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Chapter 2. It’s never too early

Thinking Ahead

It is never too early to prepare for that time when the parish will be without a vicar. While this book suggests many practical tasks, it assumes that these activities will be undergirded with prayer without which all will be in vain.

A small group of lay people, authorised by the PCC, could start by drawing up a list of the major areas of church life and the activities carried out under each of these headings.

Listed below are a few examples:

In worship:

 Who arranges the rotas for flower arrangers, preachers, service takers, sidespersons, lesson readers, intercession leaders, the offertory procession and who chooses the hymns?

In pastoral care:

 Who is responsible for visiting newcomers to the church, those who are ill at home or in hospital, the bereaved and parents bringing their children for baptism?

In relating to the local schools:

 Are there schools where the vicar or other members of the congregation take assemblies, visit staff or provide help in religious education classes and who does it? Is the vicar or any other member of the congregation a school governor?

Through this investigation, the group will begin to discover who is responsible for what. They will also clearly identify what the vicar does.

They might also go on to consider how decisions are made in each of these areas of work. Is it left to those who carry out the work on behalf of the church? Do they seek advice from the vicar and where does the PCC fit into all this? Through asking these questions, they will build up a picture of the church’s work and the way it is organised.

Addressing the Issues

Before facing the period without a vicar, address some of the issues raised. If the vicar is responsible for a significant number of the activities, the PCC might consider allocating some of the tasks to others. At the very least, someone needs to know how the vicar carries out the activities for which only he/she has responsibility. This will ensure that you overlook nothing when the vicar goes and someone knows how each activity is organised.

If the vicar is responsible for the care and support of most of the leaders of the various activities, it may now be the time to involve members of the PCC in taking on some of this work. At the very least, you need to know the type of care and support that the vicar offers.

The collecting of this information can never start too soon. It may need doing bit by bit. It will also need updating from time to time. It may lead to more lay involvement. It will undoubtedly prepare the parish for that time when the vicar leaves.

Once the vicar decides to move on, the PCC needs to consider which of these jobs are essential and, for those that are, who is to take responsibility. It may be difficult to find volunteers for some of the jobs. Some people will need to consider giving up a job for which they now have responsibility to oversee a more important job that is currently the vicar’s responsibility. Some jobs may need to be left undone – the PCC secretary should make a note of these jobs and the reason for leaving them. This will be useful information for the new vicar as it may show that some jobs are unnecessary whereas others that have been on the ‘back burner’ now need to receive attention.

When the vicar leaves, the patron becomes a key player in the appointment of the new vicar. To help the patron take his/her responsibility for the parish seriously, invite him/her to join in its worship and meet members of the PCC. In this way he/she will be much better informed about the parish and its needs. This will result in better co-operation when the time comes for the patron to exercise the prime responsibility of finding a new vicar.

The parish lost no opportunity to advertise