apathy may actually be a symptom of something else: failure to provide or receive information effectively.


Local-level rural training: Failures or difficulties One Anglican training provider indicates: We did try to put on a School of Rural Ministry morning last summer but sadly had to cancel it due to lack of interest by our rural parishes. This may reflect work we still have to do, or it may be that rural in [this diocese] does not mean that those living in these areas are really rural in approach or thinking. A strategic leader from an Anglican diocese in Yorkshire and Humber complains: We have tried to set up local in-house rural courses as part of our diocesan training. There has been very little interest. Perhaps it was because we had arranged the course on a Saturday, and most rural clergy with multi-parish benefices seem to have every Saturday taken up. A former Anglican training provider and Rural Officer from the East of England comments on his personal situation: I reckon all my experiences of localised rural training have been worthwhile, but few have been sustained. Only the Cambridge Federation and ARC-assisted courses have any track record and that is just because of constant lobbying. Diocesan CME staff will generally run rural days if enough pressure is brought to bear. But without persistent input and encouragement from the ARC and the Rural Officers, it quickly lapses. A URC training officer from East Anglia highlights his experience. The rural road show we planned for church leaders and congregations had to be cancelled due to lack of attendance. The feedback we solicited suggested a combination of reasons: the rural churches themselves did not feel they had been consulted about what they needed; some churches did not appear to understand the purpose of the road show; a number of churches did not see themselves, or want to be considered, as rural; and few church leaders felt that rural issues were high on their members’ agenda. An ecumenical training provider in the East Midlands reveals: We try to provide brief and accessible training for hard-pressed church leaders; to share the vision for increased community engagement and give practical hints and encouragement on how to mobilise church members to serve their local community by using their gifts. Whilst [our ecumenical group] is for the whole district, those of us on the Standing Committee are largely from towns rather than villages, and we find it very hard to get most rural churches involved in training and other activities that we provide.


Some suggest that certain ministers feel threatened by training for their congregations, or by continuing professional development for themselves, and are therefore reluctant to engage in this. Whatever lies behind such failures, the end result is often the same: reluctance by providers to make the effort to offer further opportunities in the future.


Communication and Information Many individual interviewees and focus groups view communication and provision of information to be major problem areas. Virtually all lay people mention failures of communication between church regional structures, local rural church and individual


Page 58 of 111


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111