Is your priest or pastor a servant of the Lord or a slave to the church?

As a Christian I am aware of the huge pressures that may be placed on clergy to manage their time effectively, work with limiting resources and deal with the fantastic number of challenges that face them every day from a diverse range of people. I am also aware as a church member, that clergy can often be in quite an isolated position, the kind of management support that is available in other careers and callings may not always be available and it is possible to become stuck in a creative rut or a cycle of procrastination. What I sometimes think of as a slave to the machinery of the church.

If these issues sound familiar, you might like to make sure that your priest, minister or pastor receives a copy of this blog post.

I would be delighted to offer my services as a coach to help your clergy to remain positive and increase their success in their role as a servant of the Lord. More information about the kind of coaching support I can provide and the benefits to the coaching client can be seen on the Enfys Acumen website.

In today’s changing church environment, I am sure you will see how they could be applied to church leadership professions.

As an introductory opportunity I am offering four coaching sessions, by telephone at the client's convenience, for the total fee of £108 (ongoing sessions can be agreed at a favourable rate). Naturally, professional confidentiality will be guaranteed. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to know more.

Prayerful Community Action

Over the last few months, the Enfys Acumen has been working closely with the Diocese of Monmouth to develop a leadership development programme supporting parishes to develop social projects in ways that will help fulfil the mission of the Church and enhance stewardship values.

The programme is inspired by the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew’s Gospel and follows moves in recent years to encourage collaborative ministries in the Church in Wales. Such ministries can manifest themselves in many ways including the stewardship of resources (eg churches and other parish buildings) and community action.

We have been piloting PCA recently in the Parish of Griffithstown near Pontypool, where we facilitated a parish day, using Open Space Technology. Over seventy people took part, from the very young Junior Church members to the very senior members of the congregation. The theme was St Hilda’s Parish Halls - resource that is no longer as the social hub of the community, but with some renovation work and access adaptations could be brought into full 21st Century use.

Although we have been working with the Church in Wales on this initiative, we are ecumenical in outlook and would welcome enquiries about PCA from any church leaders.