Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Vestry Papers - Cultivating Leaders

March 2013
Cultivating Leaders

Time to Bloom

Margaret Babcock

Baptismal/Total/Shared/Mutual Ministry: A Rose by Any Other Name....

"What's in a name?" love-struck Juliet asked when barred from her beloved by his family moniker. "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet!" Of course, Juliet was right.

Whatever we call it, the concept of mutual ministry (I'll use this, as it's my favorite among the many) is not hard to grasp and has the potential of sending out the fragrance of the Gospel with great potency. The challenge is that nurturing this flower means rethinking many customs we now take for granted while cultivating the discipline and leadership of all our members.

What does Mutual Ministry look like?
I often explain mutual ministry using my bicycle wheel as a prop. I lean it against the altar rail and we contemplate it as a metaphor of the congregation that challenges the traditional pyramid of church hierarchy.

The hub (that small center in the middle of the wheel) represents God/Christ and the spokes (those flimsy wires hooked into it) are all the members of the church. As we, the wires, connect into God we come closer to each other, a tight community strong at its center. This action of coming together in God requires us all to claim our responsibility and leadership, sharing together in Christ's priesthood. We connect, remember, forgive, and offer thanksgiving for God's love.

The center, however, is not the only place where we hook into ministry. At the other end all those flimsy wires connect to the rim, where the rubber hits the road. In our metaphor, the rim is where we meet the world: translating the needs of all to the Church and the love of God to creation. This is our shared diaconal ministry.

When Tristan English first heard this simplistic explanation, a light bulb went off for him. "That was the first time I realized that priestly and diaconal ministry belong to everyone." English joined a team in his small church that studied for a year in preparation for embracing a culture of shared leadership. He now serves as one of two local priests within a circle of ministers, as well as working for his diocese encouraging other congregations.

Brian Thom engaged the concept of mutual ministry as an overworked rector in a growing congregation. "Finding a way to be truly collaborative in ministry freed me to focus on my strengths and made room for my parishioners to find theirs." Now bishop of Idaho, Thom strives to hold up the vision of including all members in leadership, on both diocesan and congregational levels.

Cultivating Mutual Ministry Congregations
Mutual ministry springs up in many different settings. Still, there are constants we learn from the gardening theme. Cultivation involves digging deep, turning soil and pulling out weeds, as well as planting seeds and nurturing sprouts.

In congregations, a similar plan of action is necessary. Old paradigms, expectations, and habits (especially of basic concepts like power and leadership) are examined together in a culture of collaboration, a rare experience in both church and society.

While programs are available to help this process of ministry development, they depend on the ability of the members to converse (not debate) and a commitment to learning together (everyone: lay and ordained, paid staff, and volunteers). An outside consultant in the form of a ministry developer is helpful in guiding the process. Living Stones, a consortium of dioceses committed to developing mutual ministry, meets annually to help members progress and break new ground. The Ministry Developer's Collaborative, (the action arm of Living Stones) offers workshops and other programs supporting this work.

How do you know it's a rose, not a weed?
Is shared leadership good for a congregation? Here are four benchmarks to consider in critiquing the health of Mutual Ministry congregations:

Transformation of Community: When members ask, "What is God calling our congregation to be and do?" and take time to create a vision of partnership with God from communal discernment, it heightens their commitment and the responsibility they take for ministry.
Empowerment: More than a program that targets the abilities of members to plug into existing tasks, true empowerment is about growing the work of the church out of the gifts God has planted in that community. It requires an ongoing commitment of the congregation to training and supporting all its members in their various callings.
Sustainability: A healthy mutual ministry congregation knows it doesn't have to be all things for all people. People sharing a vision springing from communal discernment, prune those branches of their common life, which no longer bear blossoms. Eventually, the freedom of using resources at hand trumps dependence on outside sources and agendas.
Mission Orientation: An amazing thing happens when a congregation becomes clear about its partnership with God, leaving everything else behind...they find there is so much left to share! Released from worry about simply surviving, an abundance of energy and resources surface that can be applied to serving Christ in all persons.

The root of mutual ministry exists in every congregation. It doesn't matter what you call it. Cultivating the capability of every Christian and every congregation to grow into full mature and responsible partnership with Christ is the essence of this flower. Seems to me, it's time to bloom.

Margaret Babcock is an Episcopal priest with 20 years’ experience in congregational ministry in Arizona and ten years’ at the diocesan level as Canon for Congregational Development in the dioceses of Idaho and Wyoming. She now directs Companion Way Consulting Services, which supports both congregational and judicatory development in a Mutual Ministry style. She is author of “Rooted in God”, and “New Growth in God’s Garden” both published by LeaderResouces (www.LeaderResources.org).

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