Upd8 (Summer 2006) P olicy S upport and R esearch U nit upd8 – Summer 2006

upd8 (Summer 2006) PSRu

P olicyS upport and R esearch U nitupd8 – Summer 2006


Policy Support and Research Unit

Decision-making framework

News of the projects: 3: Re-visioning work with children and young people 7: Relationship between mph and the Connexional Team

Conference Workshops

A prayer

Contact details

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Here is news from some of the ground-clearing projects, reports of Team Focus workshops held at Conference, and the latest thinking on the decision-making framework.

A reminder of the twelve projects


At May’s Team Training Session for the Connexional Team, a framework for deciding which elements of work should figure in the re-configured Connexional Team was shared. Since then the framework has been refined. Click here to see the new process.

The framework has now been approved by SRC (Strategy and Resources Committee) and a handbook, pro-forma and timetable for submission of proposals will be circulated later this month (August).

An independent panel is being assembled to consider the submissions.

Decision-making framework


Testing whether the Methodist Church should allocate resources Testing whether the resources of the Connexional Team should be used

Yes

Reject Refer back to proposer

≥10

≤10

God’s mission and the Connexional Team

Consider wider Connexional resources

No

Decisio

ns

≥10

≤10

No

Allo

catio

n o

f reso

urce

s

No

Is work already

required by statute or Methodist

foundational documents?

Yes

Does work express a Methodist

understanding of God’s mission

as described by either

(a) ‘Priorities’ document or

(b) other Conference decision?

Is the work of sufficient importance? (Need to score 10 or above) Is the proposed work… a. … directly promoting one or more of the

five specific expressions of the Priorities (3*)

b. … developing a distinctive Methodist charism (3*)

c. … requested by ecumenical partner(s) on behalf of the wider Church (3*)

d. … complementing, without duplication, work by Christian agencies or other rec-ognised partners (2*)

e. … releasing or reconfiguring resources for more flexible mission use (3*)

f. … addressing a significant proven cur-rent need (2*)

g. … exploring potentially important new approaches (2*)

h. … helping bind together the Connexion (2*)

In principle is there a case for allocation of Team resource?(Need to score 10 or above)Would the Team contribution to theproposed work ...a. … promote a required consistency

of practice across the Connexion (4*)b. … require Church partnerships at

denominational level (4*)c. … bring higher quality in a cost

effective manner (4*)d. … bring financial economies of

scale through centralizing (3*)e. … require judgements between

conflicting local interests (3*)f. … regularly require rare specialist

skills (2*)g. … bring its own funding (2*)h. … complement, without duplication,

other Team work (2*)

†What scale of

Team resources would be required?(Eg: staff, available partners, principal

risks, effectiveness measures)

Yes

E3

* maximum score for each question

Is this

justified as innovative risk-taking

in the cause of mission?


Team Focus Conference WorkshopsAt Conference, over 400 people took part in five workshops concentrated on Team Focus: Building the Framework, Evangelism, Children and Young People, Advocacy and World Church.

People appreciated the opportunity to engage with the issues and to meet members of the Connexional Team (‘live and kicking’ as one person described it).

The comments made and questions raised will feed into the continued thinking on the future shape of the Connexional Team.

For more details of the workshops click here.


The twelve projects cover:• Evangelism and speaking of God and faith in ways that make sense to all involved

• Re-visiting Team support for local church, circuit and district ministries

• Re-visioning work with children and young people

• The work of public issues staff, MRDF, World Action and Mission Education, with a view to improving advocacy and communication

• Improving communication between the whole Team and the whole Church

• A re-configuration of World Church partnerships

• The relationship between mph and the Team

• The working arrangements between TMCP and the Team

• Conversations with ecumenical partners

• Developing a twenty-first century approach to education issues

• Improving the budget-making process, including a fresh look at accountability

• Putting all grant-making in one ‘place’


Project 3:Re-visioning work with children and young people What do children and young people want from the Methodist Church and how can the Church improve its work in this area? The Future Present consultation, which runs until the end of November, aims to discover this by asking children, young people, parents, youth workers and even older people to contribute.

Jonathan Kerry, part of the Project Management Group said, ‘We currently work with 168,000 under-18s in church groups and many more who are not part of these groups. We need to make sure we are doing all we can for these young people, as well as those we don’t reach at the moment.’

The consultation invites people to think about what the Church does for young people, and also why. ‘It is all too easy to think adults know best,’ says Jonathan, ‘but this often isn’t true. Young people have a lot of ideas and energy, and we have to include that in what we do.’

To read the Future Present consultation document click here.

To find out more information, e-mail William Swires .

mailto:[email protected]




Project 7:The relationship between mph and the Connexional Team

The report from this project went to Conference (as Appendix 4 of the Connexional Team report, pages 292-296). To read it in full click here.

The report was approved and now needs to be implemented.


At one of the Conference Workshops participants were invited to write down their prayers for the Connexional Team. Click here to see some of them.

Prayers for the Connexional Team

their immense workload in this moment of change.

for wisdom and God’s direction

being clear

for all staff in this period of uncertainty

We pray for theConnexional Team

and

for vision – prophecy and

communication

for those who may be made redundant

for discernment for those responsible for

managing change

for those in the ‘turmoil’ that will have to happen

understanding from the

Methodist people

that the Team designed is the one

God wants

To read all the prayers offered click here


Policy Support and Research Unit 7th floor,

Methodist Church House25 Marylebone RoadLondon NW1 5JR

To e-mail a particular member of the PRSU click on their name.

Luke Curran John Ellis Ken Kingston

John Nelson Anne Topping William Swires

Tel: 020 7467 5149E-mail: [email protected]









Documents

Upd8 (Summer 2006) P olicy S upport and R esearch U nit upd8 – Summer 2006