Ministry in practice: some stories of Church of England priests called, vocationally, to work outside and beyond the institution, as well as in it
Rather roughly speaking, there are two types of MSEs (ministers in secular employment). The first are those who simply ended up there, and see their parish, its church and its congregation as their main focus. The second group is made up of those who explicitly believed themselves called to serve as a priest in the sphere of (so called) 'secular' work. As they come my way, I'll post short accounts and biographies here. So far, we have...
- Jenny Gage: being MSE seemed the only option, now the best option
- John Hicks: the church needs accessible priests
- Margaret Joachim: the workplace matters
- Adele Philips: taking the message of Christ into the workplace
- Hugh Valentine: on not removing vocation from context
- Mark Wakefield: the unchurched matter
Are you an MSE? Would you share your story here?
Are you an MSE? Would you share your story here? We are looking for ordained women and men, who identify as priests 'in secular work', to contribute material. Following the model of Sunday colour supplement interviews, you are invited to answer the questions below. Send your material here.
The Questions
(feel free to depart from them or to add to them as you wish, though some consistency across the respondents may be useful)
The Questions
(feel free to depart from them or to add to them as you wish, though some consistency across the respondents may be useful)
- Name
- Date ordained
- Sphere of work
- Why did you become an SSM/MSE/WP?
- What's best about what you do?
- What's the most challenging?
- If the church asked, what would you say are the three most important things you have learnt from your work-focused ministry?
- If the church asked, what would you say are the three most important lessons for it which have emerged from your work-focused ministry?
- Why do you think the SSM/MSE/WP development within the CofE has, to date, been so lack lustre?
- What is it that SSM/MSE/WPs can contribute to the mission of the church today?
- What do you think SSM/MSE/WPs need to receive from the church in order to be effective in their unique ministry?
- Would you do it all again? (And anything else you simply must say!)
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Belief is reassuring. People who live in the world of belief feel safe. On the contrary, faith is forever placing us on the razor's edge. Jacques Ellul
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