Implications for Structure and Culture
There are significant responsibilities placed on the national Church by the Basis of Union and the Constitution. There are also significant expectations of the Church. However, the resources dedicated to the national life and work of the Church are small and have been diminishing over time. Historically the national Church relied on voluntary committees, task groups and working groups with a small number of staff to undertake significant work. The era where this was a viable way to achieve the work expected of the national Church is over.
In the report Act2: In Response to God’s Call there is a summary of the cultural challenges facing the national Church. These include the sense that the Assembly is disconnected and remote from the local communities of faith and unaware of the lived reality of many local communities of faith. This sense of remoteness and disconnection is also felt within the Assembly. The struggle to communicate and connect across the life of the Church is real. It feeds a harmful culture of suspicion and distrust.
To strengthen our national identity, life and work, more resources will be required. To effectively fulfil the existing responsibilities and expectations of the Assembly, it is our estimate that the national council requires an increase of approximately $1million to its annual budget. This would strengthen our resourcing to sustain an effective public voice and international partnerships and relationships. It would also ensure we could live out our commitment to the Covenant and to be a multicultural, cross-cultural and intercultural Church. It would support high quality work on our theological culture. It would also enhance the national Church’s convening and communications role to promote the mission of the Church. This needs to be considered as part of the wider resource allocation process. Further securing the financial base of the national Council is a longstanding issue which needs to be addressed.
However, finances alone are not enough. People have shared practical actions which could be taken, including:
- A shared national database so that the Church can communicate and connect.
- An integrated approach to internal and external communications across the councils of the Church.
- Shared technology platforms to enable deeper collaboration across councils.
- Common means of communicating including common website and email address protocols.
- Shared training platforms for common administration and compliance obligations.
The national council of the Church needs to be a visible and accessible council if it is going to be responsive to the needs of the Church. Its staffing should continue to be geographically dispersed so that it can collaborate with the whole Church in fulfilling its responsibilities and effectively play its part in our unity and mission.
