A problem with the appointment process in the Church of England

A view across Prague © Ricky Yates
A view across Prague © Ricky Yates

‘How did you end up in Prague?’, is a question I have quite frequently been asked over the past eight years. My simple answer is always, ‘Because I applied for the job’. I chose to come here – I wasn’t sent.

For the past twenty years or more, nearly every vacant position in the Church of England has been advertised in the Church press. If you wish to apply, you complete a now fairly standard application form and submit it by the closing date. In due course, a short list of candidates is drawn up and those selected are invited for interview. An appointment is then made.

Putting it in simple terms, the Church of England has adopted the normal secular method of filling a vacancy. A change of position or advancement within the Church is now by competitive interview, rather than based on who you know. One can always cite instances where this still isn’t quite the case, but normally it is.

As part of this process, the vacant parish/benefice/chaplaincy has to draw up a profile, describing what they are like – the situation in which the new appointee will have to minister. They also have to write a person specification, saying what kind of individual they would like as their next Rector/Vicar/Priest/Chaplain. I must say that the expectations expressed in some person specifications that I have read, have left me feeling that only the Archangel Gabriel need apply, and even if he did, there would be no guarantee that he would be appointed 🙂

Whilst overall, the process does seem fair and right, I do have one major problem with it in relation to those of us called to ordained ministry within the Church. One question on the application form asks, ‘Please specify how you meet each of the selection criteria?’ In other words, how do you fulfil all the expectations contained in the person specification?

Answering this question in the manner expected, requires you to say what a wonderful, gifted Christian minister you are – basically that you are the best thing since sliced bread! You have to sell yourself and I find that being at complete odds with my calling.

I have expressed this view verbally, many times in the past, particularly quoting the words of St Paul; ‘For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.’ Romans 12. 3. Yet to be appointed to a new position, you are required to do the exact opposite – to think very highly of yourself.

As a result, there are inevitably some people who have gained new positions and advancement within the Church, in part because of being very good at selling themselves. And others who should have gained preferment, but haven’t, because of having the sober judgement that St. Paul recommends.

One person I knew, who was junior to me in the sales and marketing department of the publishing company I worked for before ordination, trained for ministry shortly after me and is now the Dean of a Cathedral. He was very good at self-promotion when in secular employment and I’m sure that has contributed to him being where he is now. Interestingly, in the process, he has gone from being a Charismatic Evangelical to being a Liberal Catholic 🙂

I am not saying that one shouldn’t be self-aware. As an ordained priest, I should know what are my strengths and what are my weaknesses. But when people ask me how a service has gone, especially a wedding or a funeral, I usually say in response, ‘Ask those who were there; those who were on the receiving end of my ministry’.

I have been promising to write a blog post on this very matter for a few years. But I have finally been prompted into doing so by a series of verses from the Gospel of Luke which have occurred within the Gospel readings set for recent Sundays by the Revised Common Lectionary that we, and so many other Churches, follow.

In Luke 14. 10-11, Jesus says that, ‘when you are invited (to a wedding banquet), go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’ That last sentence recurs again at the end of the Gospel passage I shall be preaching about tomorrow – the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, as recorded in Luke 18. 9-14.

Jesus is also recorded, speaking to his disciples, saying, ‘So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” ’ Luke 17. 10. In other words, don’t go around saying how wonderful we are in all that we do.

Basically, my premise is that the Church should be encouraging and admiring humility amongst its ordained clergy. Self-awareness, yes – but not self-aggrandisement. Having this week, written and sent my formal letter of resignation as Chaplain of St Clement’s, Prague from 30th April 2017 when I will retire from full-time ministry, all I can say is that I’m very pleased that I will not once again have to sell myself, in order to gain a new post.

Bringing the Church of England into the 21st century

The Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Wilby © Ricky Yates
The Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Wilby © Ricky Yates

Yesterday, I realised that the next post that I would write on this blog would be post number three hundred! I went to bed last night, trying to decide what on earth would be the most appropriate topic to tackle for such significant landmark in the life of ‘Ricky Yates – an Anglican in Prague’.

Then this morning came the announcement of the appointment of the first ever female bishop in the Church of England – the Rev’d Elizabeth ‘Libby’ Lane, to be the next Suffragan Bishop of Stockport in the Diocese of Chester. Rather than write about ‘Ricky Yates’ or ‘Prague’, why not write about the other noun in my blog title – ‘Anglican’?

I, along with the vast majority of the clergy and people of the Church of England, are rejoicing that with this appointment, we finally have the reality of gender equality in the Church. It has been a very long time in coming! I’m also extremely pleased that this appointment totally confounded the secular media and the bookies!

The secular media has recently been declaring, with its usual self-belief, that the first female bishop would be appointed to one of the four currently vacant Diocesan sees – Southwell & Nottingham, Gloucester, Newcastle or Oxford. But the reality is that most Diocesan Bishop appointments are made from those who are already Suffragan Bishops in another diocese. Therefore it was always almost certain that the first female episcopal appointment would be to a Suffragan, rather than a Diocesan see. Which is exactly what has happened.

Likewise today, the BBC News website is once more revealing the religious ignorance of those who work for it. The news article announcing the appointment of Rev’d Libby Lane as Suffragan Bishop of Stockport, ends by stating, ‘Churches in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already allow women as bishops, but haven’t appointed one yet’. Firstly, it should be Anglican Churches – the Episcopal Church of Scotland, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru/ the Church in Wales and the Church of Ireland. But the Church of Ireland, which serves the whole of the island of Ireland, does have a female bishop who was appointed and consecrated in 2013. There is actually a link to another BBC news item about her appointment posted below the article!

I fear that in further reporting of today’s historic appointment, journalists will inevitably find an Anglican priest who wants to be more Roman than the Pope, together with a well below the floorboards Evangelical, each of whom will be saying what a dreadful day this is for the Church. As always, disagreement is deemed to be newsworthy, whilst ignoring the fact that 95% of clergy and laity welcome the Church of England finally arriving in the 21st century. At least so far, I haven’t seen the BBC reporting a sound-bite either from the British Humanist Association or the National Secular Society 🙂

But whilst welcoming and rejoicing that appointment to the Episcopate in the Church of England is now possible for any ordained priest, regardless of gender, thus removing a major obstacle to the mission of the Church, there are two other changes which I would also like to see. One relates to my own diocese, the other to the Church of England as a whole. Unchanged, both currently have negative connotations and hinder mission.

I frequently have to explain to people that the Prague and Brno Anglican congregations that I serve, are actually part of the Church of England. They are two of just over three hundred congregations, scattered across continental Europe, Turkey, Morocco and the parts of the former Soviet Union in Asia. Together they form the Diocese in Europe, or to give the diocese its correct full name, ‘the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe’. And it is that correct full name that is the problem – having ‘Gibraltar’ in the title.

We have numerous growing congregations serving English-speaking residents living in, and visitors to, the Spanish ‘Costas’, as well as in Madrid and Barcelona. You can imagine the difficulties for them with having ‘Gibraltar’ in our diocesan name. Elsewhere in continental Europe, it just appears as laughable – a relic of British imperialism.

I would strongly defend the right of the citizens of Gibraltar to remain British and self-governing, as is clearly their declared wish. I would also quietly remind the Spanish government whenever they complain, as they do at regular intervals, about the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa 😉 But just because historically, there has been a Cathedral in Gibraltar, it doesn’t always have to be so. As we have rightly decided that both men and women can be ordained, not just men, surely we can change the location of our Diocesan Cathedral and the name of our Diocese.

Today’s announcement of the appointment of the Church of England’s first female bishop, officially came from Downing Street – the Prime Minister making it on behalf of the Queen. This is because of the Church of England still being the official ‘Established Church’ in England, though not in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Whilst there is now no political involvement in Church of England appointments, this is an anachronism which we do not need.

Being the ‘Established Church’, makes many people believe that we are an instrument of government. Certainly as a result, large sections of the population still believe that the Church of England is funded by the state as the spiritual arm of the Department of Social Security! Being the ‘Established Church’ brings little or no benefit but instead makes our task of mission and of raising the necessary funds to carry out that mission, all the more difficult.

Just because this has been the case, ever since the English Reformation under King Henry VIII, doesn’t mean that it has to remain that way. I respect Queen Elizabeth II for her own strong personal Christian faith and for not being afraid on occasions, to speak about it, as she has in several of her Christmas broadcasts. But if the Church in Wales can be disestablished, as it was in 1920, why not the Church of England in 2015?

The Church of England has properly arrived in the 21st century by today appointing its first female bishop. But it would further help the work of my diocese if we could quietly lose the colonial anachronism of ‘Gibraltar’ from our name and the wider work of the whole Church of England, if it were no longer ‘established’. I even believe that the British Humanist Association and the National Secular Society might approve of my last suggestion 😀