Resourcing God's mission in our parishes

"Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" James 1:17

As we learn to live with Covid-19 and build back following the struggles we faced with the pandemic,
we fully understand that live in challenging times.

As a diocese, we want to assure you that we will continue to support you in any way we can,
in particular with the financial constraints many face in parishes.

See also:

>> On the money On the money is a new publication explaining diocesan finances. Please take a look.

>> The Parish Giving Scheme

Having loved the past four months working as acting archdeacon, I am absolutely delighted and thrilled to be invited to continue the work that I have started and look forward to continuing partnering with you to create transformed lives through growing church and building community, so that we might be good news for all and bring God’s kingdom nearer.

I was born in Birmingham and came to faith when I was 17 through a mixture of a Billy Graham Crusade, a school Christian Union, membership of uniformed organisations and Bible reading at home.

I am married to Michael; a chartered accountant and we have two adult children Emily and Sophie, and we enjoy going out for meals and exploring new places together. Most days I try to get to the gym and either swim or do aqua, pilates or yoga. Music and dance have played a significant part in my life too. When I’m on my own I love reading, watching films, jigsaw puzzles.

Prior to ordination, I worked in education – my last teaching job was as nursery teacher with 95 pre-school children and a team of nine staff in my care. I also have a qualification in people practice.

My theological education was based at Cranmer Hall and my curacy in St Ann’s, Nottingham. My previous roles within the Diocese of Derby include Priest-in-Charge of the Benefice of Hazelwood, Holbrook, Milford with Shottle, Diocesan School Missioner, Bishop’s Adviser in Spirituality, Retired Clergy Officer, Bishop’s Chaplain, and a residentiary canon at Derby Cathedral.

The image that speaks to me most clearly about my ministry as an archdeacon is that of a midwife: coming alongside people and places offering ongoing care, guidance and advice; mediating and bridging gaps between different groups of people; supporting the birthing of new initiatives and offering comfort and strength as people let go, and breaking down barriers to change and growth.

I focus my ministry around five key priorities – prayer, people, places, projects and planning - while ensuring I am also attentive to my ongoing personal formation.  I would love the opportunity to share with you what that looks like in practice – so please do invite me to come and visit!

My prayer is that knowing we are loved by God, and supported by each other, we can give ourselves wholeheartedly to serving God in the communities and worshipping contexts we are part of; and consistently and persistently move forward in generous faith, courageous hope and life-giving love.

The Venerable Nicky Fenton

Archdeacon of Derbyshire Peak and Dales

nicky.fenton@derby.anglican.org
01332 388658

Archdeacons' Visitation News 2023 is available to: View online | Download [PDF]

The Venerable Matthew Trick

Archdeacon of Derby and South Derbyshire

matthew.trick@derby.anglican.org
01332 388684

Cathy Luffman

PA to the Archdeacon of Derby and South Derbyshire

Cathy.Luffman@derby.anglican.org
01332 388676

Archdeacon Visitations 2023

The Archdeacon Visitations for 2023 in the Archdeaconry of Derby and South Derbyshire are:

Mercia Deanery – Tuesday, 13 June 2023, St Marks Winshill.

Derby City Deanery – Thursday, 22 June 2023, St Phillips, Chaddesden.

If you have any queries, please contact cathy.luffman@derby.anglican.org

Archdeacons' Visitation News 2023 is available to: View online | Download [PDF]

The Bishop of Repton is the Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton

Bishop Malcolm was installed as the Suffragan Bishop of Repton in a special Evensong at Derby Cathedral on Sunday, 18 April 2021. The installation followed his consecration as bishop at Lambeth Palace on Wednesday, 14 April 2021. 

Malcolm was formerly Chief of Staff to the Archbishop of York and was educated at Queens’ College Cambridge.

He trained for ministry at Ridley Hall and served his title at St Andrew’s Haughton-le-Skerne, in the diocese of Durham, and was ordained Priest in 1982. 

Malcolm is married to Pam, an ordained pioneer minister and a leadership specialist with the Church Pastoral Aid Society.

He was introduced to the Diocese of Derby in November 2020 and said: “I am much looking forward to working with Bishop Libby and colleagues in the Diocese of Derby, and am excited by the task ahead.

"The COVID crisis is tough for everyone, and we need to be focussed on bringing real hope to those most at risk, those living in poverty, and young people who have so much to offer, but whose opportunities for education, development, and employment, are so limited just now.

"It is great to see the Church in Derby and Derbyshire finding new ways, alongside the old, of being church and seeking the common good.

"What a privilege to be called by God to join you and to share the next stage of this journey!”

If you wish to contact the Bishop of Repton's office, the details are:

The Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton, Bishop of Repton
39 Hickton Road,
Swanwick,
Alfreton,
DE55 1AF

07933 344746 | malcolm.macnaughton@derby.anglican.org

What is a suffragan bishop and why do we have a Bishop of Repton?

The Role of the Suffragan Bishop is to support and share in the episcopal ministry of the Bishop of Derby, who is the bishop of the Diocese. Episcopal (or “bishop’s”) ministry is about being “shepherds of Christ’s flock and guardians of the faith of the apostles” in the words of the ordination service, which means caring for all God’s people and leading in the task of presenting the faith in the world.

Bishops are to be a focus for the unity of the Church locally, teaching and proclaiming the faith and engaging with the world that the Church is called to serve – being “leaders in mission”, in other words – and encouraging and supporting the ministry of all the baptised, especially ordained and other authorised ministers.

All ministry stems from Christ the Good Shepherd, who invites us to share with him in his work and so the best models of all Christian ministry are shared ones. This is why episcopal ministry is shared by the diocesan bishop with the suffragan bishop who works with him.

Traditionally in the Church of England and other parts of the Christian Church, ministry is rooted in human communities and so all bishops are ordained to be bishop of a specific place. The diocesan bishop is the Bishop of Derby as the largest community in Derbyshire.

In former times, however, bishops often established their base (or “See”) in quite small and out-of-the-way places and until the time of St Chad (who died in 672 AD) the bishop for the whole of the Midlands (then the See of Mercia) was based in Repton.

When – in 1965 – it was decided to appoint a suffragan bishop for the diocese of Derby, he was designated Bishop of Repton, reviving the episcopal connection with this particular community within Derbyshire.

The fact that the suffragan bishop has Repton as his designation, however, does not mean that he has a closer connection with Repton than other places in Derbyshire (and in fact he lives near Matlock!) but it is a reminder that as well as the aspect of bishop’s ministry which is about Cathedrals and big communities, bishops are also about attending to the life of the Church and sharing in the building up of the Kingdom of God in smaller human communities, indeed wherever the people of God gather to worship and to witness.

The Bishop of Derby is the Rt Revd Libby Lane.

Bishop Libby was installed at Derby Cathedral on 25 May 2019, having previously been the Suffragan Bishop of Stockport, in the Diocese of Chester – a post she occupied from 2015.

Libby describes Derbyshire as ‘the place that holds my heart’.

She grew up in Glossop in the north-west of the county and was selected for ordination while working in the parish of St Thomas Brampton, Chesterfield.

Bishop Libby said: “I am excited and privileged to have been called to serve as Bishop of Derby.

“I grew up here and my vocation was fostered here. Derbyshire nurtured me and brought me to faith and I want to love Derbyshire back.

“I want to lead a church in Derbyshire where people find hope because they know they are loved by God in Christ, and I pray that hope sets us free to live our lives in ways that bring change for good.”

If you wish to contact the Bishop of Derby's office, the contact details are:

The Bishop’s Office
6 King Street
Duffield
Derby
DE56 4EU

01332 840132 | bishop@bishopofderby.org

Download the Bishop of Derby's Office's Privacy Statement [PDF]

Constantine and Empire

The advent of Constantine as Emperor in 306 marked a key moment in the Gospel of Jesus Christ becoming a public faith.  Up until that point Christians had endured a challenging journey – periods of peace and proselytising interspersed with the most horrific persecution.  A world of political instability and religious terrorism.

Constantine laid the foundation of what came to be known as the Holy Roman Empire.  The Church became a public body offering a Gospel of love to bind together the different cultures of what was thought to be the civilised world.  A Holy or whole Empire.

The Importance of Coins: Cash Flow

As in every age, money was the sacrament of seriousness.  Money provided the means for people to organise their lives and express their priorities.  Money was produced in the form of coins.  One of the ways in which Constantine connected his disparate peoples was through the use of money – the flow of ‘cash’.

First, during his reign, the images on the coins shifted from pagan symbols to signs of the cross and of the Christian faith.  The means of organising life and ordering priorities was clearly part of a Christian enterprise – an expression of the love of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Second, Constantine enabled significant investment in the Church, providing buildings and ministries to express this Gospel of love in practical ways.  The beginning of an infrastructure for a Holy Empire.  Word made flesh.

Cashing the Gospel

We are heirs of these significant developments, called still to witness to the organising of life and the ordering of priorities as an expression of the teaching and example of Jesus Christ – in public life as much as in private pilgrimages.

Coins, or, in our case credit cards and notes! have a part to play in this mission and witness.  Money provides the most accurate sign of how we choose to organise our lives and our priorities.

Cashing the Common Life

As we launch a new Common Fund this autumn, I hope that each of us can consider carefully and prayerfully how, in our times, we can contribute to our church offering spaces for worship and ministries for witness.  Each of us will have coins, cards, notes in our lives.  A key part of our witness is how we might use them to enable the Gospel of love to be made more manifest – as witness, invitation and celebration of that kind of gift of new life which Our Father longs to pour out for the blessings of all His children.

The Currency of Love

Money is something common, connecting and challenging.  Too easily it becomes the ultimate measure and value: a false god.  We need to use it as a form of service and fellowship – the currency of love.

+Alastair  

Discipleship Training

Our exciting, easy-to-access training is available for all who want to deepen their faith, grow in discipleship and develop the gifts God has given them in the service of the church. 

The training is open to all who want to learn more about their faith and also to those who want to develop in ministry. 

You don't need any formal qualifications to take any of the modules, just some good thinking and reflecting skills.

You can work towards a Certificate of Mission & Ministry by completing the whole course with assignments or you can simply do the modules for your own faith journey.

You can do one module or many, and you can start, stop for a while and then pick up again later. 

The training is modular, which simply means that you will spend 10 sessions looking at a particular subject (for example, the Bible or Pastoral Care or Mission and Evangelism etc). 

These 10 sessions make up one module.

You will do seven of these sessions on your own in the comfort of your own home at a time to suit you and the other three sessions will be done with everyone on the module coming together on Zoom. 

Find out more and request an Information Pack from our new training website www.discipleship-training.org or contact the course administrator, Fiona.bennett@derby.anglican.org.

Skills and Character 

One of the key strategies for the future of work and of wellbeing is the Government’s commitment to apprenticeships. In a world of less predictability about career paths, job opportunities and regular work, there is a welcome move to equip people with both the skills and the character to find useful employment – to develop the self and to contribute to the needs of society. This is true at every level. Training for the traditional ‘professions’ involves a mix of practical and theoretical learning – as much as preparation for more traditionally ‘hands on’ occupations. This “apprenticeship model” is recognised as an especially important approach to the preparation of young people for the world of work. Apprenticeships produce a creative mix of skills and character that equip people with ‘life skills’ that are flexible and the basis for future development. What can the Gospel contribute in this kind of world? 

1. Master and Apprentice 

Jesus uses and endorses the model of master and apprentice. A student will never become greater than their master (“it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher”. Matthew 1024). Rather there is a profound mutuality. Jesus gives Himself to those He calls to apprenticeships. In turn, like those first disciples or learners, we respond by giving ourselves into the great enterprise of His kingdom – in which we are given a share. The key to the Master-Apprentice relationship is not ‘what is in it for me?’ – but what am I learning to develop myself and to contribute to the enterprise. Self called into service for the sake of society. 

2. Apprentice and Master 

The learners/disciples called Jesus ‘Master’ but between them they were called, equipped and commissioned to offer particular leadership and ministries. Apprentices are learners discerning and responding to a call, accepting the responsibilities of a commission, and always open to future development, challenge and change. The Gospel places the exploration and ownership of vocation at the centre of each human journey, and as the key to the flourishing of society. 

3. Apprentices for God 

The Gospel witness is entrusted to Christ’s church. We must model and offer this commitment to ‘formation’ for ourselves and for our communities through our relationship with our ‘Master’ and Lord. Each parish is, at its most basic, a community of vocation and formation. In our Diocese the Director of Vocations and the School of Formation offer particular wisdom and resources to enable us to fulfil this kingdom responsibility most fruitfully. 

Take Time to Reflect 

In the ‘quiet’ month of August, when meetings are less and many church activities pause, it would be good if each of us took time to prayerfully examine our own apprenticeship – our vocation and our formation. Then, we need to play that part in the calling and forming of our churches, and in the further development of our own skills and character. A small step keeps the journey alive.

+Alastair

A model for today

July provides an interesting moment to consider the place of Grandparents. On 26 th July we are invited to observe what, for many, will be a very obscure feast: Anne and Joachim: Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The ‘Grandparents’ of Jesus.

We are especially conscious in our own times of the significance of grandparents. Providing support for family, and amazing energy into community life and the neighbourliness that keeps people connected in an age of increasing isolation and loneliness. Many of our churches benefit enormously from grandparental energy and commitment.

Gospel in Action

In grandparenting we see inspiring modelling of the value of family, the offering of time and skills beyond more immediate and self-centering concerns, and a huge generosity in sharing resources and offering sacrificial service.

Grandparents can be seen as a great advert for so many of the virtues that the Gospel endorses for the proper flourishing of human life. More, grandparents would be the first to acknowledge how much they receive from family, friends, social engagement.

God has no Grand Parents

And yet – there is a strange fact in the Divine Economy. God has no Grandparents! In Jesus we see God in our midst, Son of the Father. But no theology of a ‘Grand’ Father.

What might we learn from this mystery? First, the energy, commitment and contribution, not to say wisdom, of grandparents may seem to begin from an intergenerational set of relationships – but, in fact, it becomes something broader, richer, flowing beyond these merely human arrangements, to be part of an outpouring of a Spirit enabling greater wholeness. In theological terms, a ‘Holy’ Spirit. The significant factor is not one of generational sequences, but of gracious reaching out to enable a greater fullness of life, hope, faith, love. Origins and creation taken up into something new, ever broader and richer.

From human to Divine

Perhaps God has no grandparents because the point and the power of Life cannot be contained simply in human relationships or structures. Rather these necessary ‘arrangements’ are simply the vehicles God gives for His grace to be nourished, shared and tasted.

Grandparents often say that the great advantage they feel is the freedom to ‘go home’ and take a break from so much that they take on themselves. Home is the place for re-creation, reflection and reshaping our offerings into the world around us. Church provides this ‘Home’ in a special way.

The potential for alliance and connection between our contemporary phenomenon of grandparenting and the work and witness of the Church has never been greater. A key element for mission in our time. Perhaps the fact that God has no grandparents can provide an affirmation of grandparenting as service, a wider perspective of the Holy Spirit made manifest for the flourishing of all, and an agenda for each of us seeking to be Christ’s Church afresh in this generation – through the discipline of re- creation, reflection and being recharged.

+Alastair