PART TWO: DEANERY MISSION PLANS

2.10 Raglan and Usk
(Allocated 4 stipends)

The deanery engaged in an extensive audit of itself looking at resources of ministry, buildings, services etc. and set out the principles on which any mission plan was to be developed. These were:-

• The status quo is not a feasible option.

• Mission and pastoral care both need to be increased.

• Regular worship in all communities remains highly desirable, but so are new, innovative and participative forms of fellowship and worship both within and between parishes.

• Everyone needs to accept some change and be prepared to support some collaborative activity.

• Stipendiary priests need to focus their energy, ability and time on Mission and pastoral care and, with the support of other clergy and recognised laity, to be seen actively leading the church in the community.

• Lay people need to be more involved in supporting the focussed role of the clergy including leading worship and the provision of pastoral care and by taking over even more of the burden of parochial administration and the responsibility for building management.

• Priests and people need to collaborate across parish boundaries throughout the deanery and beyond to reduce overheads and support additional or specialist activities.

There should be presumptions in favour of

• keeping churches open, even if service patterns have to change, provided the community supports the cost locally

• team working but with clear accountabilities

• service and activity sharing

• wide recognition of talents and acknowledgement of skills including capacity for leadership

• local decision-making which respects the preference for collaboration

• transfer of responsibility for buildings

• a deanery-wide approach to investing in growth, particularly in services for the young, communication and training of laity

• support for concentrations of excellence that promote and deliver the deanery mission plan

With a reduction to four stipendiary clergy, the recommendation was that the deanery should move to a single organisation which pools the talents and capacity for spiritual leadership and is properly supported by cohesive administration and empowered laity. Ultimately, there would be a single benefice covering the twenty parishes. There would also be a single central administrative body. The four stipendiary clergy would each have a ‘nominated’ area (virtual benefice) in which s/he would take lead responsibility for the pastoral care of the people whilst also taking wider lead responsibility for elements of the enhanced mission and ministry of the deanery. In view of its commitment to a single deanery benefice model, the deanery preferred not to specify where the four stipendiary clergy would be allocated

The deanery challenged the present parishes to commit financial support over and above their present share allocation to enable centralised deanery structures to be set up.

The possible bases for the four stipendiary clergy would be
Usk, Raglan, Goetre and Llangybi.