NATIONAL ARCHDEACONS’ FORUM
serving the Church of England and the Church in Wales
Archdeacons’ News
Bulletin no. 21
January 2017
from Norman Boakes
Archdeacons’ National Executive Officer
It was great to see so many of you at the Swanwick Conference last week on the theme of Open to God
in a Turbulent World. Little did we know when we started planning this event how topical the theme
would be. From feedback received it appears that most found it a very good conference, and I have
received many comments on the very high quality of the lectures, the variety and creativity of worship
and the space for fellowship and discussion. We booked the usual 110 rooms, and we had more
applications than places. We really want to enable all who wish to attend, so in future I think we will
have to book some more rooms to make that possible. A very big THANK YOU to all those who
worked so hard to make this Conference happen, to the staff at Swanwick for all their work behind the
scenes, to Helen Bent and Jo Spreadbury who provided the worship, and not least to the members of the
Forum for their creativity in devising it, and their hard work in delivering it.
One of the questions I am often asked is: What is the collective name for a group of archdeacons? As
you can imagine, there have been a variety of suggestions, some less than flattering. But after Cathy Fox’s
talk at the Conference, and her reflections, one archdeacon said to me that he thought the collective
noun should probably be a Glory of Archdeacons. I rather liked that.
The Conference gave us much material to inspire and challenge us, and to take into our various
ministries. This Archdeacons News in many ways reminds us of the details of what we do, and what is
available for us. As we attend to the details and the basic tasks, I trust that none of us will lose sight of
the bigger picture, and of the call to see where God is working and join God there.
Norman
[email protected]
023 8076 7735
A note from the Chair of the Forum
I would like to echo Norman’s comments above and, in particular, to express, on behalf of all those
who attended the conference, our warmest thanks to Norman Boakes for his tremendous work in
preparing for the conference. As most people reading this bulletin will know, the amount of work
that goes into making an event run so smoothly is considerable. We are much in Norman’s debt for
his work; and I add to this my thanks to Jackie Freestone and to my colleagues on the Forum.
Tim Barker.
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Archdeacons’ Training events
Archdeacons and the Clergy Discipline Measure
A day led by Adrian Iles (Deputy Legal Officer with responsibility for CDM) and the Ven Dr Peter Rouch
(Archdeacon of Bournemouth) at Church House Westminster on Wednesday 22nd February from 11.00
am to 4.00 pm. The day will reflect on the role that the archdeacon may have and use case studies as a
way of exploring what can be most useful and what may be most unhelpful in the process of CDM. Cost
£10 to cover lunch. To book a place, please email Jackie on [email protected]
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Administration
from Friday Mailing by Tim Ling
Just in case you weren’t reading the Renewal and Reform blog on the 23rd December when "What we
need is more love and less paperwork" was posted, then this is a prompt to take a look.
It provides an update on the Sheffield diocese’s Mission Partnership Development Worker Project and
describes some of the fruit of the Experiences of Ministry research on how clergy spend their time,
especially on administration.
I’ll be writing more about the nature of ‘Administration’ later in the year, as part of a planned blog series
on what we’ve been learning from the range of Experiences of Ministry research projects. For now
though I just wanted to remind people about the excellent work of John Truscott and the UK
Church Administrator Network (UCAN).
UCAN’s aims include: “to enable Administrators to network with each other, to co-ordinate specialist
events, to increase professionalism, to provide an advice service and to help people know they are not
alone in this vital but often understated ministry. But there is also the vision of educating the whole
Church in the spiritual value of such appointments and providing a national resource, so that leaders can
be set free for their priorities and churches handle their administration effectively and to a high
standard.”
Their website is a veritable treasure trove with 140 free resources to print or download. They range
from ‘Courtesy in the Church’ to ‘How Genuine are your GORs? (Genuine Occupations Requirements).
Do take a look
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Church Buildings from recent CBC circulars
Call for evidence to churches sustainability review - final call
The English Churches and Cathedrals Sustainability Review has launched a call for evidence to hear the
public’s views on how church buildings should be looked after and the role can they play in local
communities.
The review panel, chaired by Bernard Taylor, aims to find innovative and practical ways to maintain
church and cathedral buildings at the heart of their communities for generations to come.
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Please respond to the survey and encourage others to do so, those looking after churches, worshippers,
members of the public and those with a professional interest in churches. The survey will close on 31
January 2017. Please share this widely.
Entries can still be submitted for the SPAB John Betjeman Award 2017. The Award celebrates
excellence in conservation and repair projects at places of worship of any faith in England and Wales (and
the Isle of Man). Information and entry forms can also be downloaded from the SPAB website, The
closing date for entries is 21st February 2017.
Fit for the Future
A network of organisations (including bodies such as National Trust and Crown Estates) sharing best
environmental practice– are running some regional networking events in March and April. The next four
events are – in Chester (22nd March), York (15th March), Ipswich (7th April) and at Castle Drogo near
Exeter (30th March) for members and non-members (invite only) to get together, hear some local case
studies, discuss issues around a particular theme or site tour, and most importantly, network. The aim is
to encourage members to build locally-based partnerships and relationships enabling collaboration on
sustainability and energy issues. The events are all free and will focus loosely around a particular theme. If
you would are interested or would like to know more email Hannah at
[email protected]
Floors
The floor of a church or cathedral can be one of the most significant features of the building and will
often be part of our casework. But how well do we understand its significance? Replacing an entire floor
is a major undertaking that needs careful thought as to the impact on the fabric and visual appearance of
the building. ChurchCare are therefore pleased to be able to announce the launch of a guidance note,
developed jointly with the Society for the Protection of Ancient buildings, which addresses these issues in
detail. To read more please click here.
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Comings and Goings and Awards
The following appointments, awards and retirements have recently been announced:
The Very Revd Bob Key, currently Dean of Jersey since 2005, is moving to a role within the Archbishops’
Evangelism Task Group, working with cathedrals and larger churches in the UK as part of a national
prayer initiative called Thy Kingdom Come 2017. He has also accepted an invitation from the Bishop of
Bath and Wells to be part of the team taking forward that diocese’s new strategy for ‘mission and
evangelism’. The Dean will officially leave his position on 28 February.
The Revd Canon Dr Anne Gell, currently Vicar of Wrecclesham and Area Dean of Farnham in the
Diocese of Guildford, is to be the next Archdeacon of Wells and will be taking up her appointment in
April.
Warmest congratulations to one of our number, Ian Wheatley, Chaplain of the Fleet and Archdeacon for
the Royal Navy, on his appointment as a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the New Year honours
list.
The Ven. Mina Smallman, Archdeacon of Southend, retired at the end of December for health reasons.
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The Ven. Dr Martin Webster is to retire as Archdeacon of Harlow at the end of March.
The Ven. Ricky Panter is retiring on 6th May as Archdeacon of Liverpool, a post he has held since 2002.
The Ven. Andy Piggott is retiring as Archdeacon of Bath at the end of June.
Please pray for Bob and Anne as they prepare for their new roles, for Mina as she adjusts to retirement,
for Martin, Ricky and Andy as they prepare to retire, and for their spouses and families. Please pray also
for those responsible for filling the vacancies of Bath, Chesterfield, Harlow, Jersey, Liverpool,
Loughborough, Manchester, and Southend.
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Courses and events
The following may be of interest to some of you:
Sharing lessons learned from running Multi-Academy Trusts:
Controlling risks and providing assurance in MATs
A chance to share the big picture from Dioceses north and south, with day seminars in London and
Liverpool for directors, members, chairs of local governing bodies, chief executives, executive principals
and senior leaders and members of staff of Multi-Academy Trusts.
Monday 6 February 2017 @ Central Hall, Storey’s Gate, Westminster, London, SW1H 9NH
Tuesday 7 February 2017 @ Sir Giles Gilbert Scott Suite, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool
L1 7AZ
Both from 9.30am - 4pm. Book and pay online at www.educationanswers.co.uk/events
The Ecclesiastical Law Society 2017 Residential Conference and AGM will be at Trinity Hall,
Cambridge from Friday 31st March to 2nd April 2017 on the theme, The nature and diversity of
authority in Anglicanism. Prices are variable dependent on whether you have an en suite room or not
and there will be bursaries available for the first 20 clergy who apply. Booking is now open.
Full details are available at:
http://www.new.ecclawsoc.org.uk/documents/Res_Conf_17_Flyer_final_draft_1-June-16.pdf
To book contact Andrew Male on [email protected]
London Lectures 2017, Winckworth Sherwood, Montague Close, London SE1 9BB (by Southwark
Cathedral), starting at 5.30pm; refreshments available from 5pm
London lectures are free of charge and open to members and non-members but spaces are limited
so prior booking is essential. Contact Andrew Male on [email protected]
15th March 2017 (not 16th as previously circulated) – Howard Dellar, Lee Bolton Monier-Williams,
The implications of the Education Acts for Church schools and academies
21st June 2017 – Nigel Baker, former HM Ambassador to the Holy See, The Embassy to the Holy See: who,
what, why?
11th October 2017 – Sir Mark Hedley DL, Deputy Chair and Deputy President of the Tribunals, Practical
Aspects of the Clergy Discipline Measure
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Leadership courses at Sarum College
Understanding Organisations Monday 19th to Thursday 22nd June 2017 An examination of contemporary
images and models of organisations, bringing multi-disciplinary critical insights into the emergence of
organisational culture. Resident cost £460
Liminal Leadership Conference 2017 Transforming Leaders for a changing world Monday 25th - Friday 29th
September 2017 at Wilson Carlile Centre Sheffield resident cost £790
For further enquires or bookings for these events, contact Alison Ogden [email protected]
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A letter from the Ecclesiastical Secretary to the Crown and Lord Chancellor
Dear All,
I would like to introduce myself as Nick Wheeler's successor in the role of Ecclesiastical Secretary to the
Crown and Lord Chancellor. I have already had the pleasure of working with some of you on
appointments, and I have been very grateful for the patience and kindness shown to me in my new role.
As the vast majority of our posts are now filled by advertisement I have started a Google Group which
clergy wondering whether it might be time for a move are welcome to join so they can see what we may
have coming up in the near future. I have had feedback that they find this useful as it gives them more
time to consider whether a place might be the right one for them rather than having to make a quick
decision when an advertisement appears in the Church Times. They can join the group by following this
link https://groups.google.com/a/cabinetoffice.gov.uk/forum/?hl=en#!forum/crown-and-lord-chancellorclergy-vacancies or contacting me directly.
I welcome any thoughts or feedback on the processes we use to work in partnership with you to fill our
vacancies, and would encourage you to contact me if you would like to discuss any issues relating to our
patronage interests. I look forward to meeting you all soon.
Kind regards
Helen Dimmock
Ecclesiastical Secretary to the Crown and Lord Chancellor
Cabinet Office, Honours and Appointments Secretariat
Room G.40, 1,Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ
E: [email protected] M: 07702 823344 T: 020 7276 1675
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The Living Ministry Project
Liz Graveling, lead researcher Living Ministries
Project writes about the launch of our exciting new
project:
"Our work in the Ministry Division has a lot to do with ensuring lay and ordained ministers are well
equipped and cared for throughout their ministry. Recently the Ministry Development team has
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been working with our colleagues in the Formation team to explore how this happens for clergy through
initial ministerial education (both pre- and post-ordination) and continuing ministerial development. Last
year’s Vocational Pathways research (the focus of a seminar earlier this month) took a closer look
at experiences and understandings of both phases of initial ministerial education (IME) from a range of
perspectives, raising questions about the purpose and shape of different stages of formation. In the
meantime, the Experiences of Ministry Project, reported on last week, has since 2011 been
gathering information on the lives and working practices of clergy, and will conduct its final survey in
May this year. Alongside this, work on behalf of the Transformations Research & Implementation
Group has revealed significant differences between male and female journeys through ordained ministry.
Building on these foundations, we are now moving into a new and exciting programme of research that
will provide real-time insight into how clergy move through ministry. The Living Ministry project will
investigate what enables ordained ministers to flourish in ministry by following four cohorts of clergy
over ten years, returning regularly through surveys, interviews and reflection groups to find out what
they are doing, how they are doing and how they got there. Questions we will be asking include:



How does flourishing in ministry relate to IME and CMD?
How does it vary for different people in different contexts?
How does ministerial flourishing change and develop over time and at different stages of ministry?
The first survey opens on 31st January for clergy ordained deacon in 2006, 2011 and 2015 and who
started training in 2016. Do spread the word and encourage those you know to take part – and, if you
are around, join us for breakfast at our official project launch on 14th February at General Synod."
Read more at Liz’s blog.
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The Society for the Relief of Poor Clergy
Founded in 1788 as The Society for the Relief of Poor Pious Clergymen – Registered Charity number 232634
The Society for the Relief of Poor Clergy (SRPC) has funds to assist the following:

Evangelical clergy of the Church of England, the Church in Wales, the Church of Ireland and the
Scottish Episcopal Church.

Evangelical accredited lay workers (those who have been nationally selected, trained and licensed
for Anglican ministry, and Church Army officers who have been commissioned and hold the
Bishop’s licence)

Widows and widowers of the above
Grants are made to help meet the following categories of need, and the Trustees have the discretionary
power to consider other circumstances, but only where these are giving rise to exceptional hardship. The
Society's resources are limited, and grants may therefore have to be refused even where the required
conditions have been fulfilled:


bereavement
illness
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


family support to enable young people to participate in a ‘ministry experience’ during a
gap year before university.
family support to enable children/young people of evangelical ministers to attend
Christian camps, for their spiritual benefit and to develop leadership potential.
other special needs (at the Committee's discretion).
Grants are not normally given for school fees, but may be given for special tuition, and for other costs
associated with the expense of education, or towards travel expenses.
The Trustees meet in March, May and October to consider applications.
Monday 6th March 2017
(applications to be submitted by 18th February 2017)
Monday 22nd May 2017
(applications to be submitted by 8th May 2017)
th
Monday 9 October 2017 (applications to be submitted by 22nd September 2017)
Those interested are required to complete an application form, which should be returned to the Secretary,
preferably by email. An application form and further information can be found on the web site.
Contact details for enquiries, information and applications:
E [email protected]
W http://srpc-aid.com
T 07962 227959
SRPC, c/o CPAS, Unit 3, Sovereign Court 1, Sir William Lyons Road, University of Warwick Science Park,
Coventry, CV4 7EZ
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Future Dates
Please do let Norman know the dates of regional meetings so that they can be added to this information
and so that Norman can attend if possible and suitable.
February 16th Welsh Archdeacons @ Shrewsbury
February 22nd Archdeacons and the Clergy Discipline Measure @ Church House, Westminster
March 7th - 9th New Archdeacons’ Conference @ Wilson Carlile Centre, Sheffield
March 17th National Archdeacons’ Forum @ Church House Westminster
March 31st - April 2nd Ecclesiastical Law Society Annual Conference @ Trinity Hall, Cambridge
April 27th South West Archdeacons @ Taunton
May 2nd Welsh Archdeacons @ Cardiff
May 22nd - 23rd Southern Archdeacons
June 27th North West Archdeacons @ Preston Minster
July 11th - 12th Welsh Archdeacons @ Llangasty
July 20th National Archdeacons’ Forum @ Church House Westminster
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November 20th - 21st National Archdeacons’ Forum @ Hinsley Hall, Leeds
November 27th - 29th New Archdeacons’ Conference @ Hinsley Hall, Leeds
2019
January 28th - 30th National Archdeacons’ Conference at The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick
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Just a thought
All our action, including any action we call ‘leadership’, is a joining in, a participation in
what God is doing. As the Faith and Order Commission report says, ‘one’s action is a gift
that one receives more than it is something that one achieves; there can be no
effectiveness without grace’. Prayer is the starting point not simply because we need to
seek guidance before acting, or to recharge batteries before expending energy. It is the
starting point because our agency – our determination, our endeavour, our action – is
never primary. Our vision of ministry, and of leadership within it, should not begin with
any picture of heroic activity on the part of those who minister, but of deep and abiding
receptivity and attentiveness. To minister is to be acted upon by God, to be caught up in
what God is doing in and through us. Its centre is not labour (though there is certain to
be labour involved), but rest in God. Prayer is therefore necessarily the centre of
ministry, including all those forms of ministry that we call leadership.
Mike Higton in Faithful Improvisation, Theological Reflections on Church Leadership CHP 2016
Confidentiality notice
We are not responsible for the content of external links. Views expressed in this bulletin are not necessarily those of the
National Archdeacons’ Forum, the Archbishops' Council or the Representative Body of the Church in Wales.
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