Parish Over Province
My parish vision has required me to be independent of the ‘happenings’ of the institution, mine being the ACNA, even as I remain personally concerned about them, wherein there is a low state of trust:
My goal is to minister with the following threefold vision:
- Worship within the church firmly rooted in the tradition of the Prayer Book, not the least because it is time-tested to be helpful in discipleship and spiritual growth, and it participates in the great tradition.
- Seeking contemplative spirituality; because most people I know want relief from anxiety and resilience in uncertainty; not revival and rock bands. So, catechizing and offering opportunities for prayer in the comtemplative, centering prayer streams, with some attention to the Hesychastic tradition.
- Cultivating opportunities for connection: in a small semi-country church most people come because they are invested and have lived life together for some time. Porous opportunities for bringing people into that are important, whether it be at the pub, discussion groups, unscripted social time: but evangelism and outreach reside in this circle rather than (1) or (2)
(1) predisposes the elevation of the 1662(IE), with 2019 Supplements (viz, compline);. I’m not training people to be provincial or diocesan representatives, or champions of whatever Anglicanism is big online, but a group fluent in the classical form of the prayer book and an inner life of prayer, plus hopefully knowing one another well.
Copping Fr Rob Patterson’s 4 R Anglican vision was tempting, though.