Rev Canon Prof Leslie Francis

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Rev Canon Prof Leslie Francis
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Rev Canon Prof Leslie Francis
The contemporary rural church its ministry and
mission
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The Centre for Studies in Rural Ministry

• Arthur Rank Centre
• St Deiniols Library, Hawarden
• University of Wales, Bangor

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Four themes

• Difference
• Clergy work-related health
• Reflective practitioner
• Empirical theology

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Difference
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Difference in context
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Visual difference

• Open space
• Scattered dwellings

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Economic difference

• Rich and poor
• Cost of living

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Educational difference

• Closed schools
• Long days

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Health care differences

• Accessibility
• Choice

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Social difference

• Old and new
• Known and unknown

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Different tensions

• Shopfloor or playground
• Infra-structure or decay

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Difference in ministry
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Sunday experience

• Small congregations
• Multiple churches

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Sunday worship

• Music
• Convention

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Sunday challenges

• Children
• Newcomers

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Weekday activities

• Distance
• Reticence

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Opportunities galore

• The open door
• The ongoing activities

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Opportunities galore

• Ministry to whole community
• A different form of belonging

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Clergy work-related health
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Three issues

• Conceptualisation
• Assessment
• Explanation

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Conceptualisation

• Professional burnout
• Balanced affect
• Emotional exhaustion
• Depersonalisation
• Personal accomplishment

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Assessment

• Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)
• Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI)

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Explanation

• Contextual variables
• Internal factors

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Anglican clergy

• With Douglas W Turton
• Sample of 1,278
• Building Bridges, 2004

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Emotional exhaustion

• 39 feeling used up at the end of the day
• 16 feeling burned out from parish ministry

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Depersonalisation

• 31 were less patient with parishioners than they
  used to be
• 23 found it difficult to listen to what
  parishioners were saying to them

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Personal accomplishment

• 91 gained a lot of personal satisfaction from
  working with people
• 73 felt exhilarated after working with people

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Catholic priests

• With Stephen H Louden
• A sample of 1,468
• RRR, 46, 5-19, 2004

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Emotional exhaustion

• 36 feel used up at the end of the day
• 16 feel fatigued when they get up

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Depersonalisation

• 27 less patient with parishioners
• 26 find it difficult to listen

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Personal accomplishment

• 90 gain personal satisfaction
• 75 have accomplished many worthwhile things

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Key finding

• Personality
• Context

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The rural dimension

• Rutledge and Francis
• 1,071 Anglican clergymen
• RSSSR, 11, 173-191, 2000

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The rural findings

• Same emotional exhaustion
• Same depersonalisation
• Lower personal accomplishment

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Reflective practitioner
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Wellbeing important for

• The minister
• The ministers family
• Ministry
• Mission

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Theories

• Prayer and spiritual life
• Cats and dogs
• Reflective practice

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Hans van der Ven

• Education for Reflective Ministry
• Louvain, Peeters Press
• 1998

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Assumption 1

• Ministry is a complex profession becoming ever
  more complex and dynamic

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Complexity

• Liturgy, preaching, hermeneutics
• Catechesis, education
• Church development

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Complexity society focus

• Community development
• Social concerns
• Mission and out-reach

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Complexity individual focus

• Pastoral counselling
• Spiritual direction
• Psychological guidance

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Assumption 2

• The minister requires a wide range of
  professional skills and qualities

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Pastoral sciences

• Bible
• Prayer
• Theology

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Sociology

• Group dynamics
• Social contextual factor
• Management skills

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Psychology

• Personality
• Development
• Psychopathology

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Assumption 3

• The minister is increasingly forced to rely on
  his or her own initiative, own judgement and own
  self-guidance

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Vulnerability

• Awesome responsibility
• Unresolvable self-doubt
• Intolerable burden

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Biblical principles

• Mark, the gospel of ministry and mission

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Mark 67-13

• The twelve go in pairs
• Preach repentance
• Cast out demons

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Mark 630-44

• Disciples report to Jesus
• Come to a lonely place
• Rest quietly

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Ways of reflective practice 1

• Cell group
• Go away regularly
• Eat, drink, disciplined talk

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Ways of reflective practice 2

• Peer review
• Trained reviewers (lay and ordained)
• Proforma and confidentiality

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Ways of reflective practice 3

• Supervisor
• Not spiritual direction
• Not line manager

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Empirical evidence

• Francis and Turton
• Hermeneutics and Empirical Research in Practical
  Theology
• Leiden, Brill, 2004, pp 245-265

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Empirical theology
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Centre for Studies in Rural Ministry

• We take the view that the tools of the social
  sciences are a proper part of the theologians
  tool-kit, including both theories and methods

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Social sciences methods

• Participant observation
• Interviews
• Questionnaires

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Biblical models

• Mark 43-9 anthropologist
• Luke 147-11 sociologist
• Luke 1038-42 psychologist

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Seminar method

• Listen to the problem
• Examine the theology
• Look for the evidence

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Example 1

• Lewis Burton
• on
• Preaching during the Foot and Mouth epidemic

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Example 2

• Alex Brown
• on
• Use of the prayer tree in a rural church

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Example 3

• Mike Keulemans
• on
• Visitors to a pilgrimage site

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Example 4

• Becky Fisher
• on
• Using Godly play in rural churches

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Example 5

• Sue Pegg
• on
• Local festivals on church life

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Example 6

• Simon Brignall
• on
• Spirituality in the rural primary school

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Example 7

• Eoin Buchanan
• on
• Expectations in large rural teams

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Example 8

• Keith Ineson
• on
• Church life and social capital

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Example 9

• Marion Penfold
• on
• Understanding of Remembrance Sunday

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Example 10

• David Burkhill Howarth
• on
• Harvest festivals

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