Dictionary

Words on this page

Bishop

‘Bishop’ comes from the Greek word for ‘overseer’. So a bishop is a senior Christian minister authorised to have oversight for God’s people. As well as duties given to deacons and priests, bishops confirm and ordain.

Diocese

‘Diocese’ refers to the geographical territory in which a bishop exercises oversight. The Church in Wales is divided into six dioceses each with its own cathedral in which is housed the cathedra (the bishop’s ‘chair’ or ‘throne’).

Holy Communion

At Holy Communion blessed bread and wine is shared, by which we receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The congregation gives thanks for Jesus’ life, his death and resurrection and his continuing presence. See also Eucharist.

Ordain

To be ordained is to be set apart, empowered by the Holy Spirit and authorised by the Church for a particular type of ministry. The Church in Wales has three ‘orders’ of ministry, namely deacon, priest and bishop.

Prayer

Prayer sustains our human relationship with God and may involve words (formal or informal) or be silent. Prayer can involve adoration (‘I love you’), confession (‘sorry’), thanksgiving and supplication (‘please’).

Home Pobl Dewi: December 2023 Keeping it Local

Keeping it Local

This Autumn marks the beginning of the tenth year of NSM(L) ministry in the Diocese of St Davids.

The scheme was conceived as a way of answering requests that had come through a survey of the parishes’ needs and desires. They overwhelmingly asked for regular communion services led by clergy they knew and to have to pay less in quota.

It seemed an unmeetable request.

Since 1979, the Church in Wales as a whole has failed to ordain enough people to fill the gaps left by those who retired. However, the Bishop had seen that, in so many parishes, there were faithful, dedicated people living out their Christian witness. In some ways these people were already offering the prayer and pastoral support that could be termed priestly. Could these people be the gift God is giving us to meet some of that need? Could there be a way of training and deploying them that could make ministry the right shape for them and their communities? Could it be done in ways that did not put too great a financial strain on the parishes?

So Non-Stipendiary Ministry (local) was born. The name is not ideal, but it was given in the hope of getting some extra funding. NSM(L)s are people of faith who offer to serve the church without wages. The key part is the (L). This is an understanding between them and the Bishop, that the Bishop will not use his/her power to deploy clergy away from the ministry they have offered for.

Of course, there may be exceptional circumstances which mean a change must happen and a Bishop can always ask someone to reconsider, but the (L) gives a measure of guarantee that the person knows from the start what they are letting themselves in for. This opens the gate for those who have caring responsibilities which take a lot of their time and energy, or jobs that they also feel are callings, or people who want to stay in the area they love and whose Welsh they speak.

At a service on 29th September in the Cathedral, we thanked God for all the blessings NSM(L) ministry has brought to individuals and to the Diocese. At a conference in December, what we have learned in the last ten years will be considered and plans made for the future. There are even plans for a book to celebrate this achievement. The whole Church in Wales has commissioned a report on NSM(L) in a few years’ time, and it is hoped other dioceses will be able to benefit from what God has taught us here.