Building the Foundations for a New Central Presbytery

On June 12 and 13, the PRCs across the Central Presbytery cluster met to consider what the Central Presbytery pastoral relations committee might look like. We spent Friday considering the nature of PRCs and then Saturday developing a plan for forward movement, looking at the positives already at work and the gaps that might become evident in a new PRC working across a more socio-economically, geographically, and interculturally diverse Presbytery. There were 18 participants, including our facilitator, Rev. Carolyn Thornley. We met at the Hoskins Memorial Uniting Church in Lithgow, and we thank them for their hospitality.

Carolyn’s work helped build relationships and strengthen connections already forming through Zoom meetings. She encouraged us to consider the principal work we undertook in each of our three presbyteries, how we organised, how we held ourselves accountable for the work we did, what we spent most of our time on in meetings, and what we might not be covering adequately. From a cross-PRC perspective, we worked together on what developing the ten signs of a healthy church might look like, strategies for flourishing leadership, and the interplay of moving from conflict to synergy by understanding cognitive and dialogical behaviours in group practice. We shared case studies through the lens of De Bono’s Thinking Hats. The week ended with us sharing our aspirations and working through the who, where, what, when and how of the new PRC.

Participants commented:

“This is a great couple of days of reconnection, getting to know each other as a new family. An important first step and makes the idea of a new Presbytery a distinct possibility”

 “It’s been fantastic to meet and get to know our potential new colleagues. It’s also been challenging to work through some of the issues.”

It was a formative weekend for building strong relationships that will enable us to work well together. It was regenerative, rich, and hopeful for the future of the Central Presbytery.

Significant work has begun.

We’ve come together as members of PRCs from three different presbyteries, entering our new presbytery, to talk about the possibilities ahead of us. It has been a time of reflection, a time of thinking and a great time of hope in the relationships that lie at the heart of all ministry. It has been exciting to celebrate that we have gathered together over meals and through our work together as we thought very much of our God spirit is leading us. Rev. Christine Bayliss Kelly