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Introduction toThe Church and

The Kingdom

Level 4Year A Term 3

Module Code: REL423

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Material developed for Exploring Faith by the St Seiriol's Centre 2013.Cover Image "Light on the Parish of Llanrhaeadr Ym Mochnant" (c) Rev Dr R Hainsworth 2012

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INTRODUCTION TO THE CHURCH AND KINGDOM

Module Aims:

· To enable students to explore the biblical understanding of the Kingdom of God;· To enable students to examine the Church as A Kingdom community in postmodern British Society;· To enable students to examine the pastoral cycle and to use this to research ways in which the Church relates Kingdom imperatives to the society in which it lives;· To enable students to explore the nature of the engagement between Kingdom ethical imperatives and social/political structures.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:1. describe and understand the ethical imperatives associated with the 'Kingdom of God' in the New Testament writings;2. appreciate the nature of ethical thinking in post-modern British society;3. understand and utilise the pastoral cycle as a research tool;4. use the pastoral cycle to identify ways in which the church engages with society;5. reflect on how the church can more effectively express Kingdom values through their discipleship or ministry.

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Introduction: Making Ethical Decisions.

How do we make decisions about what is right and wrong? It is increasingly difficult in today's world to findagreement among philosophers or professionals about the basis on which ethical issues can be decided. TheChristian church finds itself living with a popular culture which promotes the belief that all moral judgmentsare expressions of preference, in other words - 'my opinion is as good as yours'.

And, although still part of what is called a 'Christian country', the church finds itself regarded as a privatelifestyle choice irrelevant to public life. Christian ethics are not embraced by society and can no longerprovide a framework for moral questions.

However, the Christian faith has a powerful ethical story to tell. This story embraces 'Old' and 'New'Testaments and the history of the church over a period of 2,000 years. Indeed, many find it helpful to think ofthis great ethical tradition as a 'craft', initiating each new generation of Christians into the story of Christ'sKingdom so that they can learn to proclaim God's message of justice and freedom from the roots of theirhistory to the world in which they live.

A powerful vision of the church as an 'ethical community', practising the ethics of the Kingdom of God andworking for 'right relationships' between individuals and communities, and between humanity and the createdorder has emerged in the last 25 years.

This can be seen in the declaration from The World Council of Churches Assembly in 1975 (1976:23)'Poverty, we are learning, is caused primarily by unjust structures that leave resources and the power tomake decisions about the utilisation of resources in the hands of a few within nations and among nations,and that therefore one of the main tasks of the church when it expresses its solidarity with the poor is tooppose these structures at all levels'.

Several different theologies have emerged during this time that have been concerned with equality for allpeople, and rooted in the experience of those who experience injustice. For example Liberation Theologydeveloped as an attempt to practice Kingdom ethics among the poor of South America. Other similartheologies include black and feminist theologies. This has produced a method for `doing' theologyfollowing the pastoral cycle, a way of looking at issues through the lens of experience as well as theology,which we will be considering in more detail during this module.

The 'pastoral cycle' helps individuals and churches to see what is happening through a process of research,reflect upon it in the light of the Christian story, and to promote action in line with Kingdom values. In thismodule we will consider the contribution Christian ethics can make to discussions within society, In otherwords, becoming 'light' and 'salt' and 'yeast' in a world in which its truth claims must compete with otherreligious and philosophical positions.

Before the SessionsPlease study the Introduction to each session carefully and carry out any set tasks. Some sessions requirestudents to undertake research independently or in pairs between sessions and this will require forwardplanning. Completion of this work is vital for the sessions that depend upon it.

A Reading Block is provided giving additional, optional pieces of reading to support this module. Beingresearch focused, this module does not have a textbook. The first four articles in the reading block supportthe first four sessions. The remaining articles are there for broader context and to support the assignments.

A Bibliography for further reading and to support assignment work is provided below.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

This is primarily a research module. However students may wish to explore issues raised further byconsulting some of the following:

Banner, M (2009) Christian Ethics Oxford, John Wiley & Sons

Cameron et al (2005) Studying Local Churches: A Handbook London:SCM Press

Gill, B.(1997) Moral Leadership in a Postmodern Age. Edinburgh: T & T.Clark,

Hauerwas S & Wells. (2006) The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics Oxford, Blackwell

Kraft C H (1997) Anthropology for Christian Witness New York: Orbis

Küng, H. (1997) A Global Ethic for Global Politics and Economics. London: SCM,

Lovin R W (2000) Christian Ethics:An Essential Guide Nashville:Abingdon

Neil M. (2006) The SCM Study Guide: Christian Ethics London: SCM

Walker A, (1996 ) Telling the Story:Gospel Mission and Culture London:SPCK

West, Noble and Todd (1999) Living Theology London:DLT

Online sources of information:

National Data:

WAG national statistics are available fromhttp://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/?lang=enAndhttp://statswales.wales.gov.uk/index.htm

UK national data is available from the Office for National Statistics - www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.html

Regional data

The 2011 Census data w is available athttp://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/index.html

Data from the 2001 Census is available for local neighbourhoods, council wards, LA areas and LA’s athttp://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/Data is comprehensive, from economic to social to religious.This site can also produce maps showing how the data compares area to area.

Examples of mission statements.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Survey at www.csrglobe.com contains Mission Statements and otherdata on many of the worlds largest companies.

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READING BLOCK

Chapter 1: Lovin, R 1999, Christian Ethics, Abingdon Press

Chapter 2: Macquarrrie, J. And Childress, J. (Eds) 1986, A New Dictionary of Christian Ethics, SCMPress

Chapter 3: Graham, E. Walton, H. And Ward, F. (Eds) 2005, Theological Reflection: Methods, SCMPress

Chapter 4: Swinton, J. And Mowat, H. 2006, Practical Theology and Qualitative Research, SCMPress

Chapter 5: Spencer, N. 2004, Beyond the Fringe, LICE Press

Chapter 6: Gill, R. 2001, Christian Ethics, Cambridge University Press

Chapter 7: Lieu, J. 1997, The Gospel of Luke, Epworth Commentaries

Chapter 8: Morgan, c. W. And Paterson, R. A. 2012, The Kingdom of God, Crossway

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SESSION 1

Pre-modernity, Modernityand Post-modernity

For this session

Study the Introduction and undertake supporting reading includingSource 1 from the Reading Block

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SESSION 1

Pre-modernity, Modernityand Post-modernity

INTRODUCTION

Pre-modernity, Modernity and Post-modernity

The terms pre-modernity, modernity and post-modernity are three ways of describing Western society andhow it has evolved. Understanding the different stages and ways of thinking is important as we can see theeffects on Christian thinking and practice today.

· The term ‘pre-modern’ is usually used to describe Western society up to the scientific revolution ofthe seventeenth century.

· The term ‘modern’ refers to that period of time from the seventeenth century to the mid-twentiethcentury that produced what is often labelled ‘Enlightenment’ thinking.

· The term ‘post-modern’ refers to the way that society has developed through the second half of thetwentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first.

Pre-modernity

During the pre-modern period the church and state exercised political, economic and spiritual control oversociety. This created an environment in which one particular Christian world-view, supported by theologicalstudy in the great centres of learning, permeated the whole of society and provided a unified system ofmeaning and authority.

In this period, the Church moved from being a counter-cultural movement in its earlier centuries, to beingthe public arbiter of ethical behaviour for an empire and later again for ‘Christendom’. The Church lookedparticularly to the ethical systems produced by theologians such as Augustine and Aquinas to provide anaccount of ‘the good life’ for all levels of a Christian Society.

There was then an expectation that living according to this vision was an act of loyalty to Church, state andcommunity. In pre-modern society the individual’s sense of self was deeply rooted in the extended family,the local community and the work into which they were born. Authority was related to a person’s place insociety and people were respected and obeyed for who they were, rather than what they did or what theyknew. Knowledge and understanding was passed from one generation to another, like the skills associatedwith a craft, as practical wisdom.

Modern

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, in the wake of the Reformation, there was a decisive shift in theintellectual underpinnings of Western society. A new science was born that was to fuel the industrialrevolution and begin the process of secularisation that would ultimately separate the church from public lifeand the study of theology from the study of other forms of knowledge and understanding.

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Knowledge was no longer understood as the practical wisdom transmitted from generation to generation butwas subject to the rules of the new science. Knowledge was gleaned from experimentation and was only ofvalue if it was empirical, factual and objective. Modernity developed an unswerving belief in humanprogress. This partly fuelled European Colonialism and was responsible for the growing belief that sciencecould ultimately cure all human ills.

As it developed throughout the twentieth century, institutions were increasingly characterised by large,complex and often cumbersome hierarchical bureaucracies. Government agencies, schools, hospitals andbusinesses were all organised in this way. Individuals were assigned specific tasks and functions and careerswere ordered in logical progressions of rank and seniority.

Systems of mass production, often labelled ‘Fordism’ after Henry Ford’s pioneering development of theproduction line at his car factory, characterised industry.

Modernity was also the era of the great ‘isms’ like capitalism, communism and socialism. It was believedthat these ‘isms’ would change the world and make it a better place. In this period the church, as a result ofthe reformation, ceased to have a unified voice, and other centres of ethical thought, some Christian andsome secular, emerged, particularly around the Universities.

Influential philosophers from this period include Kant, Bentham and Mill. Their systems, and othersproduced at this time, sought a reasonable, objective and demonstrably true account of ethics. Significantly,although these accounts challenged the Church and pre-existing ethical systems, they were still attempts toconstruct a universal system on which all could agree and by which all could live. In effect however, theresult of these various projects was that for the first time, many competing accounts of ‘the good life’ becameavailable.

However the Church still provided, for most people, an overarching ethical perspective.In modernity, the self came to be defined in terms of the work that an individual did. Authority came froman individual’s profession rather than in their status and was related to their effectiveness in theirprofessional role. Modernity therefore became an expert culture relying on the knowledge and expertise ofthe trained professional.

Postmodern

Post-modernity is in many ways modernity called to account. The unswerving belief in human progressmelted in the chaos of two world wars, and the hope that science could cure all human ills has remainedunfulfilled. A number of individuals were key in a process that began to question the very principles onwhich the new science of the Enlightenment had been based.

Thomas Kuhn challenged the essentially objective nature of science and Jean Francois Lyotard challengedwhat he called the ‘grand narratives of progress’ (the ‘isms’) on which modernity had sustained itself. Otherschallenged the view that knowledge could be objective and argued that the objectivity proclaimed in theEnlightenment was no more than a way of understanding the world that was male, white, European andmiddle class. They called for the voice of women to be heard and for the contribution of other cultures andviewpoints to be acknowledged. Suddenly the confidence and the certainty that had characterised modernitywas being questioned.

Modernity had set a process of consumerism in motion. New technologies had fed mass production andnow consumerism has become the dominant cultural force. Modernity had created huge hierarchicalinstitutions that had operated largely within national boundaries. Post-modernity saw the development ofmulti-national companies that could organise themselves in a flexible way across continents.

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The traditional industry developed in modernity has been in decline and has been largely replaced by newservice sector companies that are able to respond to the new markets produced by consumerism. Newtechnologies have produced a globalised market that can respond quickly to this multi-faceted, quicklychanging environment. Nation states are beginning to lose their overall control of social and economic life toelectronic communities, downscaled multi-national industries and deregulated markets.

In this new, globalised environment, individuals are increasingly persuaded to express individual life stylechoices and make allegiances across geographical boundaries. The expert culture of modernity has beenreplaced by a culture of personal opinion, with all views regarded as of equal value. An understanding ofknowledge based on professional expertise and scientific objectivity has been undermined by a recognitionthat knowledge is a commodity that can be bought and sold.

Competing points of view can be represented by ‘spin-doctors’ whose job is to tailor the truth to suit theirpolitical or business masters. Whereas modernity taught us to trust experts, post-modernity tells us that thereare no experts, only points of view that may change tomorrow with the latest, and usually contested, scientificevidence. We have to make up our own minds, but that’s all right, because post-modernity tells us that ourview on anything is as good as the next person’s.

In pre-modernity truth was mediated through church and state and permeated every aspect of life. Inmodernity truth was rooted in the objective general, universal and timeless truths of science. However, inpost-modernity truth is contextual – based on each different situation and circumstance. Truth can meandifferent things in different contexts and is relative rather than absolute. This means that each context isuniquely different and uniquely valuable.

Post-modernity is therefore characterised by both globalisation and, paradoxically, a growth in the importanceof the local context. It is also characterised by the demise of certainty and by a level of fragmentation andlack of social and moral cohesion. But mostly it is characterised by rapid and continuous change. Inpost-modernity change has become central to the way that individuals lead their lives. In post- modernity theindividual’s sense of identity is no longer rooted in family, place and occupation as in pre- modern societyand is not defined by work as in modern society. Rather in post-modernity the self has become a project tobe invented or reinvented as one set of relationships or lifestyle choices replace another.

Authority is not based around status or professional expertise but is dispersed and subject to negotiation. Post-modernity has seen the demise of hierarchical institutions and professional expertise. This has changed thebalance of power in most institutions and professions and has affected the relationship between doctor andpatient, teacher and pupil, lawyer and client, priest and parishioner, MP and the electorate, police and thepublic and parent and child.

In post-modernity there is no overarching framework on which all can agree and which can provide anauthoritative account of ‘the good life’. Ethics in a postmodern culture tends to regard moral truth as amatter of context and perspective, all beliefs are relative and one opinion may be as good as any other.

However individuals still look to connect their ethical opinions with others. For example social networkinghas allowed the formation of quickly developing ‘opinion storms’ of moral outrage around particular eventsand individual media or celebrity figures and organisations extend considerable influence on the ethicalopinions of groups within society.

Still further, in the light of near universal experiences of suffering in WW2 and through the work of theUnited Nations in particular, the search for universally acknowledged and respected ethical ideals has made astrong reappearance in the language of Human Rights. The full implications of and conflicts betweenindividual and collective rights are still the subject of much contemporary debate.

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In Summary

· In pre-modernity, truth and meaning were expressed orally and passed on from one generation toanother.

· In modernity truth was deemed reliable if it was written and therefore read by professional oreducated people. It was a move from the idea that truth and meaning was perceived in theparticularity of life, lived essentially in small rural communities, to an understanding of truth andmeaning that was expressed as universal principles. Real truth is what is true everywhere and forall time. It is what sustains the universe. What is real in modernity is therefore what is timeless andunchanging.

· The move from modernity to post-modernity has been characterised by a reversal in these trends.Through mass communication there has been a rediscovery of oral and visual communication andof the power of stories and storytelling. Stories in the form of films, TV series, soaps anddocumentaries have re-emerged as a powerful way of creating personal and community identityand meaning.

· Although the written word is still significant, it has lost its monopoly of truth. There has also beena move away from truth and meaning being perceived as universal principles to a recognition thattruth and meaning can emerge in different ways in each local context. Truth is therefore part of ourexperience in time rather than being essentially timeless and universal.

Post-modern Britain

Britain is today a place in which elements of pre-modern, modern and post-modern society exist side byside.

It is in fact the nature of post-modernity that it embraces different understandings of the world and of the self.Britain has become a multi cultural and pluralistic society that includes many different ethnic groupings andthe practice of a variety of world religions. Secularisation has continued unabated since the beginning of theseventeenth century. This has led to the church being increasingly understood as a personal lifestyle choicerather than as a cohesive moral and spiritual social force within society.

A Changing Church

Churches can never be immune from the social changes that take place around them. People who belong tochurches also belong to society and take their understandings with them into the pews. The church hastherefore naturally been affected by the changes outlined above. In a society in which the ‘grand narratives’of progress (the `isms’) have broken down and the authority that sustained the large hierarchical institutionsof state has been undermined, the church has been under pressure in its role within society too.

No longer able to provide the overarching moral and spiritual lead for a multi ethnic secular society in which‘my opinion about anything is as good as yours’, the churches in Wales, has been forced to reassess the waythat it relates to the nation. As hierarchical authority has given way to locally negotiated authority,relationships between local churches and the central institution has changed, within Anglicanism betweenparish, diocese and Province. Similarly, relationships between priest and church people and churches andcommunities have also changed.

In this context the local church has increased in importance. The value of church community life has grownin response to the increasingly fragmented nature of postmodern society. Very often the church is the onlyinstitution remaining in small villages where the post office, pub and shop have closed. Church worship haschanged to take account of the need to embed worship in the local context and to provide worship related tothe needs of local people. Church ministry has been increasingly de-professionalised and understood to be thecalling of all members of the church community rather than the possession of individual ministers.

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As a result of this increasing localism and the fragmentation of grand, authoritative systems of ethics, post-modernity has also allowed voices other than the ‘white, male, middle class and Western’ to be heard. Thishas moved the Church away from a focus on Systematic Theology (which we used to call Doctrine) to morelocal, communal and individual theologies created to express the experiences and perspectives of particulargroups.

The later 20th and early 2st centuries have produced many such, deliberately partial and partisan, projects,including Feminist Theology, Disability Theology, Queer Theology, Liberation Theology and BlackTheology. These have attempted to reassess traditional forms of Christian belief by giving particular value tothe personal and collective insights of women, disabled people, homosexuals, poor communities and ethnicminority and non-white ethnic majority communities respectively.

As the church has struggled to work theologically in the postmodern context it has rediscovered the power ofstorytelling as a way of supporting the formation of Christian identity and sharing the gospel with others. In asociety in which the self is a project for invention and reinvention, storytelling can earth the life of eachChristian in the story of salvation in Christ and in the particular story of the local church.

Postmodern British society has changed relationships within the church and the way that the church relates tolocal and national society. It has also provided the church with a series of challenges and opportunities formission and service.

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Arrive and worship

Reflect on seminar day.

Worship together.

Project 1.

As a group

1 In the Introduction we noted that [post-modernism] “has changed the balance of power in most institutions and professions and has affected the relationship between doctor and patient, teacher and pupil, lawyer and client, priest and parishioner, MP and the electorate, police and the public and parent and child.”

a) In pairs – choose two of the above relationships and explore how they might havechanged over time in your experienceb) In pairs – identify and explore another relationship that has changed over time.c) Report back to the Group. As a group, discuss whether you regard these changes aspositive or negative using worksheet 1 to record your findings.

Project 2.

As a group

2. Reflect: How did you decide which changes were positive or negative? Against what standard did you judge them and where did these standards come from?

Looking at worksheet 1, identify the values that may underlie your judgementsconcerning whether each change is good or bad.

Project 3.

As a group

3. Consider the following question: “Who has a right to privacy and who doesn’t in 21st Century Britain?”

Identifya) the ethical issues this raisesb) the ways in which these issues may be resolvedc) who should get to decide and on what basis?

GROUP SESSION 1

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Reflection.

Address the questionHow far would you consider yourself to be

a) pre-modern ,b) modern andc) post-modern in your ways of thinking?

Offer the evening’s work to God in prayer.

Planning.

Plan your preparation for Session 2.

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WORK SHEET 1

Pre-modernity, Modernity and Post-modernity

Relationship Positive Changes Negative Changes

Doctor and Patient

Teacher and Pupil

Lawyer and Client

Priest and Parishioner

MP and the Electorate

Police and the Public

Parent and Child

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SESSION 2

Kingdom Ethics.

For this session


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SESSION 2

Kingdom Ethics.

INTRODUCTION

The Kingdom of God

The work and mission of the Church is closely associated with the Kingdom of God. In the New Testamentthe Kingdom is God’s sovereign rule and is made present whenever that rule is acknowledged and madevisible. Therefore, in the memorable scene with Pilate in John’s Gospel, Jesus reminds the Roman governorthat his Kingdom ‘is not of this world’. (John 18:36). It is true that the Kingdom is about to be revealed, butit will be made known through the Son of Man being ‘lifted up’ on the cross (Jn 3:14) rather than by anymighty acts of power and military might.

Jesus taught about the Kingdom in many of his parables; proclaimed the Kingdom in his concern for thepoor, his welcome to the outcasts, his healing and his forgiveness; and called upon people to enter into thatKingdom by taking up their cross and following him. The Kingdom therefore has a king in Jesus Christ whoexpresses this kingship in obedience to the Father, in loving service, in suffering and through death andresurrection.

The New Testament bears witness to the fact that, with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,something new has happened in the history of humanity. For the first Christians, encountering the risenChrist gave substance to the hope that a new age had dawned and for St Paul, Christ’s resurrectioninaugurates a ‘new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). It enables believers to live in the knowledge that death, thedominant feature of the present age, has finally been overcome. Yet St Paul also recognised that to live inthis new creation was to live with a tension. Although the new creation had come into being, the ultimatetransformation of all creation is still in the future.

This tension is present in the way that the Gospel writers understand the Kingdom of God. Pictures of theSon of Man ‘coming in clouds with great power and glory’ (Mark 13:26) to establish his kingdom in thefuture are in tension with the proclamation at the beginning of the Gospel that, ‘the time is fulfilled, and theKingdom of God is at hand’ (Mark 1:15). Indeed the tension between a Kingdom that has dawned with Jesusbut is still to come in its final consummation permeates the whole of the New Testament and continues toprovide an important context in which the Church fulfils its mission today.

The Kingdom of God also gives an important context for the outpouring of the Spirit. Jewish thought hadlong associated the coming of the Spirit with the dawning of the new age and Paul tells the Corinthian churchthat, ‘it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and givingus his Spirit in our hearts as a first instalment’ (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). In Romans 8:23 Paul calls the Spiritthe ‘first-fruits’. The first-fruits were traditionally the first portion of the harvest to be offered to God andwere regarded as a pledge of what was to be finally delivered. The Spirit therefore gives believers anassurance of their ultimate salvation.

For Paul, the work of establishing the Kingdom was essentially one of reconciliation. He therefore tells thechurch at Corinth that God, ‘reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry ofreconciliation’ (2 Corinthians 5:18). To reconcile is to end a relationship of enmity and to be in a ‘rightrelationship’ with the other. This right relationship is characterised by peace (shalom) and goodwill. The

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Jewish word ‘shalom’ is a very rich word in Jewish understanding. It means peace, completeness orharmony. Peace, goodwill, harmony and ‘right relationships’ are signs of the Kingdom’s presence andefficacy.

Church and Kingdom

The Church is called to live ‘between the times’. The Kingdom has dawned with the birth, life, death andresurrection of Jesus and yet the final consummation of the Kingdom is still to come. In the meantime theChurch has been given the gift of the Spirit which is the ‘first-fruits’ of the glory still to be revealed andcalled to be a ‘sign’ and ‘agent’ of the Kingdom. To belong to the Church is to be part of a community that iscalled to proclaim the gospel anew for each generation. It is to be part of a community that is both a humaninstitution while being a divine sign of salvation for the world, living as part of society, yet called to critiqueits beliefs and values from a Kingdom perspective. It is to live with the tension of the now and the not yet.The author of Paul’s letter to Titus (2:11ff) sums it up when he writes, ‘For the grace of God has appeared,bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to livelives that are self-controlled, upright and godly while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation ofthe glory of our great God and Saviour’.

Throughout the scriptures, the faith community encounters a God who challenges them to love theirneighbour and to care for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger. Kingdom ethics demand that wefollow the example of Christ and serve him in those whom society marginalises.

Story telling has always been the way in which human beings have given meaning to their lives andexperience. The Christian story comes to us through scripture, creed and liturgy and speaks of the mightyworks of God in the past, gives shape to the present and helps us to face the future with hope. The Christianstory of salvation is a deeply ethical tale, expounding and promoting Kingdom priorities and ethical practice.The Kingdom of God therefore is about more than religious proclamation. It is also about a distinctive wayof living in the world. It is the task of the Church, as the Body of Christ, to embody this way of living as anethical community and to invite others to join in a partnership of shared values in order that the Kingdom may

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Arrive and worship

Reflect on any issues that have arisen from the last session.

Worship together.

Project 1.

Lovin, in his book Christian Ethics, an essential guide, argues that there are “broadly speakingthree ways to guide our thinking about moral choices: goals, rules and virtues” (p20).

These may be defined as follows:Goals – help us decide what we really want to achieve or obtain, they provide a clear pictureof what ‘the good life’ would look like.Rules – tell us which goals we ought to choose and what kind of life we ought to live.Virtues –are the qualities we admire in people as we examine their stories and the moral shapeof their lives.

In PairsUsing Worksheet 2, examine the biblical texts listed and identify for each any goals, rules and/orvirtues that you discern in them.

Project 2.

In the Scriptures, the coming of the Kingdom is often identified with a reversal of traditional status– The first shall be last and the last shall be first – those who would previously have seen themselvesas included in the community and work of God may find themselves excluded, and those previouslymarginalised find themselves placed at the centre of the Kingdom.

As a groupConsider worksheet 3. For each of the biblical texts, identify who is included and who is excludedand why.

Project 3.

Every group, organisation or network exists for a particular purpose and promotes certain ethicalvalues. Often these are reflected in the way that groups organise their affairs and manage theirbusiness but sometimes their stated aims and purposes can be at variance with what they actuallydo and the decisions that they make. Many groups and businesses attempt to express the ethicalvalues that they embrace and promote through 'Mission Statements'.

As a groupCreate a mission statement for the Kingdom. Includea) its purpose and goalsb) its rules the means by which the goals may be reachedc) its virtues relating to i)human beings, ii) community and iii) creation.

GROUP SESSION 2

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Reflection.

Address the question How have you experienced the Kingdom of God coming near?

Offer the session's work to God in prayer.

Planning.

Plan your preparation for session 3.

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WORK SHEET 2B

ible ref G

oals R

ules V

irtues

Leviticus 19:9-10

Am

os 8:4-6

Hebrew

s 13:1-6

2 Cor 5 :18-19

Luke 6:27-36

Matthew

6:25-26, 31-34

Matthew

7:12

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WORK SHEET 3

Text

Who is experiencing

exclusion before? A

nd why?

Who is experiencing

inclusion before? A

nd why?

Who is experiencingexclusion after?

And w

hy?

Who is experiencinginclusion after?

And w

hy?

Mark 5:21-43

Matthew

22:1-14

Matthew

25:31-35

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SESSION 3

Seeing with The Loving Eye

For this session


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SESSION 3

Seeing with The Loving Eye

INTRODUCTION

The Process of ReflectionCandidates have been introduced to the ‘reflective cycle’ at various points in the Course. This is oftenrepresented by the ‘pastoral cycle’ in which experience (of a situation or event) – exploration - reflection –response are arranged in a spiral.

It is a spiral because each new experience is changed in the light of previous reflection. Variations on thismodel are common and can be helpful in exploring how the reflective process works. A simple version ofthis may be represented as follows:

In fact, reflection is a complex process in which text and context dialogue to produce new insights. In theirbook, Living Theology’ West, Noble and Todd (1999: 99) offer a development of this model whichrecognises this. They present a model of theological reflection in which a richly textured description of thepresent context dialogues with a richly textured description of the Christian tradition. This dialogueproduces an appropriate way forward for the individual or for the Christian community.

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Seeing.

Blind Bartimaeus was sitting by the side of the road when Jesus and his disciples came by. They were inJericho, which is situated just fifteen miles from Jerusalem. In Mark’s Gospel (Mark 10:46-52) the incidentis placed at a key point in the narrative. From the moment that Peter had recognised him as the Christ, Jesus’suffering and death had dominated the story. Although the cost of discipleship is laid bare to the reader, thedisciples still fail to grasp its implications and to see the truth being unfolded, a situation not uncommon inMark’s Gospel.

Bartimaeus is blind. He sits by the road rather than travelling along it with Jesus. However, as the incidentprogresses we realise that Bartimaeus is indeed the one who can see because he recognises Jesus as the‘son of David’ (the Christ) and calls out to him in faith. Faith has brought spiritual insight and triggers ahealing that restores his physical sight. In a story full of irony, Bartimaeus then joins Jesus on the road asa disciple. The road leads to Jerusalem, to suffering and to death, but Mark’s story represents a plea to all ofus who read his Gospel to have the courage to believe, see and follow.

When Philip says to Nathanael in John’s Gospel, ‘Come and see’ (John 1:46) the invitation to the reader is tosee with the eyes of faith and enter into the life that Jesus brings in all its fullness. As the ‘light of the world’Jesus promises that ‘whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life’ (John8:12). Indeed, sight is a key concept in all of the gospel narratives because it is the appropriate response to thesalvation that comes through Jesus Christ. Similarly, blindness is not just a physical incapacity but a symbolfor unbelief Jesus calls the Pharisees ‘blind guides of the blind’ in Matthew 15:14 and adds that, 'If one blindperson guides another, both will fall into a pit’ an image that is also found in Paul’s letter to the Romans(2:17-19).

The Christian tradition has therefore always lived with the truth that seeing and believing are inextricablylinked together in the way that people respond to Jesus and follow him. For many in the gospel seeingleads to believing, while for others believing directs and informs sight. But seeing and believing inevitablylead to knowing. In John’s Gospel Jesus, ‘the Good Shepherd says of his sheep, ‘I know my own and my ownknow me’ (John 10:14) and he leads those that he knows, calling them by name. But Jesus further teaches hisdisciples that to know him is to know the Father. ‘From now on he says, ‘you do know him and have seenhim’ (John 14:7).

For Christians today, to see with the eyes of faith, to know and to follow Christ is to attempt to engage withthe world, human society and individual people in the light of their creation by God and their redemptionthrough the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To know Christ is to attempt to see the worldthrough Christ’s eyes, even though this may subvert the way that human beings see it. And an important partof this process is to learn to see what is happening in any situation from a variety of different but importantperspectives.

These perspectives may include observing the way that individuals behave, the ways in which groups ofpeople interact with each other. However truly seeing a situation will also involve looking below thesurface at psychological factors, historical experiences, individual motivations and social structures andexpectations within which the observed relationships and actions take place.

Of course there is nothing uniquely Christian in these forms of observation. In order to see through the eyesof the Kingdom, to view the world in the light of the radical proclamation of Jesus, we need to engage withthe goals, rules and virtues of the Kingdom explored in the previous session. One attempt to engage with theKingdom as a way of seeing has been proposed by feminist theologian Sallie McFague, building on MaralynFrye’s distinction between ‘the loving eye’ and ‘the arrogant eye.’

'Arrogance' in this case means to see the observed as an object and to measure its value in relation only to itsusefulness for myself. It is to see only what I can use or what is in my interest. It is to see only what theobserved mean to me, and not what it means to anything else, and especially to miss what it means to itself.By contrast 'love' is “the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real.”

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(Marilyn Frye “In and out of harm's way: Arrogance and Love” The politics of reality: Essays in FeministTheory Trumansburg NY: Crossing Press, 1983 p53-83)

The Loving Eye assumes that value is intrinsic, that what is seen has a value in and of itself rather than in itsusefulness to me as the observer. To see ‘lovingly’ is to know that what we are looking at is itself a subjectlooking back at us, rather than simply an object to be observed and used. McFague calls this "locking eyes."She says “Imagine shifting your vision from the picture of the whole earth to the eyes of another person— notto look at him or her, but into their eyes. Sight is not necessarily the eye of the mind; it can also be the eye ofthe body—in fact, it rightly and properly is. When we lock eyes something happens: we become two subjects,not subject and object. Locking eyes is perhaps the ultimate subject-subject experience: it is what lovers doand what nursing mothers do with their babies. A version of it can happen with other animals. especially theeerie experience of locking eyes with a lowland gorilla or chimpanzee at a zoo. It is possible even with a treeor plant. The loving eye, paying attention to another (another person, animal, tree, plant) is not staring; it is, inMartin Buber's suggestive phrase, relating to the other more like a Thou than an It. There is nothingsentimental or weak-minded about this: it is simply a refusal to assume that subjectivity is my soleprerogative.”

ReflectingReflection is a normal part of human thinking. However in this section we look at one way in which wemight make our reflective process more explicit. Time spent in this form of reflection may aid our seeing of asituation – allowing us to glimpse aspects of it that we would not otherwise have seen or to see andunderstand in a new way. This in turn can lead us to learn and alter our behaviour when necessary.

A phrase that is increasingly used to describe a situation or incident that can be seen from a variety ofviewpoints or perspectives is the term ‘thick description’ If a ‘thin description’ points to one way of seeingand understanding what is happening in any context, then ‘thick descriptions’ suggest a much more complexand layered understanding of the same situation (Browning, 1991, p. 107).

Typically a thick description can result from the investigation of a situation undertaken in two keyperspectives. These could be labelled ‘sociological’ and ‘psychological’. Typically, insights that emerge froma sociological perspective will help a person to see the social dynamics of a situation and the web ofrelationships that support and inform it. Insights that come from a psychological perspective will help aperson to see the effect that individual personality and motivation has on the situation. This investigation willneed to place the incident or situation in a set of broader social, political or religious contexts as well asidentifying the internal dynamics and personal agendas that help shape it. And of course the eyes throughwhich any person sees when attempting to create a thick description are already significantly affected bytheir own deeply held beliefs, values, attitudes and agendas.

The thick description is therefore a very good vehicle for investigating any situation. Any situation willbenefit from being seen from as many perspectives as possible, and time spent in observation will alwaysenrich knowledge. Therefore people who are attempting to live theologically will need to develop ways of‘seeing’ that are sensitive to these social and psychological perspectives. One useful way of beginning toweave a thick description is to observe the situation through the eyes of each participant. Ignatian spiritualityhas long engaged with the scriptures in this way, recognising the need for a personal encounter with thedifferent characters in any situation.

Another useful starting point is to identify what drives and motivates the individuals within the situation.Why are they acting the way that they are and what are they trying to achieve? Although this cannot alwaysbe known, situations at work or church often involve people that we have grown to know well, and thisknowledge can help inform what is happening. Closely related to this is an investigation into the roles thateach person is playing. These roles may be clearly defined or they may be unclear. Questions about role androle conflict may help to identify further perspectives for the thick description. Another area open toinvestigation is the contribution that any organisation may make to the way that the situation develops.

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Organisations have their own working cultures and define the roles of their members in a particular way. Asituation in school, hospital or office, or a situation involving professionals from these or other organisations,will be coloured by the culture and working practices that they employ. Questions that support the development of thick descriptions include:

•questions about the situation:What is the situation? Who was involved? What happened? How did the situation arise? What are

the wider set of social, religious or political contexts?•questions about individuals:What did they do? Why did they act the way that they did? What were their expectations? What

roles did they fulfil? What did they want? How were they feeling?questions about interaction: What was happening between people? How did the group interact? Who played the dominant role? Was there a victim? Was there a covert process? What was the body language signifying? Was there a common purpose?

•questions about any organisations involved in the situation:What is / the organisation involved? Does this situation involve individuals representing any

organisation? What way is the organisation and/or an individual representing it affecting the situation?

•questions about me: What did I do? How did I feel? What were my expectations? What role did I fulfil? What was I trying to accomplish? How did my actions affect others? How did my faith affect my actions?

Thick descriptions may or may not be undertaken by people who are themselves involved in the situationunder investigation. However, when people are themselves involved, it is important that they are fully awareof the part that they are playing and the influence this is having on others.

Thick descriptions enable individuals to see any situation from a variety of perspectives, which in turnincreases their overall knowledge of what is happening at a number of levels.

Questions to aid this process might include:What will I learn by reflecting on (i) the behaviour and perspectives of individuals, (ii) the interaction of the group, and (iii) my own practice?How might these inform my ability to see ‘with the eyes of faith’?

Part of the process of forming the thick description may have involved asking questions about the role offaith and what it brings to the situation. However it may also be of benefit to return more explicitly to thesequestions once the thick description has been formed. It is possible to undertake a fuller dialogue betweenthis description and the sacred texts and traditions of the faith. This dialogue forms the heart of theologicalreflection.

Three key questions inform theological reflection:1) What kind of God emerges from the description that has been formed and how does that

understanding interact with the ways in which God is understood in the sacred texts and traditions of the faith? 2) What understanding of Church and society emerges how does that interact with understandings that are contained in the sacred texts and traditions of the faith?

3) A final question might then be: How might I best act in this situation in order to promote an outcome consistent with the demands of the gospel?

Acting.

Knowing God in Jesus is therefore never merely an academic pursuit. This process of reflection always hasimplications for the way to proceed, for the way in which we might act (or choose not to act) in the situationwhich we have seen and reflected upon. Thomas a Kempis is perhaps rather scathing when he writes in the

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In Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25:37-38 the righteous ask the king with some surprise when it was that they sawhim hungry thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick or in prison. They ask because even they, in their goodness, havefailed to recognise that they have served the king by serving those in need. Mother Teresa, in the bookMeditations on the Way of the Cross (1986, p. 8) writes, ‘Only by being one with us has he (Jesus) redeemedus. We are asked to do the same; all the desolation of the poor people, not only their material poverty, but alsotheir spiritual destitution, must be redeemed. And we must share it, for only by being one with them can weredeem them by bringing God into their lives and bringing them to God.’ To see Christ in the poor andoppressed and to serve him in and through them is a demand for action that stems from knowing and followinghim.

It is therefore by following this process of Seeing, Reflecting and Acting that we enable the values of theKingdom to find expression in our lives and the life of our church community.

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Arrive and worship


Worship together.

Project 1.

As a group

Describe the pastoral cycle and explore how it can help the church to proclaim and live Kingdomvalues.

Project 2.

As a group, read the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) aloud.

In pairs, and using the questions onWorksheets 4, 5 and 6, use the reflective cycle as a tool toexplore the story.

Project 3.

As a group

Read the case study entitled ‘John and Michael’ (on the following page).

Address the following questions:a) How might John use the information he already has to create a thick description to help him

make up his mind about Michael?b) Is the thick description enough or does he need more?c) How might the resources of Christian scripture and tradition provide further

perspectives?d) How might this help you to see the situation ‘with the eyes of faith’?

What options for action does John have and what do you think he should do?

GROUP SESSION 3

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John and Michael

John had been asked to visit Michael who is a prisoner in the local young offenders’institution. He is seventeen years old and is serving eighteen months for persistent cartheft. He had been a choir boy at St Matthew’s until the age of twelve and John’s vicar feltthat a visit from somebody from the church who was near to his own age would behelpful. John was apprehensive and this feeling had been increased when he talked to acolleague who had visited his brother at the same institution a month previously. He hadbeen searched on entry as part of the recent drive against drug abuse and had met hisbrother in a very public area within the hearing of a prison officer. The whole experiencehad been extremely difficult for him and he was not looking forward to his next visit.Knowing of his likely visit to Michael, John had paid more than usual attention two weekspreviously when he had seen his MP on television. John knew that his MP was on the rightof the Conservative Party (‘to the right of Genghis Khan his father said) but when he roseat the annual Conservative Party conference to add his views to the debate on ‘law andorder’ John became interested. His speech did not call for the reintroduction of flogging,well not quite. However, he made it clear that those who committed crime (he evenmentioned car theft) should be given long sentences in harsh conditions. It needed to bemade clear to them that society would not tolerate such behaviour. A clear message thatcrime does not pay also needed to be sent out to other hooligans who may be similarlytempted. The social worker who currently sang in the choir did not agree. She did notknow all the details of Michael’s case but she did tell John after choir practice that she didnot feel that a prison sentence would help. The young offenders’ institution had a badrecord of bullying and drug abuse and, because of overcrowding, there were fewopportunities for education. She felt it more likely that prison would further alienateMichael from normal society and make re-offending more likely. This view was largelyconfirmed by the prison officer who was on the national news that night after another riotin a prison in the Midlands. He was clear that without further government funding andbetter staff ratios there was little that prison officers could do but lock the prisoners up andkeep basic order. As he pointed out with a wry smile, ‘I wouldn’t want to be locked upwith some of the hard cases that we have in here’. John had also spoken to Michael’smother. He had gone to see her to ask whether she thought that Michael would appreciatea visit, and they got talking about him. She showed him pictures of Michael as a little boy.She was quite open about the fact that she did not know why Michael had got into trouble.If it was her and her husband’s fault, she did not know what they had done. They hadgiven Michael a good home and done their best for him. And they were both sticking byhim. They visited regularly and they would have him back home when he got out, if hewould like to come. John was struggling to know what to make of Michael. In what lightshould he see him? Should he visit Michael and, if so, for what purpose?

Reflection.

The reflective process links closely with prayer. Spend time together in silent prayer.You may wish to call to mind a situation in your own life. Try to see the situation clearlyfrom different perspectives. As you reflect on your situation, explore a thick descriptionof it, making room for the insights of your faith and the values of the Kingdom. Howmight you act in the situation on the basis of your reflection?

Planning.

Plan your preparation for session 4.

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WORK SHEET 4

Within the story

What did Zacchaeus see? What did Jesus see? What did the crowds see?

Beyond the story

What can we learn from the broader contexts? (within Luke, within the Bible more generally,within the social and political context of first century society).

Seeing

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40

WORK SHEET 5

Within the story

Beyond the story

What kind of questions might we ask about Jesus, about ourselves and about our situation?

Reflecting

What questions might Zacchaeus have asked about Jesus, about himself and about the situation?

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WORK SHEET 6

Within the story

Beyond the story

What are the possible outcomes of reading this story for us?

Acting

What action does Zacchaeus take?

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SESSION 4

Researching your local community.

For this session

Study the Introduction to Sessions 4-8 and undertake supporting reading includingSource 4 from the Reading Block.

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SESSION 4

Researching your local community.

INTRODUCTION to Sessions 4-8

Why Research?In the previous chapter, we looked at the importance of seeing – of seeing things are they are in all theircomplexity and being able to form a ‘thick description’ of a situation. The tools of research may be helpful inthis process. If churches, church members and ministers are to speak and live the Kingdom of God in theirlocal contexts and communities, they need to know the nature of those contexts and communities.

For this reason, the following 4 sessions will form a research project enabling you to study the depth andfullness of your local community and explore your church’s role in it might be. This will also teach yousome of the skills of research, enabling you to continue the process of discovery in the future.

The Research ProcessResearch is often divided into two basic approaches – the qualitative and the quantitative.

Quantitative research tries to find things that can be measured using numbers – e.g. population statistics,age range, value of houses etc. This approach uses statistical methods to generate conclusions.

Quantitative research is usually appropriate when

· It is necessary to collect data across a number of different contexts or situations.

· The data is normally collected by the use of questionnaires or structured interviews and is analysedusing statistical procedures.

· Quantitative research is reckoned to be valid and accurate if the procedures for collecting andanalysing the data have been correctly applied.

· Truth claims are generalisable and valid across a range of contexts.

· The researcher is almost always an outsider who is not involved with the situation that he isresearching.

Qualitative research on the other hand focuses on things which cannot be measured (‘quantified’) in thesame way, and tries to do justice to more subjective opinions and to hear the stories and histories that can betold but not captured in statistics.

Qualitative research is different from Quantitative research in that:· It provides in depth studies of situations in their social contexts.

· It is normally collected by the use of a variety of observational and interviewing techniques.

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· The `validity’ of the research is associated with the intention and consistency of the researcher’sactions, her beliefs and values and the trustworthiness of her observations and conclusions.

· In qualitative research the researcher is almost always involved with the situation that they areresearching and needs to be aware of the effects their involvement can have.

· Is often interested in people’s stories and their own (subjective) understandings.

Quantitative research methodologies can provide the church with the broader view. They can test theeffectiveness of national and diocesan policy decisions and can draw the church’s attention to issues thataffect clergy performance. They can also provide important information about the broader social context.Statistical information from national, regional and county organizations is freely available on the internetand provides an overall context in which local situations can be studied.

Qualitative research provides an opportunity for a more holistic understanding of the local context. Beingembedded in the history and experience of the local community, it allows for the complexity of the localcontext to be examined. It is particularly effective at allowing a variety of voices to be heard and a variety ofperspectives to be explored. Researching the local church may be therefore better approached through the useof qualitative research methodologies.

Collecting Data from the Local Community

Social mapping can help to identify the different social networks that exist in the community. Eachindividual will belong to a different set of social networks. These may include family networks, networksrelating to their work, social networks, church related networks and others that are specific to them.

Communities also have social networks that may centre round a local pub or club or church or voluntaryactivity. In many communities the social and work-based networks of many individuals are set outside thecommunity and this can be significant.

Some very simple, less formal but very effective techniques can also be used. Walking the community is avery good way of gathering information. This ‘follow the postman’ approach involves walking around thecommunity to gain a sense of its geography, its facilities and its particular characteristics. It takes time but itconcentrates the mind on the details.

Time mapping can also be instructive. Examining the community at different times of the day and during thedifferent seasons of the year can identify significant changes that can help researchers to identify key issuesand concerns.

Story gathering (e.g. life histories) is also an important tool in qualitative research methodology. Much of thedata collected about a local church and community comes in story form. Stories are a key way in whichhuman beings make sense of their lives and the stories that people tell reflect this meaning-making process.When people tell stories about their lives they are articulating the ways in which they understand themselvesand their world. These ‘life history narratives’ inevitably contain the deep seated values, beliefs, attitudes andagendas that guide the behaviour of both individuals and communities.

Reflecting on the Data

Different research methodologies will require a different approach to analysis, but each process will provide ameans of interpreting the data in such a way that it can provide a series of insights into the situation beingresearched.

One important way of undertaking analysis in qualitative research is to ‘map’ the material in such a way thatit can be used to identify the issues and dilemmas that are present in the data. Mapping the data is a process

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that is better described as ‘art’ rather than ‘science’ and emerges from a process of painstaking scrutiny ofthe data.

As the researcher makes associations between different ideas and concepts and connects different elements inthe data, broader categories gradually emerge. These are eventually formed into key issues and dilemmas.

It is important also to be aware of the limits of data, especially when it is drawn from small sample sizes. Itwould be naïve, for example, to take the story told by one person and take that as representative of the viewsand needs of the community as a whole. Sources may not be as embedded in the local context as you mightfirst think. For example a ‘local’ police officer may in fact only spend a small portion of their time in yourcontext and the majority of their working and home life in another community altogether.

Statistical data also needs to be looked at carefully. For example your community may contain a large healthfacility, but only 5% of its users, and so 5% of the statistics related to it, may come from the local area.

The Research Project

Over the next four weeks you will be researching your local community. (If your group prefers, thesesessions could in fact be spaced over a longer period). Each week we will be identifying appropriateresearch methods, undertaking research during the week and bringing your data back to the group. In thegroups you will using the pastoral cycle on your data to see the picture of your context emerging, reflecttheologically upon it, and explore possible responses and actions.

Over the 4 weeks you will build up a ‘thick description’ of the local area which may support the mission ofthe church as it seeks to respond to the values of the Kingdom and the needs of the community.

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Arrive and worship


Worship together.

Project 1.

As a group

Imagine that a new Vicar has just arrived in your Parish. Using the information from theintroduction, what data will she need in order to help the church minister effectively to its localcommunity?

Project 2.

As a group

Read Luke 10:1-11 out loud. Reflect together:a. What is the nature of the disciples’ mission and how are they equipped to do it?b. Why do you think Jesus sent them out in this way?c. What is the relationship between the disciples and the communities to which they are sent?d. What might these reflections tell us about our relationships with the communities we serve?

Project 3.

As a group

Over the next week, between sessions, you will be researching your community using the methodsbelow, and so you will need to discuss and plan this work now:

Mapping.You will need to draw or obtain a map of your area – you may like to use Google Maps for this.You will need this map, along with notes of your observations to report back to the group.

Walking the community.This is a 'follow the postman' approach which involves walking (or cycling or driving) around thecommunity to get a sense of its geography, listing its facilities and identifying the particularcharacteristics of different areas and neighbourhoods. Ask yourself where people gather and whichplaces have a particular significance for groups of people.

Time MappingInvestigate how the community changes when viewed from different time perspectives. Examine thecommunity at different times of the day. You may also have an awareness of changes during thedifferent seasons of the year and over the past five years.

GROUP SESSION 4

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Using data

A great deal of information about a particular community can be gained from census data,maps, agency reports. Add any statistical information you can find to your map and notes.

During the coming the week you are going to be beginning a process ofresearching your local area, starting with a mapping exercise.To prepare for this, address the following:.a) Divide into pairs – your research throughout the next 4 weeks will be

conducted in these pairings.

b) Identify the geographical area each pair is going to research.Where group members all come from the same communit each pair maystudy the same area. If you come from different communities, then eachpair may study one or more different communities.Choose an area which reflects the context in which you live your life, andbe aware of its main connections for you to the wider context- e.g. work,church, shopping, schools, medical facilities etc.In other words, choose an area that is manageable to study and explore, butthat reflects the wider context of your life.

c) Plan how you are going toi. Walk (or otherwise physically explore) the area.ii. Time map the area.iii. Acquire statistical information about the area (you may wish to

consult the weblinks section at the beginning of this handbook).iv. Report back to the group at the next session.

Reflection.

Address the question:What does it mean to be a researcher “like a lamb among wolves, carrying no purse or packand travelling barefoot”?


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5246

SESSION 5

Mapping and Networking

For this session

Complete the research tasks you agreed in the previous session and come to thegroup ready to feedback your findings.

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Arrive and worship

In pairsWhat did it feel like to be a researcher last week?

As a groupWorship together.

Project 1.

SeeEach research pair - Report back to the group your findings from:

a. Walking the areab. Time mappingc. Collecting statistical information.

Project 2.

Reflecta. What new information have you learned about your community that you did not know

before?b. How has your understanding of your community changed?c. Referring back to the values of the Kingdom you derived in Session 2, how do the values

of the Kingdom help you to reflect on this data?

Project 3.

ActPreparation for next week’s research.The different social groupings and organisations to which each of us belong are often called'networks'. There are family networks, networks that relate to work, leisure networks andchurch networks. Some of these networks might be local, some might extend over the wholecountry or even abroad or online using social network sites. By identifying all of thesedifferent networks we can begin to recognise the many different contexts in which we liveour lives and in which our own story is set.

On the following page is an example of a personal network:

GROUP SESSION 5

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Over the next week, you will need to identify and speak to 4 people to research theirpersonal networks. In preparation, in your research pairs, address the following:

a) Briefly sketch out your own personal network (you can give more timeand reflection to this on your own over the week)

b) Begin to identify the individuals you are going to research. You will needto already know them well. However confidentiality is very important in thisprocess. Do not use their real names at any stage in the process, or any otherinformation that would identify them as an individual. Try to identify a diversegroup, including different ages, genders and people both inside and outside yourchurch.

iii. Decide how you are going to record your results to report themback next week, again being careful to observe confidentiality.

Prayer


PCC Exploring Faith

Franciscan 3rd order Ministry Area

Worship Leading Congregation

Bible Study Group

Grandchildren Aunty Beryl

Sister's family

Husband

RHS Flower Show Gardening Club Rare Plants

Walking Group GP/Specialist Heart Problem

Stress Diabetes?

Area Cluster Group Governors

PTA

Head of Dept

Teaching

Pupils

Maths Club

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SESSION 6

Networking andResearching the Values of

Community Groups.

For this session


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Arrive and worship



Project 1.

See Each research pair - Report back to the group your findings from your networking research.

As a group – identify the networks that exist in the areas that you have studied and anycommon connections between them.

Project 2.




Project 3.

ActPreparation for next week’s research.The different groups that work in your area contribute to the community’s well being, but eachdoes so with a particular set of understandings, priorities, insights and values. Over the nextweek you are going to research these values by obtaining and studying their own accounts oftheir purpose and work. This can be done by obtaining their mission statements and otherrelevant documentation which describes what they do and why and how they do it.

In preparation, in your research pairs, address the following: a) Begin to identify up to four groups that you are going to research. Try to identify diverse groups. These might include, a group with a health focus, a group with a religious focus, an educational group, a group connected to government and a group providing a local service. They can be local voluntary groups or national, professional organisations.

b) Decide how you are going to obtain the information you need to gain a clear account of each group’s values. Are you going to look online, are you going to obtain leaflets or annual reports or talk to a representative person?

c) Decide how you are going to record your results to report them back next week.

Prayer

Offer the evening’s work to God in prayer.

GROUP SESSION 6

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SESSION 7

Researching the values ofCommunity Groupsand Hearing Stories.

For this session


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Arrive and worship



Project 1.

SeeEach research pair - Report back to the group your findings from your Values ofCommunity Groups research.

As a group – identify the range of values community groups operate with in your area.

Project 2.




Project 3.

ActPreparation for next week’s research.Any individual will tell a variety of stories about any situation and a community will expressa number of different stories about a particular context. To some extent the stories will beformed in response to the researcher’s questions but all will draw from past experience whileengaging with the present. All stories will be negotiated to some extent as individuals sharetheir meaning-making with others. However, some of these stories will represent theexperiences of dominant social groups while others will represent a minority position. It isinevitably the case that some stories will be missing because the people who tell them live onthe margins of the community and are not heard by those in the centre. All will reflect theway in which power is expressed and experienced in the life of the church and the localcommunity.

Stories will emerge from many of the ways in which data is gathered, but giving people the time and the space to tell stories about themselves and their community is a good way of collecting data in its own right.

Over the next week, you will continue your research by interviewing individuals andlistening to their stories. You will be trying to explore and hear who are they, what theirexperience of life in their areas is, what their goals and virtues are, what they value and howthey see the church.

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Although you will carry out your interviews as individuals and NOT in pairs, inpreparation work in your research pairs, address the following:

a) Decide upon 2 people you wish to interview. However confidentiality isagain very important in this process. Do not use their real names at any stage inthe process, or any other information that would identify them as an individual.Try to choose 1 person who has an involvement in a local church and one whodoes not. You may also be able to choose 2 people so that 1 has a position thatmay be regarded as influential and 1 may be considered by some to bemarginalised. You need to be mindful of the fact that although you will behearing people’s personal stories, and these may involve personal problems orchallenges, you will not be able to solve or address these yourself, nor should youlead them to assume you can or will.

b) Reflect on the open questions and topics of conversation you couldintroduce in order to explore and hear who are they, what their experience of lifein their areas is, what their goals and virtues are, what they value and how they seethe church?Examples might include: How did you come to live in the area? What do youhope to accomplish in the next 5 years? What is it like to live round here? Whatconnections do you have in the community? What are the best and worst thingsabout our area? What do you most value in life? What are the biggest challengesyou face?

c) Decide how you are going to record and report your findings to thegroup, again being careful to observe confidentiality.

Prayer


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SESSION 8

Hearing Storiesand

Discerning Action.

For this session


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Arrive and worship



Project 1.

SeeEach researcher - Report back to the group your findings from your Hearing Storiesresearch.As a group – identify the diverse and common values and experiences of members of yourcommunities.

Project 2.




Project 3.

ActUp until now, our ‘action’ has been to encourage further research and investigation. But of

course there are many ways of responding to information received and reflected upon. Sometimesthe appropriate response will be a concrete and specific action to a situation. But sometimes in thepastoral cycle, the appropriate action outcome is simply to have a renewed understanding or afresh recognition. It may also be to encourage another party to act, or to stop acting in a particularway at all.

Reflecting on all the research you have done over the 4 weeks, consider the following:

a) Where are Kingdom Values to be seen in action in your community?

b) Where do the values of the Kingdom provide a challenge to the life of your community?

c) Where in the community might the church find partners in its work of living and proclaimingKingdom values.

Prayer

Offer the session's and the term's work, and your community, to God in prayer.

GROUP SESSION 8

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Introduction to the Church and Kingdom

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTPROJECTS

ASSIGNMENTS

Candidates should complete ALL of the tasks below.

1 a) In 750 words, address the question:What ethical imperatives for the Kingdom of God are revealed in Luke 10:25-37when considered from the perspective of each character in the story?

1 b) In 750 words, address the question:How do people make moral decisions in 21st Century Wales? What contribution doesthe Church make to this?

2 In 1500 words:In Luke 4:14-21, Jesus identifies the following groups for whom the Kingdom hascome near: The poor, prisoners, the blind and the oppressed. What tools for researchand reflection does the church have available to help ensure it is still listening deeplyto the needs of these and other groups? How might it apply these tools in practice toONE group in particular? (i.e. to the poor, or prisoners, or the blind, or theoppressed).

4 Write a 1500 word report for your PCC or Deanery Conference or Ministry AreaSynod as appropriate, on the basis of your research in this module, identifying waysin which your church and/or Ministry Area can more effectively express Kingdomvalues through its ministry and service to the local community. When presenting yourfindings, and recommending a future course of action, do so from the perspective ofthe role you are currently exploring (e.g. as a Priest, or as a Children's Worker or as aDisciple etc).

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Documents

The Church and The Kingdom Handbook 2014 (1)cinw.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/... · A Bibliography for further reading and to support assignment work ... The Corporate