Roles and Responsibilities
Decision Making
The Role of the Leader
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Is the shepherd of the whole Community.
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Leads by example and participates in the Community way of life.
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Is responsible for holding and communicating the vision and charism of the Community to its
members and those outside the Community.
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Listens to the different voices and needs within the Community and seeks the good of all.
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Makes prayerful decisions on behalf of the Community.
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Is responsible for appointing the holding group and training team.
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Keeps the rule of life of the Nazareth Community and encourages others to do the same.
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Offers guidance and encouragement to Community members and pastoral care in times of difficulty.
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Writes at least every other month the Nazareth Letter and Commissions others to write.
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Is responsible for the simple rule of life and its practice and any changes introduced.
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In consultation with the Novice Guide decides on new admissions.
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Seeks the mind of the Community.
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Has the authority to make decisions on behalf of all.
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Communicates the life of Nazareth to the wider church and society.
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Works closely with the clergy and staff team at St Martin’s.
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Is under the care of the Protector of the Community.
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Meets with both the Protector and also with the Visitor for discussion and advice.
The Role of the Holding Group
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Helps plan the annual programme for the Community and the rotas which need to be put in place.
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Plans the themes and speakers to be invited.
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Plans retreats, away days and venues.
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The pastoral care of the Community.
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The content of the website and live-steaming.
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The writing of resource materials.
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Maters arising.
The Role of the Discernment Group
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Reflects on the life of the whole Community.
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Helps guide the direction and growth of the Community.
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Reflects upon and endorses any changes to the trellis of the Community.
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Takes key role in the discernment and appointment of the Leader or Assistant Leader of the
Community.
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Addresses any problems or difficulties emerging.
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Communicates the life of the Nazareth Community to the PCC and wider St Martin’s.
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Approves special projects or needs.
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Meets with the Visitor to the Community.
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Approves the Community budget.
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Upholds the close relationship between the two joined Communities.
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Upholds the relationship with St Martin-in-the-Fields.
The views of every member of the community are listened to and heard and the leader’s job is to discern the common good. Members of the community are invited to speak with honesty and compassion within a meeting and discouraged from complaining outside a meeting or carrying away resentment.
Where there is divisions which cannot be reconciled the advice and council of the Protector may be sought who may call together members on both sides to listen and come to a discernment on behalf of all.
Seeking the Common Mind
Meetings are conducted in a similar way to Listening Groups. When an important matter for discernment needs to be considered and decided upon rather than adopting a dialectical, adversarial or discursive style of decision making we use the method developed in lectio divina and listening groups. An example of the structure of such a meeting is as follows.
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We begin with silent prayer.
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The issue or proposal to be discerned is read through.
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Silence.
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The issue is read through again.
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Members of the group are invited to draw attention to any sentence or idea in turn to any within which speaks to them.
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The issue or proposal is read a third time.
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Members of the group each in turn reflect on what has spoken to them. They do not comment on what others share.
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When each person has shared. The group is invited to propose wonderings based on their response to the proposal.
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Each person is given the space to respond to these wonderings.
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From all that is shared the facilitator tries to draw the reflections together to discover the common mind of the group and the truths that each person has expressed.
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The listening group ends with silence and prayer.
The Structure should provide the trellis for flourishing and growth and help support that growth and ensure that diverse voices are heard and a common mind is sort even in difference. The fulness of the Spirit is in the space between us as we talk. Jesus’ mystery is revealed in the empty space we allow him to inhabit. We need always to make room for Christ.