community in the short term. (I’ve only 4 years until retirement!)
Because NAC has such a great staff and because we’ve been here 20 years it is possible for us to consider moving to look after Robyn’s dad. It is not an ideal situation for any minister, but it’s possible for us.
It will require monitoring. Human sinfulness always causes problems so we must guard against NAC being harmed in any way. This too is possible. There will be a review of the arrangement in 6 months and in 12 months. The PLT is developing a set of indicators that will help us determine how things are going in order to protect both the church and us.
The sort of things we have in mind focus mainly on the staff because this is where we think the first signs of problems will be seen. So the test for how things are going will be that more than 30% of the senior staff think that the arrangement isn’t working. That is a very stringent test. It requires only 1.8 staff members to think it isn’t working! (I’m not sure who is the 0.8?!?)
I’ve been thinking about Ephesians this week. The first part of chapter 4 develops the theme of the unity of a church. Our basis of unity is not changed by the change in our address. However, the unity we enjoy will be harmed if we allow the conflict that accompanies any change to divide us.
The normal human temptation when we experience the conflict caused by change is to simply talk to others who think like we do. That doesn’t help us to think through the implications. It only confirms our own ideas and emotions.
If you have questions about the new arrangement please call me so we might explore the implications in fellowship together. As we do this we express the unity we have and maintain that unity.
I will try to answer more questions next week, so if you have any send them to me.
Neil
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