As I began this journey six weeks ago, I remember reflecting that the Diocese of Durham were looking for someone who was an expert in rural ministry, or knew nothing and was keen to learn. As a ‘know nothing’, I was very excited about this. Sadly, ‘knowing nothing’ only gets you so far in a task. This is why I’ve been visiting people with experience. More specifically, priests with oodles of experience from their rural contexts.
My first meeting was with my Associate Priest, Reverend Heather Ross. Heather is someone who has a lifetime of experience in Weardale, and a clear Christian calling to her community. Heather and I are fortunate to have several retired clergy within our Benefice and meeting with them was a spiritually heart warming time. I have also been able to spend time with clergy in my neighbouring Benefices, the Reverend Jon Whalley and the Reverend Canon Alec Harding – my Area Dean.
Two people who have really helped me to make connections within the Diocese of Durham are The Reverend Alexander Jones (the Growing Mission Strategy Lead), and Ali Bianchi (the Growing Churches Strategic Lead). Ali and Alexander are helping me to build the Rural Mission Task Group and have recommended Lay and Ordained individuals to contact.
I also had the pleasure of meeting the Reverend Caroline Pinchbeck at an Interim Ministers meeting in the Diocese of Leeds last year… Caroline has the role of Rural Change Enabler, and as a priest on the northern edge of her Diocese she lives quite close to my new Benefice. We had an excellent meeting and talked not just about social action and community connections in rural places, but also about the mystery of God’s actions in our church’s lives. Caroline is quoted in the excellent book, “How Village Churches Thrive”, and was part of a case study in East Yorkshire. Caroline has been a catalyst for my rural connections, introducing me to the online “Rural Leaders Network” (run by the Arthur Rank Centre), also Sarah Hulme (the Methodist Church’s Rural Mission and Ministry Officer), and the Reverend Canon Sarah Lunn, and the Reverend Dr. Claire Maxim: rural priests in the Diocese of Newcastle.
Today I shared coffee with Sarah and Claire, at a coffee shop on the A68 just north of Corbridge. These priests are charged with the ‘cure of souls’ for everyone within five hundred and fifty square miles of the north of England. They sketched out their Benefices on a Northumberland Churches map…
I have spent many hours cycling around their territory, on long distance events back and forth across the roof of England. I particularly love the event that takes us across the Otterburn firing ranges when the roads are sometimes open to the public. I digress.
Sarah and Caroline talked to me about the faith filled Christianity of rural folk that isn’t academic enough to write an essay on doctrine, but is very much a faith of trust in God embedded in the cyclical life of creation. We considered an approach to evangelism (in rural contexts) which doesn’t begin with the head, but begins with the feet: wilderness people walk their faith across vast landscapes. People who care for God’s creation because they are part of God’s creation, rather than because some Vicar in a pulpit has waxed lyrical on the majesty of all creation. It is difficult to be romantic about nature when you’ve experienced a “hellish lambing”. Creation isn’t just rainbows; it is decomposition. We talked briefly about Jesus’ approach, which wasn’t to launch straight into an explanation of his death and resurrection, but instead to share hope through imagery that connects to the soul (and by extension not just rural souls but urban souls and everything in between)… well, we talked a lot and we got excited about each other’s perspective. Perhaps this was because we are three priests talking about God and God’s work among the people and places we love. Priests can get excited about stuff like that.
…and breathe.
Sarah and Claire have invited me to their Deanery Synod in July to speak about this and to invite communities to tell me stories of God’s action that may encourage others. I hope to eventually share those lived experiences of God’s action here, in the hope that these may be an encouragement to those looking for hope.
So through the meetings and conversations I have shared, I have encountered people who are passionate about Christ, love their churches, and would love to see rural churches thrive – not just thrive, but to have something to say about God that is interesting and… and different to academic.
My next step is to continue to build the Rural Mission Task Group. I also would like to make more connections with rural priests inside the Diocese of Durham – but these connections are happening organically, and I am content with that.