“I CAN see why they made you a bishop, Bishop!”
Warm words towards members of the episcopate are not a common occurrence. To hear this from the Rector of St Bartholomew the Great, Smithfield, the Revd Marcus Walker, at the Save the Parish annual conference this month, felt uncommonly glowing.
But, in this instance, warm words were well-deserved. Alastair Campbell once declared that, “like most meaningful activities, campaigns are team games” — and, if one is not on the team, stepping up in front of them carries an element of risk. Risk, in this instance, was rewarded with an ovation.
So, which bishop was receiving such high praise, and why? The new Bishop of Aston, the Rt Revd Esther Prior, had agreed to follow in the footsteps of the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Ramsbury, Dr Andrew Rumsey, in addressing Save the Parish.
An Evangelical, she started and ended with scripture, and everything in between had a clear mission-focus; there were moments when I wondered how this would land with the audience. I need not have worried.
“God chooses to work through the ordinary — through people, place, and presence,” she said. It is real people, in real time, and real space. How are our priorities informed by who is here, and who is missing? How are our streets and our shared history shaping the story that God is writing in our parishes? What do we need for our own passions to flourish? Bishop Prior reflected on her own parish ministry and encouraged all of us, lay and ordained, to do likewise.
There were reminders that “parish ministry asks for authenticity more than perfection — for presence more than performance.” Some of us may be feeling bruised: there have been changes in our Church at a national level in various ways. With change might come despondency, anxiety, or a desire to “perform” at a parish level; to provide evidence that the show must go on.
Thankfully, none of that is what the gift of the parish is about. Mission is, of course vital, but Bishop Prior was clear that everyone is invited, and, while “some people might want the full Jesus experience you offer, others may not.” We can plant, water, plan, and pray about strategic schemes and funding bids — but only God can make growth happen.
What a relief — and a joy — this was to hear. We are called to put our burdens on to him — to be present with people in the place to which he has called us. With Christ, and a little episcopal encouragement, perhaps all things really are possible.
Rebecca Chapman is a General Synod member for Southwark diocese.
Angela Tilby is away.
