VP at Methodist Council

Methodist Council at High Wycombe was a very good meeting. Embraced in Nigel Hardwick's prayers there was real quality in the papers, considered questions and comments that showed careful study of an extensive agenda, and moments of real inspiration. I was so impressed by the contributions of the younger reps, including Hayley Moss, our Youth President. The Church has been so blessed by the YP postholders over the last couple of years. Council still has a tendency to micro-manage on occasions, perhaps understandably re the Discipleship and Ministries Learning Network (resulting from the Fruitful Field report); but no one present at Council could doubt the thoroughness of the examination of a subject that is still proving contentious to some in the Church. The same degree of scrutiny was afforded to a variety of papers, all of which are in the public domain via the Methodist website. Personally, I am pleased to see the progress being made by the MMS Working Group, as well as for Council to have been involved in shaping the legacy of the important Belonging Together project team; lots of synergy in these two reports re the local/global links in our understanding of mission today. This morning Paul Morrison introduced the work that JPIT have done since Conference on Poverty and Inequality, and it was so pleasing to hear Council affirming that we are a Church that can still speak prophetically and boldly. There will be many reading this who have never been to Methodist Council and I would want to reassure those people that Council treats the subjects seriously and carefully; and that the Conference continues to be served by a Connexional Team with ingredients of intellectual quality, theological underpinning, hard work and grace.