Historic and exciting new development at St. Luke's

The congregation and clergy of St. Luke’s Church, part of the new ‘Christ the King’ benefice, have been taking some very important steps for the future life and ministry of their church.
Following a period of exploration on shared ministry, a number of special meetings and a day Conference held in February 2005, St. Luke’s congregation recently voted in favour of adopting a Local Ministry Team. Following the positive outcome of the vote, the congregation then nominated members for the team, with the result that nine people will serve on the new team alongside Rev. Maureen Dew, Team Vicar.

The team was inaugurated on Sunday 18th September 2005 at the main 10.30 a.m. service, by Archdeacon Fred Trethewey. Following their inauguration they are undertaking a two-year training period, supported by Rev. Stephen Winter, Diocesan Discipleship Officer who has responsibility for the Local Ministry Team Scheme in the Worcester Diocese, and Janice Swan, Reader and Local Ministry Team member at Inkberrow Parish, who will act as a ‘Consultant’ to the team during their period of training.

The period of training aims to increase knowledge and strengthen skills in the areas of pastoral care, worship, biblical knowledge, discipleship and outreach, with some relevant units of study also being open to the wider congregation.

St. Luke’s have taken this step of faith in the belief that the future of the Church of England will require more flexible models of ministry, and the gifts and skills of all members of the congregation.

In the past, it was often assumed that ministry was the sole responsibility of the ordained clergy, with the result that the ministries and strengths of lay people have sometimes been overlooked. This is a tendency that the Church Council and clergy of St. Luke’s are hoping to avoid as they face the future challenges of being an urban parish with a sense of excitement about the future and their involvement in the local community.

The Local Ministry Team Scheme has been operating in the Worcester Diocese for over fifteen years with a number of teams across the diocese having been established.

The aim of the ministry team is to act as a catalyst, enabling the local church to function and grow, both in terms of the skills and faith of the congregation, and with regard to their presence in the community and local neighbourhood.

One of the considerations for the new the team is the question of how the members of St. Luke’s can build strong and mutually supportive links with their partner churches in the ‘Christ the King’ team, which are St. Peter’s, Crabbs Cross, and St. Matthias and St. George at Astwood Bank.

A further consideration as they seek to serve their local neighbourhood will be the question of how their ecumenical friendships can be strengthened, especially those that exist between St. Luke’s Church and Headless Cross and Crabbs Cross Methodist Churches.

Photograph by Roger Ling