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Donald Smith describes the Sheffield experience
Methodist Local Preachers recognise the necessity of continuing in study and prayer following accreditation; those accredited from September 1995 onwards acknowledge this publicly when they accept the discipline of the Methodist Church which includes: ‘it is the duty of local preachers… to continue to develop and study by appropriate means, … and in a programme of continuing local preacher development’. (SO 568 3 (ii))
Recently the ‘Faith & Worship’ course has included development in Unit 18, a unit which preachers undertake following accreditation. That unit gives a framework to follow but will not have been seen by many preachers.
The Sheffield (West) Circuit Local Preachers’ Meeting has, for many years, organised an annual refresher course for our Circuit Local Preachers. In addition, several years ago we offered preachers the opportunity of sharing in ‘triplets’, each triplet being responsible for how they arranged their development programme. Some listened to each other preach, offering helpful advice where necessary. Some studied the Bible or other books. Some wrote hymns and prayers. Some planned worship together. Some shared their spiritual experiences and spoke frankly about problems encountered. All prayed together and gave each other mutual support. These triplets were of immense value to both the preachers who participated and the congregations who benefitted from new insights and ideas.
However, it was recognised that not all preachers were able (and some not willing) to join a triplet, mainly due to time constraints. Family commitments, work pressures, increasing demands by churches and voluntary organisations often made participation in yet another regular meeting an impossibility. As a result, many of the triplets have ‘ceased to meet’, which is a loss to all concerned. In order to revitalise our commitment to CLPD, I presented the following suggestions to a Circuit Local Preachers’ Meeting.
Aims of continuing development
• Personal spiritual development (an aim for all Christians)
• Growth in knowledge and understanding of both the Christian faith and the world around us
• Continuing development of skills in leading worship and preaching
Triplets are one way to continue our development as preachers. There is undoubtedly an advantage when we share with others who are travelling on the same journey, but if that is not possible, it does not mean that we stop travelling.
Our spiritual and practical development is the important matter, not the means we use. The following suggestions are by no means comprehensive but are intended to offer ideas for each of us to develop as best suits our needs.
Suggestions for continuing development
Self-evaluation
For most of us this will not be an easy exercise. But if we can aim to be objective, it will be a valuable tool in our development as preachers. Just looking back over our preaching experience ought to make it clear how we have developed and changed. Our understanding of the Gospel is likely to have deepened along with our concern as to how we assist congregations to grow spiritually. We may have fallen into bad habits like dropping our voices, or lost a bit of fire or become a bit boring. If we are honest with ourselves, many of these will become obvious. This spiritual ‘check-up’ could point us in the direction our personal development should go.
Whereas this is a confidential exercise, it may well help to share our findings with another person, especially someone we trust. They may well see things about us, good and otherwise, which we miss. And it always helps to talk things over with a supportive person as a critical friend.
Create a portfolio
This could include:
• Personal details
• Record of our preaching experience
• Specific preaching development occasions (e.g. Preachers’ refresher course, Bible study day, religious books read, reflections on services taken)
• Other valuable experiences: books, films, TV etc
Most of us probably do far more continuing development than we are aware of. Writing it down can enable us to see what we have achieved so far and whether there are gaps which need to be filled. This article includes possible headings for a portfolio.
We should remember to include such ‘secular’ occasions and events which added to our knowledge, skills, understanding of the world, etc. One advantage of this procedure will be to alert us to the glimpses of the Divine all around us, and to see how many of our relationships and activities can feed our spiritual development, if looked at and used in the right way, e.g. a novel which explores human relationships in our present culture can help us to pitch our message in ways which relate to current situations rather than those of the past.
Triplets and other ways of sharing
Experience throughout the Methodist Connexion has shown that for many preachers it is in sharing in a small group that we learn most about ourselves, and at the same time help each other. Groups of three have been found to be the most effective number, but if you are happier sharing with just one other or prefer a slightly larger group, that’s fine as long as the group does not get so large that some members become isolated.
The advantages of sharing are many: mutual support and encouragement, bouncing ideas off each other, talking over a service in a relaxed and informal manner, curbing our excesses and encouraging our visions, giving guidance and help when things are not going as well as we would like. Ways that triplets have worked in Sheffield have been mentioned already. It is particularly valuable for new preachers to be able to draw on the experience of those with a few years under their belts.
Find a mentor
Not everyone will find this helpful but most of us valued the contribution of mentors in our initial training. The concept of a spiritual advisor is an honoured one in all religions. If we can find the right person they could be of immense value to our development as preachers of the Gospel – someone who will listen, guide, support, ‘be there’ when needed. They do not need to be a preacher! If this is the right course for you, go for it!
Douglas Smith is a Methodist Local Preacher in the Sheffield West Circuit
Portfolio outline
Regular activities
• worship preparation: study, meditation in preparation for leading worship
• using LWPT website
• fortnightly ecumenical faith / moral issue discussion group
• monthly ecumenical contemplative prayer group
• Lent studies
One-off occasions
• sharing in an ecumenical Easter Sunday early morning service
• sharing in worship with the Society of Friends
• day seminar on theology
• attendance at a Churches Together forum
• LWPT Fellowship Weekend
Regular reading
• weekly: Saturday newspaper with a review of the week, Methodist Recorder
• bi-monthly: ‘Roots’ ecumenical worship planning magazine
• quarterly: The Epworth Review, Ichthus
Recent secular reading
• novels
• biographies
• non-fiction
Other
• tv and radio, films, sermons, literature form charities etc
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