Beyond the Parish – affirming new models of ministry in the Church
"One of the fundamental tasks of the Church is to examine and review its structures to see that they continue to remain suitable for mission" THE CHURCH of Ireland Constitution was fundamentally shaped to serve the organisational system that emerged following Disestablishment a hundred and fifty years ago.
Standing at the edge of the 1869 precipice Archbishop Trent opined that only “an inspiration from on high of more wisdom and moderation than we have ever shown signs of possessing can save the Irish Church from a very dismal catastrophe”.2 As we mark the sesquicentennial anniversary, the irony is that the inspiration, courage, and wisdom that saved the Church in its most extraordinary moment has often been found wanting in more ordinary times. We have memorialised past structures, but lost sight of their spirit.
* Full article available in printed copies.
Barry Forde
The Church of Ireland chaplain to Queens’s University Belfast.