Over the next few days, the Council will be finalizing the profile we send to the Diocesan office to say what kind of church we are and what kind of minister we would like. We hope that we have given you all a chance to air your views and to make your wishes known, at our two Open Forums, and in discussion with individual Council members.
The profile is important. It gives an idea of how we see ourselves - a congregation of many talents and many traditions, eager to welcome and to serve, but with differences among ourselves about a number of topics - how can we best balance the traditional and the modern in our worship, who is responsible for pastoral care, how do we deepen our faith - in particular our prayer life and our understanding of God in scripture - and how do we help young people once they have left the structured life of Junior Church? The picture we draw will be important for anyone who reads it to see our needs.
Together with a profile of the chaplaincy, we have to provide a profile of our ideal Chaplain. (Phrases such as "Christ-like" not allowed!) This is a far more difficult task, not only because different people seek different qualities, but also because, in the last analysis, many criteria can be ignored so long as we find "the right person" - so who is "the right person"? What characteristics does she (or he - we may not discriminate!) have which are essential, and which are purely optional?
We have a choice between controlling the whole process of selection ourselves, or passing part of the burden to Geoffrey Rowell, our bishop. But in either case, it is the profile which sets the tone for the person who we will attract - or who the Bishop will approach. And, as Bishop Geoffrey has said, the days are long past when bishops had long lists of candidates whom they could summon up to fill vacancies!
Whether we advertise the post ourselves, or whether the Bishop advertises it for us, we shall end up with between one and three candidates. Your council are responsible for choosing two representatives to help interview this, or these, candidates - helping, that is, together with the bishop and the archdeacon. Our representatives have the power to veto any appointment - in which case the whole process of advertising and short-listing starts again.
The timescale for advertising the post, for conducting interviews, for allowing the necessary three-month notice period for a successful candidate to resign his (or her - we may not discriminate!) former ministry, means that we may well be waiting until next Easter before the right person comes. In the meantime, let us rejoice in the ministry of our locums, Roger Wikeley, Geoffrey Allen, Michael Turnbull and Alan Chesters, let us welcome them, and let us learn from them what Christ can do for us.
HD