The Diocesan Task Force on Physical Resources has come up with the draft process to assess the health of parish ministry. It will be presented to members of the diocese at a series of archdeaconry meetings in February.

The task force draft Parish Ministry Assessment Process can be downloaded here.


The task force’s “ministry assessment process” could have several possible results:

  • Adding to a parish's size with a new or reconfigured building;
  • The creation of new congregations or missions;
  • A parish partnering with, merging with or amalgamating with one or several other parishes;
  • The closing of a parish and the use of its assets for ministry elsewhere in the diocese.

“No matter which option is recommended, the focus will be on growing or transplanting [parish] ministry,” the report states.

Marcia Sauder, a member of the Diocesan Task Force on Physical Resources, speaks to an archdeaconry meeting last fall.

The task force suggests the process could be initiated either by a parish or group of parishes, automatically if certain things happen (like a vacancy in the rector’s position), or by the bishop.

As envisioned by the task force, the bishop would appoint a local coordinator who would be chair for the process – he or she would have to be someone “personally affected” by possible changes.

It is expected that the process would take from six months or less, to as long as two years. It would build on the diocese’s current “Get fit / keep fit” program.

After sharing its draft plan at the archdeaconry meeting, the 9-member task force chaired by Mike Burpee will draw up its final report and recommendations for Diocesan Synod on May 25-26.

Burpee has announced the schedule for the second round of archdeaconry meetings, each of which Bishop Michael Ingham plans to attend.

Burpee said that any one who is interested in the future development of the diocese is welcome to attend. Clergy, wardens, synod delegates, alternate synod delegates are encouraged to come, especially those who attended meetings the task force sponsored last fall.

Burpee’s task force was charged by Diocesan Synod in 2006 “to hold a diocesan conversation and recommend processes and procedures for the allocation and re-allocation of new and existing physical resources and property for the current and future mission of the church of the diocese.”

The archdeaconry meeting are as follows.

Archdeaconry

Date

Time

Location

Address

Fraser

Feb. 5

7:00 pm*

 St. Dunstan

3025 264th Street
, Aldergrove

Capilano

Feb. 8

7:30 pm

St. John, North Van

220 West 8th Street
, North Vancouver

Westminster

Feb. 12

7:30 pm

Holy Trinity Cathedral

514 Carnarvon Street
, New Westminster

Vancouver

Feb. 15

7:30 pm

St. Mary, Kerrisdale

2490 West 37th Avenue
, Vancouver

Burrard

Feb. 19

7:30 pm

St. Thomas, Vancouver 

 

2444 East 41st Ave.
, Vancouver

Sunshine Coast

Feb. 10

9:00 am

St. Hilda, Sechelt

5838 Barnacle Street, Sechelt

* NOTE: time is 7 pm because of travel distance.

Burpee invited those who want more information about the meetings or the process to contact him at dtfpr@vancouver.anglican.ca

An executive summary of the Task Force’s interim report to Diocesan Council after the first round of archdeaconry meetings can be found here.

 (If you have is difficult in receiving either reports, please call or email Paige Dampier, Diocesan Parish Facilitator, at 604  684-6306 ext. 227, pdampier@vancouver.anglican.ca or the Communications Officer, Neale Adams, ext. 223, nadams@vancouver.anglican.ca)