Working Out the Covenant: Guidelines for the Journey

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WORKING OUT THE COVENANT

GUIDELINES for the

JOURNEY

Gillian Kingston

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Published by Church of Ireland Publishing Church of Ireland House Church Avenue Rathmines, Dublin 6 www.cip.ireland.anglican.org

Designed by Susan Hood

Š Gillian Kingston, and the Representative Church Body, 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher

ISBN 978-1-904884-19-4

Printed by Paceprint Trading Ltd, Dublin, Ireland

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Table of Contents

Introduction

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1.

Potential Areas of Difficulty

7

2.

Family & Pastoral Occasions

9

3.

Services of Holy Communion

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4.

Inclusion and Courtesy

17

5.

Other Issues

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6.

Final Thought

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Appendix: Covenant between the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland

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Introduction

N

have many similar features – there is the excitement and euphoria of recognizing that something special is happening between you, whoever ‘you’ are. Then there is the ‘getting-to-know-you’ phase. This is followed by the ‘getting to know a bit more’ phase; and then there is the commitment to a long-term, perhaps permanent, relationship. And, after that then there is potential for deepening the relationship completely, but not without challenges.

EW RELATIONSHIPS OF WHATEVER KIND

After the initial politeness, the ‘whatever-you-do-is fine-by me’ phase, there is the questioning ‘oh-is-thathow-you-do-it?’ phase and then, almost inevitably, there comes the hurt awareness ‘ouch-that hurts-me’ phase. It is to this phase that the Covenant Council wishes to make a few suggestions so that churches entering into Local Covenant Partnership (LCP) of any kind may avoid areas of sensitivity in and for each other.

In the experience of the Council, there are areas which require sensitivity and some sort of resolution.

There are often differing expectations and unintentional hurts in close relationships, so it is important to establish criteria for good practice at the very beginning. What follows below are some of the more obvious issues which require careful handling if the relationship is to remain happy and equitable.

It may be a good thing to think about some of these before they become problematic. Indeed, each Church 5

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might consider them separately, by identifying its own neuralgic points. Following these separate considerations and explorations, the two partners might come together again to listen, compare experience and so become aware of the sensitive points of the other The Council has identified these particular areas of potential difficulty – it may well be that as you continue in relationship with your sister Church, you will identify other issues about which we haven’t yet thought – please let us know. In this way, you may well be helping someone else!

One area which can be open to misunderstanding is the terms we use to refer to those who have ordained charge of us. Methodists almost always refer to their ‘minister’ and only very rarely to ‘clergyman/woman/person’. Church of Ireland people sometimes say ‘clergyman/woman/person’, sometimes ‘priest,’ sometimes ‘rector’ and sometimes they too use the term ‘minister.’ In what follows, we will, unless obviously referring to one denomination in particular, use the terms ‘minister’ and ‘priest’ concurrently.

The full text of the Covenant between the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland is provided as an appendix at the end of this booklet.

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1 Potential Areas of Difficulty Family and pastoral occasions Baptisms Confirmation/ reception into full membership Weddings Funerals Issues concerning services of Holy Communion Presiding at the Eucharist Sacramental inclusion Inclusion of visiting ministers/priests Alcoholic/non-alcoholic wine Cups or chalice Distribution and reception of the elements Disposal of the elements Issues of inclusion and courtesy Consultation prior to joint acts of worship Invitation to special church occasions and other functions Robing Sensitivity to minority usage and ways of worship Other issues Pastoral visitation Chaplaincies Length of sermons Style of worship

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2 Family & Pastoral Occasions

F

AT FAMILY AND PASTORAL OCCASIONS, because this is the area which affects most people. Perhaps you or a member of your family is getting married; perhaps someone you know has died; perhaps your grandchild is being baptized or confirmed/received into full membership - and it is happening in the sister Church.

IRST WE WILL LOOK

These occasions occur very frequently and it is important that they are handled with due consideration to those who will attend them as honoured guests.

Obviously, families will need to discuss things, but often they look to their minister or priest to help and what matters here is that each tries to include the other as far as is possible.

The thought at the front of each mind should be something like: ‘How much might I offer for him/her to do in this service?’

Baptisms Although clearly the baptism will take place in one church and one minister or priest will baptize, there is no reason why the minister/priest of the sister Church may not be meaningfully involved in other parts of the service.

Remember that baptism is into the Body of Christ and not into ‘your’ Church. We recommend that, on these occasions, the baptismal certificate is ecumenical with the names of both Churches on the back.

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Confirmation / reception into full membership It is appropriate that this service may be conducted jointly by both Churches.

There should be joint and appropriate preparation of those to be confirmed or received into full membership, with both minister and priest, along with appropriate members of their congregations, taking part in this.

An appropriate order of service should be used, acknowledging both traditions and giving each Church a sense of ‘owning’ the event (contact the Council for resources).

Hands are laid on each candidate by both the Church of Ireland bishop and Methodist minister together.

Weddings This may be the first act of worship in which the families and friends concerned have come together, so it is a very special day for them. It may be the first time they have seen your Church in operation, so even at the level of good impression, you need to get it right!

Although one minister or priest is responsible for the ceremony (in the legal sense), it is possible and appropriate to involve a minister or priest from the sister Church in proclaiming and expounding the scriptures, the intercessions, assisting at the communion and pronouncing a joint blessing.

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Funerals On the occasion of a funeral and supporting the bereaved, it is of the highest importance that they do not have to worry about inter-Church concerns. Thus, the minister and priest need to confer about many of the details.

While many of the issues relating to funerals are common within each of our Churches, it is important to ascertain what the expectations are on each side.

Timing of the service is important – this is a traumatic event for a family, and thus it should neither be so brief that they feel ‘short changed’, nor so long that it becomes an endurance test.

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3 Services of Holy Communion

S

OMETIMES OCCASIONS LIKE THOSE ALREADY

considered involve a celebration of Holy Communion. This is the central point of our worship, an act in obedience to our Lord – it must be a time of solemn joy, not of self-consciousness and tension. So there are things to reflect on beforehand and certainly the ministers and priests need to confer so that no-one treads on anyone else’s toes, literally or metaphorically.

Presiding at the Eucharist Both our Churches have a presiding minister/priest at a service of Holy Communion. It is permissible for a Church of Ireland priest to preside at Holy Communion in a Methodist Church, using either the Church of Ireland or the Methodist rite, so far as the Methodist Church is concerned. As far as the Church of Ireland is concerned, a Methodist minister may preside at Holy Communion in a Church of Ireland church, but using a Methodist rite and having received permission from the bishop of the diocese in which that church is located.

Sacramental inclusion It is of the utmost importance to be clear to ‘visitors’ from both traditions that they are welcome to receive Communion when attending their sister church. It is very easy to cause unintentional hurt by presuming ‘sure don’t they know that anyway’. It is better to tell them ten times than presume they know.

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Inclusion of visiting ministers/priests The question of ‘who does what’ at the Eucharist needs to be clearly discussed by the minister and priest before the service so that no misunderstandings arise.

While there are certain roles reserved to the presiding minister/priest in each of our liturgies, a visiting minister/priest may appropriately be involved in many ways, including (but not limited to) leading all or parts of the ministry of the word, the prayers of the people, assisting at the offertory and the preparation of the table, administering the bread or wine.

Alcoholic/non-alcoholic wine In keeping with Christian tradition, a drink derived from the juice of the grape should be used. For Church of Ireland people this means the fermented juice of the grape; for Methodists, this means using either grape juice or wine from which alcohol has been removed. The minister/priest(s) need to reflect on how best to resolve any embarrassment occasioned by this at joint services of Holy Communion.

Cups or chalice Methodists are accustomed to using small individual cups for the wine at Communion. Though generally not averse to using a chalice, there are some people who are uneasy with it for reasons of hygiene.

For Church of Ireland people, the symbolism of sharing in the ‘one cup’ is important, and this should be borne in mind.

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If a common cup is used, it may ease some concerns if it is explained to those who feel unhappy with this that it is allowable to receive in one kind only.

If individual cups are used, Church of Ireland people may need to be advised as to what to do with the glass after drinking from it – again, don’t make any assumptions.

Distribution and reception of the elements Different Churches have different ways of distributing the bread and wine at Communion services. These differences can be found as much within our two Churches as between them.

It is helpful, when there is a joint service, to explain this, either before the service or clearly on the service sheet for the occasion. Never assume visitors will automatically know how you do things.

Disposal of the elements At a Church of Ireland service, the presiding priest, along with others where necessary, must consume the remaining consecrated bread and wine. Un-consecrated bread may be fed to the birds, and wine returned to its bottle.

At a Methodist service, the minister will cover the remaining elements with a white cloth and finish the service. The remaining elements are disposed of in a reverent and appropriate way.

At a joint service, Methodists need to be sensitive to 15

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Church of Ireland practice, and to dispose in a reverent and appropriate way with what remains.

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4 Inclusion & Courtesy

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CHURCHES ARE CLOSE to each other, either in a LCP relationship or just in geographical proximity, there are things of which they need to be aware, issues of inclusion and courtesy.

HEN TWO

Consultation prior to joint acts of worship Running through all we have suggested has been this idea of consultation – we cannot over emphasise how important this is, especially when priests, ministers and congregations are getting to know each other. As the well known advertisement jingle has it: ‘It’s good to talk’!

Whatever the nature of the service may be and, as you all know, there is no end to the sorts and focus of worship events, the first thing to do is to lift the ’phone!

Invitation to special Church occasions and other functions Whenever you are having a special event, whether a worship event, a social function, a celebration, a commemoration – whatever – the first invitation should be to the partner Church. We have many friends, but, at the moment, only one Covenant partner. This special relationship should be reflected in our invitations to each other as honoured guests. Never ever assume ‘sure they know what’s going on’. No matter how certain you are of this, it is an important courtesy to give them due notice.

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Robing It is all too easy to assume that, because you do or do not robe for certain events, that your Covenant partner does the same. When invited to a service, clergy should take their robes with them, preferably in an inconspicuous manner, and wait to get a cue on appropriate dress. It would, of course, be best if the inviting minister/priest gave an indication of what is expected in advance of the occasion! In the Church of Ireland it is all too easy to assume, because clergy are canonically bound to robe for all public worship that a Methodist minister will just assume that the invitation extends to him/her.

Likewise, in a Methodist context, Church of Ireland clergy should not automatically assume that it is appropriate for them to robe, unless invited. It is particularly important that no-one is unintentionally overlooked (as so often happens) at important events such as institutions, installations and ordinations, when unspoken tradition takes it for granted that all attending clergy will be expected to robe.

Sensitivity to minority usage and ways of worship It is extremely unusual to find an instance where both partner Churches are of a similar numerical size. In virtually all cases one or other Church will be larger, often significantly so.

It is important that we do not use this as an excuse to say ‘well most of the people…’ or make other unnessessary ‘majority’ assumptions.

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We always need to show sensitivity and courtesy to the minority group – their feelings and sensitivities may actually be exacerbated if they are conscious that they are a minority.

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5 Other Issues

T

HERE ARE FINALLY THOSE THINGS WHICH DO

NOT fit into any neat category, but which nevertheless require to be thought about. These may be described as miscellaneous other issues, so to speak.

Pastoral visitation Quite apart from the Covenant relationship, many families consist of both Church of Ireland and Methodist members; and then there are local families known to everyone in each Church and in the wider community. And it is natural that, at particular times, whether of joy or sadness, the minister/priest of the partner Church may feel she/he would like to visit.

On such occasions, quite aside from the fact that we are in a Covenant relationship, it is courteous to notify the minister/priest of the family that you would like to do this and thus avoid the embarrassment of the two of you calling at the same time and without each other’s knowledge.

Chaplaincies One of the great joys of our Covenant relationship is that we are in a much stronger position to offer joint chaplaincy work in many areas (schools, universities, hospitals, prisons etc.). It is often much more practical to share the work, either as a team or on a rotational basis.

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receiving ministry from the chaplaincy, and always to be ready to call on the services of someone from the person’s own denomination where this is requested.

Length of sermons One of us (a Methodist) was once involved in a discussion with a Presbyterian, a Lutheran and a Roman Catholic about the acceptable length of a sermon: it seems Presbyterians can accept 35 minutes; Methodists and Lutherans would go for 20/25 minutes, while Roman Catholics favour something like 5 minutes. Need we say more?

If invited to preach, it would be advisable to check out how long the sermon should be. Do not forget that if you go too far over the expected time depending on where you are preaching, you will lose your audience.

This is one of the areas we often joke about, but the sad truth is that it is a very neuralgic issue for many people – it is not an exaggeration to say that this is one of the issues that can make or break a Covenant relationship.

Style of worship Some of us are formal and dignified; some of us are chatty and informal; many of us vary it according to the occasion. What is important is that our style does not hinder or conflict with the manner of the worship of the people of God. And if this is important ‘at home’, it is even more so when we are either visiting our partners or inviting them to join us.

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6 Final Thought TALK… TALK… TALK… Many of these suggestions may be ‘non-issues’ in your context. If so, you are fortunate. It is often these small things which combine to make our Covenant work – or to break it. So much can be sorted out in advance by an honest exploration of expectations between the two partners, either by the minister/priest(s) or by a wider group.

When any groups of people come together there will always be some tensions, and there will always be someone who is dissatisfied with something – that is a fact of life. If we show sensitivity to each other in all that we say and do, and never presume anything of the other, we can make sure that an occasional dissatisfaction becomes an isolated instance, and not the groundswell of opposition to our Covenant.

We believe that God has called us into this new relationship – it does require some adjustments from all of us, but ultimately all that we do should be to the glory of God, and not simply the maintenance of tradition or status quo.

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COVENANT between the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland 1. We acknowledge one another's Churches as belonging to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, and as truly participating in the apostolic mission of the whole people of God. 2. We acknowledge that in each of our Churches the Word of God is authentically preached and the sacraments of baptism and holy communion authentically administered according to the command of Christ.

3. We acknowledge that both our Churches share in a common faith set forth in the scriptures and summarised in the historic creeds.

4. We acknowledge our common inheritance in traditions of spirituality and liturgy .We rejoice in our diversity from which we may mutually benefit as we continue to develop varied forms of worship as appropriate to different situations.

5. We acknowledge each other's ordained ministries as given by God and as instruments of his grace by which our Churches are served and built up. As pilgrims together, we look forward to the time when our ministries can be fully interchangeable and our Churches visibly united.

6. We acknowledge that personal, collegial and comunnal oversight is embodied and practised in both 25

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Churches, as each seeks to express continuity of apostolic life, mission and ministry.

Therefore : We believe that God is calling our two Churches to a fuller relationship in which we commit ourselves: to share a common life and mission. to grow together so that unity may be visibly realized.

As the next steps towards that goal, we agree: 1. To pray for and with one another and to avail of every opportunity to worship together; 2. To welcome one another’s members to receive Holy Communion and other ministries as appropriate; 3. To share resources in order to strengthen the mission of the Church; 4. To help our members to appreciate and draw out the gifts which each of our traditions has to offer the whole people of God; 5. To encourage the invitation of authorised persons of each Church to minister in the other Church, as far as the current disciplines of both Churches permit; 6. (a) To encourage united Methodist/Church of Ireland congregations: (i) where there are joint Church schemes, 26

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(ii) where new churches are to be planted, (iii) where local congregations wish to move in this direction; (b) To encourage united Methodist / Church of Ireland chaplaincy work; 7. To enable a measure of joint training of candidates for ordained and lay ministries of our Churches where possible and appropriate and to encourage mutual understanding at all levels in our Churches; 8. To establish appropriate forms of consultation on matters of faith and order, mission and service; 9. To participate as observers by invitation in each other's forms of governance at every possible level; 10. To learn more about the practice of oversight in each other’s Churches in order to achieve a fuller sharing of ministries at a later stage of our relationship.

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Further details of the ongoing work of the Covenant Council, and all relevant documents can be accessed through the Council’s website: http://www.covenantcouncil.com/ 28

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