ARC, BCA, Transition Teams, IIM?

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February 2007

ARC, BCA, Transition Teams, IIM?

'What's it all about?' asks Bob Witten.

ARC is the Anglican Rural Community Development Project which involves the Parish of Brighton with its three centres and the Parish of Southern Midlands with its nine centres.

Like all projects, it has a start and an end point. In this case August 2005 and July 2008. Like all projects it has a manager, in this case the Revd Bob Witten who is known as the Project Priest, to plan and oversee the project.

BCA is the Bush Church Aid society which has gone into partnership with the Diocese of Tasmania as project sponsors. IIM is the Intentional Interim Ministry which is the tool being used to help focus and define the project.

It is intentional because it is directive in examining how to bring about the changes needed to have sustainable ministry in the rural communities of Bothwell, Kempton/Bagdad, Oatlands and Brighton districts. It is interim as the current arrangements of ministry will not exist after the project ends.

The strategy being used to bring about any change is through transition teams. In this project there are four, one for each district. These teams have five tasks:

Coming to terms with history

Examining leadership and decision-making concerns

Rethinking denominational linkage

Clarifying the congregations' identities

Commitment to new leadership and the future.

So far all bar Oatlands have completed the first task and reported back to their congregations. As a result the congregations have begun to recognise the need for change. The 'how' of change remains the challenge to be explored.

Some of the changes so far have been:

Bagdad adults will join Pontville for Sunday worship and the midweek Kids Church will be Bagdad's focus.

Brighton will license their lay readers/preachers and build up further worship teams in each of their three centres.

All centres are realising the need to re-focus away from bricks and mortar to the Church as people.

For some churches in the Southern Midlands it means deconsecration; others are rethinking service times or joining with the Uniting Church worship on non-Anglican Sundays.

Like all projects there are frustrations, especially when the project priest is not released from normal parish duties in either parish to concentrate on the project. For Bob this means compromising his pastoral role, or letting outreach opportunities slip by, or delegating them to others who still require his support and nurturing.

It means not letting the 'squeaky' wheel of everyday ministry crowd out the project so that it fails to meet its goals.

All this should give you enough ammunition for prayer. We need lots, remembering that it is God's work where all things are possible so that change can happen with minimum hurt and maximum growth.

	The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search
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				February 2007

		ARC, BCA, Transition Teams, IIM? 'What's it all about?' asks Bob Witten. ARC is the Anglican Rural Community Development Project which involves the Parish of Brighton with its three centres and the Parish of Southern Midlands with its nine centres. Like all projects, it has a start and an end point. In this case August 2005 and July 2008. Like all projects it has a manager, in this case the Revd Bob Witten who is known as the Project Priest, to plan and oversee the project. BCA is the Bush Church Aid society which has gone into partnership with the Diocese of Tasmania as project sponsors. IIM is the Intentional Interim Ministry which is the tool being used to help focus and define the project. It is intentional because it is directive in examining how to bring about the changes needed to have sustainable ministry in the rural communities of Bothwell, Kempton/Bagdad, Oatlands and Brighton districts. It is interim as the current arrangements of ministry will not exist after the project ends. The strategy being used to bring about any change is through transition teams. In this project there are four, one for each district. These teams have five tasks: Coming to terms with history Examining leadership and decision-making concerns Rethinking denominational linkage Clarifying the congregations' identities Commitment to new leadership and the future. So far all bar Oatlands have completed the first task and reported back to their congregations. As a result the congregations have begun to recognise the need for change. The 'how' of change remains the challenge to be explored. Some of the changes so far have been: Bagdad adults will join Pontville for Sunday worship and the midweek Kids Church will be Bagdad's focus. Brighton will license their lay readers/preachers and build up further worship teams in each of their three centres. All centres are realising the need to re-focus away from bricks and mortar to the Church as people. For some churches in the Southern Midlands it means deconsecration; others are rethinking service times or joining with the Uniting Church worship on non-Anglican Sundays. Like all projects there are frustrations, especially when the project priest is not released from normal parish duties in either parish to concentrate on the project. For Bob this means compromising his pastoral role, or letting outreach opportunities slip by, or delegating them to others who still require his support and nurturing. It means not letting the 'squeaky' wheel of everyday ministry crowd out the project so that it fails to meet its goals. All this should give you enough ammunition for prayer. We need lots, remembering that it is God's work where all things are possible so that change can happen with minimum hurt and maximum growth.