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Thought I might do a diagram on the subject. If anyone who attends such occasions can help me via the comments (or via e-mail if you don’t want your comments published) that would be super. So, deanery chapter meetings:
No need to answer all of these – just any that seem appropriate. Many thanks in advance.
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posted on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 10:49 am. Click here to read all of the latest posts.
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I gather the role of the chapter clerk in this Deanery is (1) to attempt to locate the Area Dean, and then (2) to attempt to get him to organise a chapter meeting.
A Deanery Synod Lay Chair who had probably better remain anonymous…
What happens:
1. clergy attempt to find the church/church hall in the furthermost part of the deanery where it is happening
2. some arrive late (see above) /taking a funeral/taking another service/etc
3. some leave early (for reasons see above)
4. packed lunches are brought and eaten. Some are “healthy” lunches, some aren’t
5. gossip is exchanged
6. sometimes there is a worthy speaker
7.clergy discover how many diocesan mailings they have been left off/have forgotten about
Thanks to R and X. I should add that I am entirely happy with people using such pseudonyms when we tackle sensitive subjects like this. Please continue to use a real e-mail address (as these posters have done).
We call it clericus (unless this is something entirely different, though it sounds like the same beast) and we always start with a check-in…what have you been up to, what’s coming up, how are you doing? During this the clergy eye one another to see who seems tired, who’s being vague about future plans, who seems to have an axe to grind with the bishop, etc. Essentially, who’s about to retire or be moved from a plum job, thus leaving an opening.
Thanks A.
[As an aside, a vowel now makes it easier for those playing scrabble type games using the single-letter usernames.]
Our chapter meetings are (or were until a quite recent change in personnel)
a)To be avoided at all costs, Deep pastoral situations are useful to avoid them ‘Sorry, I was with so and so and it was impossible to get away.’ Last minute funerals are no good, the clergy and funeral directors are all too familiar with one anothers movements.
b)When not avoided, you must ‘not’ arrive first otherwise you are on tea duty, and unless you bring some scotch to take away the fierce cold wind that seems to blow through the hall any weather, are frowned upon by the Area Dean.
c)They are an excuse for ‘some’ to air strange and theologically suspect views challenging a response, to which most eyes are cast down with general nodding hoping that the argument will go away if left unchallenged.
d)A time to plan the latest retirement party and bemoan the lack of ‘appropriate’ replacements.
e)A diatribe of verbose announcements most of which are totally pointless or out of date designed i can only presume to utterly demoralise and cast everyone into a morose mood.
f)An excuse to start smoking again in order to ‘take a break’ from proceedings.
I must admit that since the recent ‘change in personnel’, there have been no meetings, a marked improvement.
I have to say that I obviously had it lucky! As a Deanery youthworker I became a part of the ‘Chapter’. We turned up at ‘whoevers turn it was to host’s’ rectory at about 11 (all midmorning services had been taken). After coffee (sometimes with homemade cake – depending on marital status of ‘whoevers turn it was to host’) there was some general chat and some business discussed. Then it was off to ‘whoevers turn it was to host’s local for lunch. Where one would get the usual comments about only working one day a week etc and ‘what is the collective noun for a group of clergy?’ (answer, a Chapter)
I soon came to realise that this was not the norm, and the above format was due to the small number of clergy in the Deanery. The format may also have had something to do with why there was almost always a full house.
My fear is that in my new job I may end up going to lots of different Chapter meetings more reminiscent of X’s & I’ll definately be the one that’s late as I will be negotiating my way around a new county!!
There is, I believe, a vacancy in this Deanery so if anyone would like to know where it is…
a former Bishop of Oxford once defined a Deanery Chapter as ‘a group of elder anglicans waiting to go home’….
whoops – that should have been elderly!!
Former chapter…lots of notices, some scary topic aired by scary diocesan bod, rather defensive conversation about how we were all doing it anyway…
Current chapter…pub lunch, interesting topics presented in a way that actually encourages you to discuss them, a degree of whingeing about “them at Church House who don’t understand…”
20 miles apart. Light years apart in the experience. Glad I’m vicaring in number 2 deanery.
As well as being a Vicar I am a Chapter Clerk (and so’s my wife – in another Deanery). The standard information sent to speakers and new arrivals in Deanery is: “The timings are that we gather at 1130am and stop for lunch (we bring sandwiches!) by 1pm giving you (the speaker), probably, 45 minutes (by the time any Chapter business has been dealt with. There are 16 clergy in the chapter (although not all can always attend)”
Like most of the other correspondents food/drink is a feature (the height of excitement being chocolate biscuits) and being a rural area we often have soup provided to go with our sandwiches.
A subset of Chapter also meet monthly in a pub for a whinge and a meal. It used to be for mutinous clergy but since one of the attendees became Rural Dean it has become less openly mutinous.
Another neighbouring Chapter meets for Breakfast followed by the meeting but that is all too early for some of us…
As to how Chapter Clerks are chosen – it’s whoever is not at the meeting when one needs to be appointed or someone who fails to say ‘No’ to the invitation from the Rural/Area Dean.
me again… senior moment: Bishop was talking about Deanery Synod – not Chapter. Double whoops!
… our deanery chapter famously has one of its meeting a year in France: 24 hours at a retreat house near the coast with opportunities for spiritual and other refreshment, as well as the inevitable gossip – and all paid for by the diocese in the name of Continuing Ministerial Education. Definitely makes the rest of the year’s meetings worthwhile!
I am new to this game, so it’s great to find out what others think is supposed to happen! http://diakonia08.blogspot.com/2008/09/deanery-chapter-meetings.html
I’m about to go to my first chapter meeting in a few weeks so all of the above very useful.
I wondered if it was like a book club as it sounds; if there was ever a time when one of the clergy was still on the previous chapter and had to be sent out to read the right chapter before returning for the session. Is the Rural dean always one chapter ahead?
I seem to be the first person to use my full name, which is a bit of a worry. Amen to most of the above, ours also include
– things the Diocese want us to hear, relayed through the Rural Dean, with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
– funeral stories.
– people having a snooze
– the occasional invited speaker, usually on a worthy topic, which everyone is too busy to get wildly enthusiastic about.
– allegedly, chapter members going on at great length about things which are nothing to do with anything, and everyone else being too polite to tell them to shut up.
But: I have been at chapter meetings where there have been serious discussion about strategy, one which was focused completely on praying for one another, and one which probably kept me out of hospital, when a couple of other chapter members noticed I was looking quite down, got their diaries out, and fixed some time for me to just come and offload. A lifesaver.
I once visited a deanery chapter meeting as a youthworker after being invited to attend by my vicar. I was asked why i was there and where i trained several times – nice and welcoming don’t you think? The most pressing matter that was discussed was the change in opening times at the local crematorium, resulting in one more service over the lunch hour.
As a deacon at her second deanery chapter meeting (we are a small deanery of 8 clergy) the previous clerk resigned ~ quick as a flash one of the older members said We’ve a deacon there here to serve all agreed? and all present immeadiately put their hands up!
My role as chapter clerk is take the minutes but in our deanery half the comments made are preceded with ~ don’t minute this for heaven’s sake!!! So actually i do very little….
But I have a lovely gossip with 2 colleagues all the way through!
I’ve been to two. The first had home made soup and sofas (but was smaller and we didn’t eat the sofas!)
The second has bring your own sandwiches and is supposed to be much bigger but isn’t really cos people skive. But they were both quite jolly presumably because if people arent jolly they don’t go I suppose. Amusing how attendance figures shot up the day the bishop came tho!
Being the new, still green curate in a parish has meant that I, ‘traditionally’ have become the chapter clerk. As far as I can tell, this involves making sure you never find out what this involves as that may involve doing something. Probably something involved.
I gather our next chapter meeting will be attended by all the local funeral directors. So i guess that means there will be no room for excuses of a late notice funeral. Are they trying for full attendance? Have too many been playing the funeral card as an excuse?
As all the above contributions show, like pretty much everything else in life and the church, chapters can be either lifesavers or deadening experiences. And sometimes they can be both in the course of one meeting. I think that ‘what you give is what you get’, and having been in one chapter which was very supportive and creative I do now get frustrated at my stay-away / cynical colleagues who won’t or can’t be givers.
Embarrasingly, I turned up to my very first Deanery chapter meeting with a folding camping chair instead of sandwiches/ cake. I had heard, “It’s bring a chair,” which i thought was odd, but thought maybe it was hosted by a poor parish who couldn’t strech to non pew seating. Turns out I was actually told, “It’s bring and share.”
I don’t know what everyone is so cynical about. Our chapter meetings are held in warm comfy surroundings, chosen by mutual consent, with nice coffee and biscuits, and at really convenient times. Discussion is helpful, to the point, and always relevant. There are never acrimonious theological debates because we tend to be of similar persuasion and anyway our Area Dean is fully supportive of differing positions. Meetings, which are eagerly looked forward to (including by our highly efficient clerk) are mutually supportive, ministry enhancing, holistic experiences which enable us all to grow together in ministry and holiness.
I do hope all bloggers find this helpful.
with kind regards, Adrian (Area Dean)
Our alternate between
1) Complaining about the Diocese/Bishop/Wardens/Laity
2) Reminding each other about things we really ought to know from either seminary or the latest diocesan e-mail
3) Trying to impress each other with how healthy and strong our parish is
4) Trying to impress each other with how desperate and unhealthy our parish is
-t
