Category Archives: Leadership

Badshot Lea Community Fete, Events, Leadership, magazine, News Releases, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Your July/August magazine is here

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The summer heat is really upon us but our magazine is full of cool news and events. Read about Rev’d Lexi, our new rector, meet her dog Bugsy and see what the Church Cat has to say about them. There’s a report on our fete, news of family workshops at the churches courtesy of Farnham Maltings, and yet another dog – Lilli, the Maltese, who is bringing her human, Jenny, to St John’s for a Regency evening of Pugs and Prejudice.

That’s just a brief glance at some of what you can read if you click below. And check out our advertisers too!

July and Aug 25Download

Leadership, Prayer, St John's Church, Vacancy

Vacancy update

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For those of you keeping track of our recruitment activities, you will know that the closing date for second round of advertising for the post of Rector of Badshot Lea and Hale was in early August. I am disappointed to report that we had no applications, although I have to admit that I am not totally surprised as most parishes take a year to 18 months to fill a vacancy because of the shortage of available clergy. 

We will embark on the third round of advertising soon with a view to interviewing in early January and having someone in post just after Easter 2025. Especially with this type of role, it is about finding the right person at the right time in their ministry and we continue to pray that God will send us the right person at the right time.

I am pleased to report that the team managing the parish during the vacancy has settled into a sound routine and are ready for a long vacancy should that be the case. 

That is not to say that we have not had our challenges, including Rev’d John Evans being unwell for so long. He is now on the road to recovery and leading our services again. We have also realised that Rev’d David Camp needs the support of an incumbent to complete the remaining two years of his training. While we will be sad that we will not see as much of him from September, we are fully supportive of his move to Frensham as the right decision to help him along his ministry journey. 

The news that the tower at St John’s is in a worse state than we thought adds another challenge to just doing the normal. Click here for details of fundraising.

My thanks to those across the parish who are pulling together to help us deliver business as usual to the best of our ability.  If anyone feels that they can help contribute please contact either Stella or me.

Dave Walter
PCC lay vice-chair

Leadership

An announcement from Rev’ds Lesley and Alan Crawley

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It has been a tremendous privilege to serve in this parish for the last 12 years, and the love and joy and fun that we’ve had has meant we have been very reluctant to move on. However, we’ve realised that it is now best for us and the parish that we retire and move to our flat in Southwold. Consequently, we’ve written to the Bishop and will be retiring on the 4th February.

We’ve chosen this date carefully, to ensure that clergy with children who want to move during the summer holidays and also curates reaching the end of their training will be able to apply. There is a meeting on 30th October at St George’s at 7.15pm, where Martin Breadmore, our archdeacon, will explain what will be happening and answer any questions. We’re hoping that there will be a new Rector here by September, but there are lots of hurdles to jump over between now and then.

We have a PCC Standing Committee next week to start the planning process, after which we will set up various teams to get us into a good position to see you through the vacancy. There are lots of areas where we currently do things, where others will need to take the reins. Everyone will need to step up during the vacancy to ensure the smooth running of the parish.

We will miss you lots, obviously. We have felt God’s call to this parish very strongly and we are very grateful that God brought us here. We now feel God’s call to leave. Thank you for your love and support. Over the next few months, let us seek God’s will and continue to grow in faith and of course, have fun.

Rev’ds Lesley and Alan Crawley

Leadership, Lent

Styles of Leadership

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When I was a curate part of the training we were given was about styles of leadership, and again in industry our styles of leadership were tested for to see whether we fitted with the corporate culture.  There are many different models of leadership (and I will write in a minute about one), but my main argument is that to be healthy an organisation needs different styles represented in its leadership.

The model we were taught was one which separated leaders into:

Engineers – use strategies and visions to come up with plans which everyone is then expected to execute.

 

Gardeners – use trial and error, they plant something and see whether it works, and if it doesn’t they plant something else, or plant the first thing elsewhere as it may have been in the wrong place.

 

Surfers – spend time waxing their surfboard, so that when the big wave comes along they are ready to ride it.

 

Diplomats – use their connections to network and negotiate solutions – often behind the scenes.

In industry I had lots of experience working with Engineers, and discovered that one of the traits is an attachment to an idea.  They have started so they will finish – however bad an idea something is.  However, without that drive from the Engineer the others are less likely to get things done.

Why, you may ask, am I blogging about this in Lent on a church blog?  The reason is that I believe that the church is becoming monochrome in its leadership style.  Bishops are increasingly interested in defining strategies and visions, and are encouraging clergy to do the same.  If like me you believe that there is a place for multiple styles of leadership this is a concern.

It is also a concern in a religious setting, as with a solely Engineering focus there is a danger that we get caught up in today’s plans and visions, and without other leadership styles may lose sight of the main thing – God.

In industry a new meaning for the acronym FIFO was introduced – Fit In or …. leave.  For a denomination that was founded to allow for differences of opinion this is not an option, yet I see many who are hurt by the current emphasis.

I am sure that God can sort things out – but how long, O Lord?

Leadership, News Releases, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Ministry team grows again

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Wendy Edwards, Bishop Andrew and Craig Nobbs outside St Paul's, Dorking, after the serviceThe ministry team in the parish has grown again. With the licensing of Wendy and Craig as Licensed Lay Ministers (LLMs) last Saturday the team has grown to three full-time clergy, three LLMs and two retired clergy who still conduct services, preach and carry out pastoral work in the parish.

Wendy Edwards and Craig Nobbs were both licensed to the parish by the Bishop of Guildford, the Right Rev’d Andrew Watson in a service at St Paul’s, Dorking.

Wendy, the daughter of renowned local journalists Ted Parratt and the late Jean Parratt, started her training in Southwark, but returned to her childhood home of Farnham in 2017, following her mother’s death the previous year, and continued her training with the Diocese of Guildford.

“I returned to the church in 2007 after a very difficult time in my life, and I felt a calling to ministry but it was too early,” she said. “The feeling came again at the end of 2013 and I started exploring it and began my training in 2014. Licensed Lay Ministry is a preaching and teaching ministry in a pastoral context and I will have a particular funeral ministry. In my previous job I worked as a chartered legal executive specialising in wills and probate. I always supported people around the time of deaths in the family through the legal side and felt a call to support them through ministry.”

Wendy will be particularly attached to St John’s, Hale, the church she chose to go to when she returned to Farnham, in part because she had been a bridesmaid there twice in the late 1960s.

Craig Nobbs was already an LLM when he moved to Farnham 18 months ago but was licensed to another parish and wanted to continue his ministry in his new home. He has been relicensed to the Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale and his ministry will mostly be at St George’s, Badshot Lea.

Speaking after the service Craig said: “The service was out of this world and an affirmation of what I am doing in the parish. This parish is one with a big heart. During the licensing service I was conscious of waves of love from both the parish and from God himself. What kept going through my mind was a line ‘Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven’ (from the hymn Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven), as that has been my experience.”

Craig’s ministry will mostly be at the weekend as he works full-time in London as a Whitehall civil servant taking a lead in educational policy.

Lesley Crawley added: “We are delighted and blessed to have both Wendy and Craig with us and look forward to their continuing ministry as the parish grows and seeks to express the love of God in our community”.