Review for Ministers-at-Work by Deirdre Palk April 2006

Many (most?) MSEs would agree with the following propositions:

• the Church has no reason to stay in business unless it recognizes that it is called to be the servant of the 'kingdom community' • the Church cannot fulfil this calling unless it assumes a radically different form from that which has dominated the scene over many centuries of Christendom • the transformation of Church and world alike depends on the 'laity', as community builders, being at the heart of the Church's mission • a new understanding of leadership in the Church is imperative.

In ultra-brief format - for this is a meaty work of some length - this is David Clark's thesis, which he subjects to a thorough, academically rigorous but very readable analysis and programme of action. It is not just a hopeful vision for the future of the church, but a statement of the absolute necessity of making the radical changes he outlines so clearly.

The distinction he makes, and carries through the whole of the book, between two models of the church - the past and present 'Christendom' model, and the 'diaconal' model which has to come about - are helpful. Both descriptions require, and receive, detailed 'unpacking' (but in the end maybe neither description is useful). Each represents entirely opposing notions about the church and its task. The one: exclusive, sacred, conservative, hierarchical, encouraging dependency, didactic - and so on (provide your own adjectives, but they are all there in David's diagrams). The other: inclusive, secular, transforming, people-powered, encouraging autonomy, a learning community. David makes it crystal clear that the mould of the former must be broken, not colluded and tinkered with, for the latter to emerge as the servant of the 'kingdom community'.

The description of the 'diaconal church' is hopeful and visionary and, again (most) MSEs would say 'yes' to it all. The exact meaning of this model of church is dissected and explained; the history of the diaconate across the churches is presented, together with the current thinking about diaconate, and the recovery of its essential meaning. There is much here which dovetails with my own long-term thinking about the nature of diaconate and a diaconal church. What is not being proposed is ordaining lots of deacons, but about transforming the church; this means a major shift for ordained ministers to a diaconal way of being church. The Christendom model has effaced both the deacon and the laity. Now both must be re-empowered and redeployed. To model servanthood is not just the deacon's job, but that of priests and bishops too. The deacon may have a special enabling and focussing role but there can be no division of labour.

A significant proportion of the book is devoted to case studies of work in which David has been employed during his ministry, work in which he has come to recognise his role as fundamentally diaconal. Little wonder that, after so long a time as a Methodist sector minister/MSE as presbyter, he entered the Methodist diaconal order. Here is a valuable examination of the diaconal church at St Mark, West Greenwich, in 'The Christian Community Movement', in the Christians in Public Life (CIPL) programme, and in the Human City Initiative. Their successes and failures are discussed. It is sad to consider how the Christendom model of church ensured limited success and finally a largely negative outcome to these endeavours: '... how easy it is for little lights to be snuffed out by a national church still operating in Christendom mode, and consequently unprepared or unable to nurture the seeds of renewal' [p. 148]. A Christendom model of church, dominated by parochialism and sacralism, could not recognise the kingdom community in movements and networks of interest since they were not rooted in community of place. Clericalism hindered development of the diaconal initiative of the CIPL programme. The mainstream churches took 'only passing interest' and 'presbyters for whom the task of servicing the gathered church was all-consuming had little reason to take much interest in an initiative concerned to support the laity as the dispersed church' [p. 185].

A section on sector ministers, MSEs and industrial chaplains considers to what extent our understanding of our roles is diaconal. This reflection is attempted against the background of the Christendom model which besets us. Our attempt as MSEs to be diaconal has been circumscribed and sometimes negated by this model. 'Within a church where there is so much emphasis on the gathered congregation, ministers who do not gather, and thus do not appear to contribute to the maintenance of the gathered congregation, are regarded as something of an anomaly.' This can result in our feeling under considerable pressure to undertake overtly presbyteral duties over and above our work-related ministries. [p. 224]. Too many of us, it is suggested (quite rightly, I am sure) collude with the expectations of the Christendom church, thus devaluing and undermining the role of the deacon, preventing the coming into being of the diaconal church. If we act simply as presbyters, we import the culture of the gathered church into the workplace; if we refuse this role, yet do not develop a diaconal role in its place, we are taken to be lay people with part-time presbyteral jobs.

Ideas are presented for how the diaconal church is to be achieved, even an outline for a training programme for those who have leadership roles. Arguments are provided for why the diaconate, and deacons in particular, are seen as the agents of change crucial to bringing about the new way of being church. All are arguments which I, as a (permanent) deacon am familiar, have reflected on and argued over with other deacons. Is the diaconate, as we know it, up to undertaking such a demanding task? The task is not to be left to deacons; there is a multitude of priests/presbyters engaged in diaconal rather than presbyteral ministry, there are lay people in leadership roles already exercising diaconal leadership - all constituting a 'hidden diaconate' which could effect the needed change and break the mould.

This book is a key text for all concerned about the urgent next steps to allow the church to be the servant of the 'kingdom community'. Reading David's clear, practical, challenging and immensely hopeful writing, gave me the hope that fellow MSEs would use it to inform many of their discussions, to enable them to reflect on their diaconal roles and get on with Breaking the Mould.