Ministerial Development Review Guidance Notes for Reviewers...Ministerial Development Review...

MDR Reviewer Notes 2017-03

Ministerial Development Review

Guidance Notes for Reviewers

What is Ministerial Development Review in the Hereford Diocese?

Ministerial Development Review is designed as an ‘accompanied self-review’ process for all licensed clergy in the Hereford Diocese.

The Reviewer’s Role

The reviewer’s role is thus to ‘accompany’ the reviewee through this process. Effectively this means that the reviewer is responsible for taking the reviewee through the process while the reviewee holds responsibility for reviewing themselves and for the reporting of the review. The reviewer can be seen as the holder of the mirror for the reviewee to look at their ministry with. This can seem a passive role, but there is nothing like having a steady hand holding a mirror, and one that orientates it so that it is most helpful for looking in the right place. Key concepts: Alongside, Enabling, Helping to hold mirror Purpose: - To see self more clearly with their strengths, gifts, needs and challenges - To help good discernment:

seeking God’s view of them and their ministry - Gracious, loving, delighting, Desiring fullness of life – encouraging. Looking at weakness and faults ‘with pity not with blame’ (Julian of Norwich) looking for opportunities for growth and development

If we are not constantly brought to an awareness of this huge God-dimension, trained in attentiveness

to this immense God-presence, we will act and speak out of context, as if we are in a wasteland. But

there is no wasteland. We are in a garden, a rose garden. No matter how purely motivated we are,

we will finally do more damage than good if we do not operate in response to God rather than the

environment. We live on holy ground. We inhabit sacred space. This holy ground is subject to incredible

violations. This sacred space suffers constant sacrilege. But no matter. The holiness is there, the

sacredness is there. If our lives, and in this case, our caring lives, are shaped in response to the

violations, to the sacrilege, and not out of the holy, our lives are shaped wrongly. We are responding

to the wrong environment, a false environment, a wasteland environment. We are called to be

gardeners, not garbage collectors. Eugene Peterson 'Subversive Spirituality' page 165


"Our first task in approaching another person, another people, another culture, another faith, is to take off our shoes for the place we are approaching is holy. Else we may find ourselves treading on another's dream. More serious still, we may forget that God was there before our arrival."

Max Warren, General Secretary of the Church Mission Society (1942-1963)

Initial Meeting: Establishing the Reviewer – Reviewee Relationship

• May be best done on reviewee’s home terrain • May involve being shown around parish • Give time to get to know person and their work • Introduce the process of MDR

- Look at role of reviewer - Look at expectations and concerns of reviewee - Describe steps of process / clarify

Main Meeting: This meeting is the place where the significant work of review is done.

• Reviewee should have provided the paperwork to the reviewer in good time for the meeting.

• Reviewer should give time to reading the paperwork and identify key areas for exploring with reviewee


Suggested framework for the review meeting

Initial invitation for reviewee to share overall sense of preparation for review, their sense of themselves in their work.

Reviewer initially in listening mode attentive to energy levels, reflecting back key aspects as appropriate

Move onto paperwork - taking each area in turn

• Invite talking about area: listen to energy - reflect back using observations / open questions

• Give attention to key aspects that emerge - starting with the ones with the most energy o May need to use questions to draw out details, offer reflections on your

observations of them, summarise key aspects, significant feelings, issues.

• Draw discussion of an area to a conclusion o Recognise what there is that is to be affirmed - giftings that have been revealed

- encouraging acceptance o Recognise the challenges and needs - exploring how they might be met. (What

would be a first step?) (SMART check)

• Repeat this over each of the identified areas

Concluding

• Overall reflection o What has been touched on - summarising key points o What has not been touched on - that you have noticed / what they may notice?

• (Some time may need to be given to these things at this stage)

• Clarify next steps

o Reviewee writes up outcomes onto report sheet o Sends to reviewer for signing off (subject to reviewer’s happiness to do so) o CMDO and Bishop will respond


The Feedback Process

This happens every 3rd year (unless inappropriate - in which case it can be deferred)

Process:

- Reviewee prepares self-review as normal - submits to reviewer - Review meeting - as normal - but with time given at end to introduce and plan

feedback process - Follow up meeting to look at feedback results - this may have effect on final points

to go on review report.

Preparation with Reviewee

- Describe process. Affirm the feedback process reveals ‘perceptions’ - Listen to reviewee’s feelings - hope and fears - Look at the choice of people - encourage breadth - roles, levels of contact, areas

of contact, attitudes to person - Clarify process and practicalities - steps to be taken

o Forms to people o People send forms to MDR admin o Summary to Reviewer

Feedback Review Meeting

- Reviewer preparation: Look at summary o What is the overall impression? o Where are the areas of affirmation and need that this seems to reveal: How

can they be explored helpfully? o Where are there areas of congruity and incongruity between the reviewee and

feedback? How can these be best explored?


Some frameworks for looking at ordained ministry:

The Ordination Service

The Ordination Service provides a description of ministry that can be seen as foundational for ordained ministry in the Church of England.

Prior to the act of ordination the Bishop provides an overview of ordained ministry, describing the role of the priests as ‘servants and shepherds’ who ‘proclaim the word of the Lord’ and ‘watch for the signs of God’s new creation’. This then continues with a fuller description of a varieties of dimensions to the ministry, ‘messengers, watchmen, stewards’, ‘teach and admonish’, ‘feed’, ‘search’, ‘guide’, ‘call… to repentance’, ‘declare… absolution’. They are to ‘tell the story of God’s love’, baptize, nurture faith, unfold the scriptures, preach the word, preside at the Eucharist, lead in worship, bless, resist evil, support weak and defend the poor and intercede for those in need, minister to the sick and prepare the dying for death. Not least, to be guided by the Spirit, discerning and fostering the gifts of all people.

The ordinands have to make a declaration of acceptance that Scripture reveals all things necessary for salvation and then eight commitments in their ordained life that move from their personal spiritual life into the exercising of priestly ministry in the Church of England.

Incumbents in the Church of England

The areas of competence necessary for an Incumbent in the Church of England have been identified and detailed in a lengthy document. This is a wide-ranging and detailed analysis of the expectations of the qualities and abilities necessary in an incumbent. There are seven major areas to this which provide a useful overview of the range of expectations of the ministry of an incumbent.

- VOCATION AND MINISTRY WITHIN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND: Personal vocation, ability to lead, hold responsibility and work with others

- SPIRITUALITY: Personal dependence on God in prayer and service and with others - PERSONALITY AND CHARACTER: Maintain sense of self in ministry, enable change,

enable reflection, enable self care - RELATIONSHIPS: Develop and maintain healthy relationships, handle conflict,

supervise pastoral relationships - LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATION: Supervision & people management,

collaborative leadership, personal integration of dimensions of role - MISSION AND EVANGELISM: Understand imperatives of gospel, lead others in

witness, understand social context, reflect on mission of God, engage and participate

- FAITH AND QUALITY OF MIND: Personal commitment to Christ, Biblical interpretation, ongoing openness to development of faith and ministry, teach and dialogue


Creative Ministry

From outside the Anglican church, Henri Nouwen’s book ‘Creative Ministry’ provides a different framework for examining ministry. As a Roman Catholic with a deep spiritual awareness of the possibilities of creative ministry that goes well beyond stereotypes of priesthood to open up deep understandings that open up creative and effective ministry, he identifies seven areas where ministry has the possibilities beyond more prosaic understandings.

- Teaching - beyond transference of knowledge - Preaching - beyond retelling the story - Pastoral Care - beyond the skillful response - Organizing - beyond the manipulation of structures - Celebrating - beyond the protective ritual

Using these perspectives in Review

These perspectives are offered, not as an agenda to go through the reviewee with, point by point, but rather for the reviewer to use as appropriate to reflect on what is emerging in the process. These may help identifying areas that may not be being addressed and may need checking on, or provide some points for further reflection and exploration.


The Reviewers Toolkit

Listening

When you attend to me,

When you really listen,

my words are drawn

into your waiting silence

I'd almost say enticed

When you listen like that

I find myself

saying things I've never said before,

hearing things I never thought I'd hear,

Coming from that other side of me

I scarcely know.

Your listening

makes me brave to feel and speak

and even weep.

Your gentle hearing

takes my cries and words

and cradles them.

And when the raging me I so much fear

erupts into your vulnerability,

your powerful listening sets my fury free

to show itself for what it really is.

Then I can see more clearly

what I am

and what, through love and grace

I may become.

Averil Stedeford.


Inner attitude as you listen ....

Seek to...

␣Be aware that this person is loved, gifted and accepted by God as they are – not as they

or you might like them to be. Many people feel deep down that all love is conditional, that

they really have to improve before God (or anyone else) could really love them. If they trust

you, they might go on to trusting God.

␣Be yourself, be natural and present to the other person. Not preoccupied – worrying

about how you are being perceived; thinking about other people or problems, listening to

things outside.

␣Be non-judgmental, uncritical, unshockable. You express this in body- language and

facial expressions as well as by what you say.

After listening, reflect on how easy or challenging it was to hold to these attitudes.

What grace do you need in order to grow in these attitudes?

Tools for deeper listening ...

Paraphrasing Rephrasing the persons own words, feelings, difficulties in communicating.

e.g. ‘Of course, I know how to pray, I mean say prayers, but somehow I feel there must be

more to it. People talk about a relationship with God, but I’m not really sure what that

means in practice.’

You feel that you would like to know a little more about prayer and communicating with God

on a more personal level.

Reflecting Back

Feeding back how the person says that they feel. This is useful in encouraging the person to

stay with what seems to concern them.

e.g. You say you feel ... You seem surprised that ...

You sound as if ... I get the impression that you’re really angry about ... You say you’re worried

that ...


Mirroring

Similar to reflecting, but just feeding back a word or phrase the person has used, possibly with

a question mark in your voice. This can often help the person to develop what they are saying.

e.g. ‘I was really disturbed when I was doing it.’

Disturbed ?

Open Questions

To open up an area, without being judgmental, to encourage the person to share more.

(closed question – only needs a yes or no answer)

e.g. How do you feel about that? (rather than Were you happy about that?)

How did you find doing that? (rather than Did you enjoy it?)

What did you think when that happened?

Focusing

Using specific questions to tease out detail, and to highlight particular issues which seem to be looming large at that moment. Particularly if time is short.

e.g. Can you say a bit more about that?

You’ve been telling me ..... How has it affected you?

Summarising

This is a way of checking that you have understood what you have been told, and showing it

to the person; it gives them an opportunity to correct detail or add more, and for moving on

when appropriate.

Silence This is a too often under-used tool

Not interrupting, but allowing time: for natural pauses for their deeper reflection to them to

find the right word for them to decide whether to say more for them to stay with an inner

experience and for it to deepen, and grow.

After significant silences there come times when it is necessary / appropriate to move things

on. The person may do this themselves. However, it can be useful to do this with things like:

You have been quiet a while now (has that been okay?)

That seems to have been significant. How are you now? Do you want to say something of what has been happening for you? Has that been helpful?

Using these tools:

These are not for ‘learning’, but rather for your reflection. As you look at each one, reflect

on how aware you are of your use of the ‘technique’. Do you feel easy and comfortable with

it – or is challenging in some way. Pray for the grace, and have a go when appropriate.


More on Questions

What sort of question is appropriate here?

- Open: opening up expression, description, exploration, reflection… ‘How was…?’ - Closed: requiring a simple single word answer. ‘Did you like that?’ - Head: Analytical, logical ‘Do you think…?’ - Heart: Feeling, affective ‘How do you feel?’ - Spirit: Deep personal, spiritual ‘What energises you?’ - Theological: God focused ‘How do you sense God seeing you?’

Reflecting Back

- I noticed that… - You seem …

Clarifying

- Are you saying… - What do you mean … - Can you say some more about …

Probing

- How do you … - What are you aiming for… - Why do you … - Can you explain…

Challenging

- Do you really mean that? - You can’t be serious?

Shifting perspective

- Can you see another way of looking at this? - What if we look at this in this way… - How might God be looking at this?

Active Listening

- What is being said by the words - What feelings are being expressed - What is their body language saying - Where are the key points of energy - high and low


- Ask open questions for taking things further / deeper… - Ask closed questions to focus, summarise or draw conclusions - Let yourself be corrected

Probing Questions - when to ‘challenge’

- Where there is a discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal messages - Where there is inconsistency in accounts - Where words and actions are inconsistent - Where there seems confusion or inconsistency or unrealistic perceptions - Where there seems misinformation (lack of honesty?) - Where there is avoidance of responsibility

The questioning Funnel

- Opening open questions - Checking / summarising probing questions - Concluding closed questions

Handling questions directed at you

2 responses

- Accept the question as appropriate for you to answer: Yes, No, Perhaps, Maybe, I need to think about that / find out.

- Don’t accept the question as appropriate for you to answer: Why do you ask me that? / Isn’t it more important for you to find your own answer to that question?

Remember

The purpose of this process is to enable self awareness, identifying the gifts and needs for development of the minister. The challenge for the reviewer is to remain focused and poised in attending to this. One of the most important self-management questions for the reviewer as they engage in this process is ‘for whose sake?’. Questioning the fundamental purpose of their actions, questions, comments, inputs. Are you doing this for your own needs for significance, understanding, interests, or are you doing it for the sake of the person and the process? (Remembering of course that we are very good at justifying our personal interest as ‘for them’!)


Reviewer Profiles

These are required so that reviewees can choose a reviewer.

Details required:

- Name - Address - Phone - E-Mail - Personal Description: (100 words)

Life / work experience / background / situation Significant influences / experiences Important values in faith and life

- Approach to being a reviewer (100 words)

How you seek to undertake the role? What you see as valuable about MDR What you would hope reviewees would get from review process

with you as reviewer (This is not a political manifesto - just and open / honest expression of yourself so that potential reviewees can get an impression of you)


The reviewer contract:

A reviewer commits to:

- Be available to offer MDR reviews to the clergy in the Hereford Diocese

- Work with the Hereford Diocese’s MDR process, its documentation and guidelines

- Maintain the confidentiality of the review

- To participate in relevant support and review processes for reviewers

- Not withdraw from a review process with a reviewee ‘mid-process’ except for extraordinary reasons

- Ensure that all records of a reviewee’s review process are destroyed when the review relationship comes to an end.

The reviewer can

- Specify the maximum number of reviewees they are willing to take on in a year

- Withdraw at any point from offering reviews.

The Diocese commits to:

- Providing the necessary administrative support for the reviewer in undertaking reviews

- Provide structures for support and supervision of reviewers

- Provide reimbursement of travel expenses in relation to conducting reviews and participation in supervision

Ministerial Development Review Guidance Notes for Reviewers...Ministerial Development Review...

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