Discussion Questions arising from Ministry in Anglican Schools: Principles and Practicalities edited by Tom Frame

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1 Discussion Questions arising from Ministry in Anglican Schools: Principles and Practicalities edited by Tom Frame Part One: Principals - The Context of Ministry in Schools 1: Expectations schools of the church and the church of schools - Geoff Smith Where relationships between school and diocesan leaders are strong, and where the vision for schools is clear, and where the schools feel accepted and valued, my experience says the school tends to be more aligned to the life and mission of the diocese no matter what its legal status. On the flip side, if relationships are poor, if vision is unclear, or if the schools feel they are seen as more of a problem than a blessing, the ministry of the school as an Anglican school may well be very limited. p 15 To what extent has this been your experience of working in an Anglican School and what things can be done to improve the relationship between Diocese and the School? 2: Models of Christian Education - John Collier To what extent should the content and teaching methodology within Anglican Schools expose students to the world as it actually is, with all its fragility and indeed horror, and to what extent should it protect students from these realities as a function of the school s duty to care and nurture them? p 38 3: The identity of Anglican schools in a secular society - Ruth Edwards While the collective ceremonial is embraced for its value in reinforcing community, there is little accompanying sense of awe. p 54 In your experience what are the moments when students have experienced awe and what can you do to help facilitate these experiences? 1

and valued, my experience says the school tends to be more aligned to the life and mission of the diocese no matter what its legal status.

2 4: English teachers and religion in Anglican schools - David Hastie It seemed to be a New Testament project stuck in an Old Testament story p 68 What do you understand by David s use of this image and how does it apply to some situations that you have seen or experienced? 5: Evangelism and Anglican Schools Christopher Beal Helping students to determine the things that are most worthy of their time and talents will better equip them to live responsibly in community with others thereby enriching their experience of living. p 85 What strategies have you found effective to enable young people to determine what things are truly worthy of their time and talents? Part Two: Principals Professional Relationships and Ministry in Schools 6: Setting the scene a crisis of identity Chris Welsh If Chaplaincy and evangelism in their best sense requires us to meet people where they are, worship is a place where most young people are not. p 102 What things have you done that have help enable young people to enter into a genuine experience of worship? 7: Transformational spirituality, transformational ministry Nicki Colledge I aim to share with my community of seekers what I refer to as spirituality on toast. It is an everyday spirituality that highlights the importance of that which is sacred in everyday living. It is a presence within our school communities that reveals the possibility of an engagement with the divine. p 118 Do you resonate with this idea of spirituality on toast? How can you help foster and encourage these toast moments in your school? 2

5: Evangelism and Anglican Schools Christopher Beal Helping students to determine the things that are most worthy of their time and talents will better equip them to live responsibly in community

3 8: Sharing the care counsellors and chaplains in Anglican Schools Natasha Darke Placing the image of the shepherd old fashioned, rustic, patriarchal and simplistic alongside the scientifically rational, clinical, and professional image of the counsellor, and one might wonder if we really need chaplains at all. p 128 How do you relate to the counsellor in your school? Have there been any points of tension in your relationship and how have you found ways to support and encourage one another in your various roles? 9: Anglican school chaplains serving two masters? Nick Foord In many ways the chapel service is the chaplain s shopfront. It is the most public expression of the church s presence in the school. p 146 Do you agree with Nick that the chapel service is the chaplain s shopfront? If this is true how does Chapel help (or hinder) your wider ministry in your school? 10: Tinker, tailor, soldier the many roles of a school chaplain Daniel Lowe In his chapter, using the traditional children s rhyme Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor etc as a basis, Daniel outlines the various roles that a Chaplain can have in a school. How do you balance your various roles and prevent yourself from being spread too thin across your various responsibilities? 11: Pastoral relations within the school leadership team Elroy Mee Conflict often emerges over the issue of who is the spiritual leader of the school. Is it the principal or the chaplain? p 173 What does the concept of spiritual leadership look like in your school? How do you divide up this leadership between you and your Head and what are the tensions in this division for you? 3

Have there been any points of tension in your relationship and how have you found ways to support and encourage one another in your various roles? 9: Anglican school chaplains serving two masters?

4 Part Three: Practicalities The Conduct of Ministry in Schools 12: Chaplain as patron, curator and advocate of the arts using creativity as a missional tool Stephen Harrison and Jonathan Sargeant The arts can be a transformative force. For school chaplains, such a force is one worth channelling in their ministry. p 188 Do you agree with this quote? How have you used the arts effectively in your ministry as a chaplain? 13: The Christian mystical contemplative tradition in Anglican Schools - Kenyon McKie Contemplative practices have been influential in transforming the lives of pilgrims through the ages but of what use are these practices in schools in the twenty-first century, particularly in Anglican Schools? How can these practices equip and enable students to experience God? p : The changing face of worship in Anglican Schools Andrew Stewart In order to respond to God students need to experience God and so the question becomes how can you enable God to be experienced in chapel? As a chaplain how do you foster these God moments where students experience God s presence in Chapel. p 223 Share a recent God moment you had in Chapel. What can you do to help foster these moments with the students in your care? 15: Young people, popular culture and spiritual formation Andrew Tredinnick How does art and artmaking connect to the building of human community and justice? How does art and artmaking reflect human diversity? Does collaborative artmaking practice in our school and classrooms build human community. p 251 4

How have you used the arts effectively in your ministry as a chaplain?

5 Part Three: Practicalities Christian Education and Vocational Training 16: Training and equipping chaplains for the complex environment of the contemporary Anglican school Dave Fuller Speaking about preaching in Chapel Dave says the following I suggest that a course in homiletics at theological college is not going to be adequate to prepare a candidate to communicate into such a diverse context. p 264 Do you agree? How can we better prepare Chaplains for the challenge of preaching to the diverse constituencies found in our Anglican schools? 17: Anglican schools as mission-shaped communities of faith Ruth Mathieson Ministry in schools is about building communities in which there are good relationships between students and students, staff and students, staff and staff and parents. p 276 What winning ideas have you had for how to strengthen the community links in your school? What are the challenges in doing this that you currently face? 18: Christian Development as an academic subject making the case Colin Noble In the area of instruction in matter of faith, tension arise between schools desire to nuture Christian faith and the need to satisfy relevant accrediting educational authority that the manner of that instruction meets certain social and academic criteria. p 288 What are some of the tensions you have found in your academic teaching of religious education? How do you balance the need to have academic rigour and the need to allow students the space to ask questions and go off on tangents? 5

p 264 Do you agree? How can we better prepare Chaplains for the challenge of preaching to the diverse constituencies found in our Anglican schools?

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