In this complicated world, the Church needs team ministries which can provide both specialized skills and the personal pastoral ministry which is lost when one minister must play a dozen diJ]erent roles.
A Group Ministry in the Inner City
Brief Background
F r o m the beginning of the East Harlem Protestant Parish the staff involved were committed to the idea of a group ministry. In the inner city, a team of men and women were needed, able to complement one another in gifts and abilities, to sustain each other amid the strange problems and frustrations of the city, and to join in the common struggle of discovering what we would now call "a style of life" for Christians in the middle of the Twentieth Century. At first the Group Ministry was the Parish. Only gradually, over the first several years, did small churches emerge in the little rented store fronts. But long after these congregations came to life, the Group Ministry remained the center of the effective power structure of the Parish. Decisions related to employment of staff, finances, and many matters of program continued to rest with the Group Ministry. The emphasis of .the four disciplines (Religious, Vocational, Economic, and Political) of the Group Ministry reflected this fact. The Group determined what its members did, how they were paid, and in large part was, for each of them, their effective congregation.
GEORGE W. WEBBER Member of the Group Ministry East Harlem Protestant Parish* New York, New York
But a major shift gradually took place, hardly recognizable at first, but now a reality. The Group Ministry as the locus of power gave way to the authority of the local congregations and a Parish Steering Committee, made up of laymen and some staff. In the transition, the Group Ministry lost control over its own membership, for in effect, staff hired by the local churches and Steering Committee were automatically part of the Group Ministry. W e continue to affirm .the need for a Group Ministry, in no sense as an "elite" or special group, but as the way in which staff take seriously the need for a "style of life" which is appropriate for the church in our situation. Certain patterns of discipline or habits of the Christian life are essential for God's people if we are to grow in our obedience to Jesus Christ. The par.tic*For further information about the East Harlem Protestant Parish, readers may write directly to 2050 Second Avenue, New York 29, N. Y.
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PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY
ular disciplines of the Group Ministry, here set forth, reflect in large part a pattern of ,discipline for any Christian. A t the same time, these disciplines take into account the common vocational commitment in this particular situation in which we are called to serve as clergy, staff, and wives in the common task of the ministry of God's church in East Harlem. In effect, these somewhat elaborated disciplines are the attempt of the staff to take with utmost seriousness what we expect of all the members of our Parish. W e had best practice what we preach! Staff and wives under the disciplines are designated as Group Ministry. In 1959, reflecting .on our evolution, the Group Ministry set forth its present basis of operation and the rationale for its continuation at a time when the basic locus of nurture for each of its members was in one of the congregations .of the Parish. The Necessity for a Group Ministry
The Group Ministry idea grows out of our theological understanding of the meaning of commitment to Jesus Christ and of our sociological understanding of the needs and' pressures of Twentieth Century society. Our salvation is in Jesus Christ. Yet this salvation is not known apart from the community who bear this message to us. Our daily need is for brothers who continually carry to us the words of Christ's love and who are joined to us through our common commitment to Christ. W e need brothers to help and encourage us, and we need brothers to criticize and rebuke us for our sin and pride. This can be made possible when a group ,of men and women are willing not only to stand together in their love of Christ, but also to stand together in their decision
March
to follow a particular path .of Christian obedience and service. O u r world desperately needs a church which can speak Christ's words with power. I t presents great problems and needs which must be met by imagination and courage on the part of the Christian Church. In areas of high concentration of population, t h e Church needs a ,higher concentration of men and women willing to serve together as a team. I n a world of great economic growth, and yet great economic needs, the church needs men and women willing .to struggle with group approaches to economic support. In a world of complication and specialization, .the Church needs team ministries which can provide both specialized skills and the personal pastoral ministry which is lost when one minister must play a dozen different roles. I n a world of speed and change the Church needs groups of people able to stay in one area for a long period of time and able to stay alive to issues and new developments due to their mutual support and continued study, research, and experiment. Present Pattern of the Vocational-Religious Discipline
The Group Ministry discipline of the East Harlem Protestant Parish was revised because the older formulation was inadequate to describe the meaning and purpose of the discipline within the context of .the church congregations. Such revision and change is essential to the life of a Group Ministry which must be responsive to its members' needs and to the context of their vocations. W e are convinced that the basic disciplines are those which all Christians share, and that our primary focus must be in seeing how the disciplines might aid us both vocationally, in proper stewardship of our time and
GROUP MINISTRY IN THE INNER CITY
1963
talents, and religiously, in strengthening our "equipment" as Christ's followers. The outline of the VocationalReligious Discipline attempts to show that the meaning of Protestant discipline is a total response .of obedience to Christ's love. Therefore the categories are no longer ~the various areas of the disciplines but, rather, the VocationalReligious Discipline comes to bear on our total life as Christians in the congregation, as individuals, in the world, and in relation to our brothers in the Group Ministry. F o r discipline cannot be an external rule, but must spring from a common desire to obey and follow our L o r d which leads us to dedicate our lives to this means of serving him. I. Life in the Congregation
A. Participation. The local congregation in which we worship is the basic locus for our personal religions community. r. W e participate faithfully and fully in its corporate life. 2. W e normally are involved in one small group each week.
B. Responsibility. W e discuss and evaluate our work with the body in the Paris'h to which we are primarily responsible. This is usually, but not always, the governing body of the local church. II. Life as Individuals
A. Ordered Day. W e agree to plan our day as an offering to God. This "Ordered Day" is subject to individual variations, but it implies a genuine effort, in light of the Holy Spirit, to impose a pattern upon the events and demands of the day as well as to discipline the use of our time.
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B. Habits of Daily Devotion. 1. Devotional reading and study of the Bible, presumably using the Lectionary. 2. Meditation. 3. Prayer with special emphasis upon intercession.
C. Worship Center in the Home. Each person will maintain a worship center in his home, with Bible, cross, and candlesticks, as a focus for the worship life of the family. Ill. Life in the World
A. Commi~ent to Live in the Community. Families of the Group Ministry live in the community and share in its common life.
B. Commitment to Act in the Community. W e are commited to participate in at least one community organization working for brotherhood or justice in our neighborhood. IV. Life in the Group Ministry
A. Religious. 1. Bible study each week with preparation. 2. Early Communion each Sunday. 3. Monthly day of retreat.
B. Vocational. W e pledge ourselves to set forth our goals and objectives for our ministry and to state the length and nature of our vocational commitment to the East Harlem Protestant Parish. Once a month we discuss our life under the disciplines with our advisor. M a j o r vocational decisions will be submitted to the consideration of the advisor and vocational group.
PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY
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C. Economic. Again available ~ on
special issue
MINISTRY AS A VOCATION
THE
CARROLL Ao WISE, G u e s t 9
The
Call
Editor
to the Ministry
Carroll A. Wise Garrett Biblical Institute 9 Unconscious Motivation in the Choice of the Ministry as Vocation
Gotthard Booth, M.D. Psychiatrist
The staff under the disciplines are paid according to need, estimated by family size and age of children, and not according to length of time in East Harlem, prior training, or job status. A considerable element of security ,is built into .the .budget 'by Caking care directly of such items as medical expenses, pensions, use of car, and housing. D. Political.
a The Parish Minister's Self-Image of His Master Role
Samuel IV. Blizzard Princeton Theological Seminary 9 Vocation, ~heism, and Testing
W e are committed to take a responsible role in politics. When some group political decision is called for, we pledge ourselves ,to .take no individual action contrary to the group decision.
John Oliver Nelson Yale University Divinity School 9 The Psychological-Psychiatric Appraisal of Candidates for Missionary Service
M. O. Williams, Jr. Board ot Missions The Methodist Church 9 The Church as Vocational Counselor
Richard G. Belcher General Board o] Missions The Methodist Church Copies are a v a i l a b l e prices: Single copies 5 or more co ies 10 " P 25 " " "
at
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50c e a c h 35c " 25e " 20e "
PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY 400 C o m m u n i t y Drive Manhasset, N. Y. Enclosed find cheek for $ ...... Please send ...... copy (copies) of The Ministry as a V o c a t i o n . Name
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Conclusio 9
The Group Ministry approach is an attempt at one way of facing the need for renewal of the Church in its understanding ,of ,the means of Christian commitment and witness in the world. There are many dangers in a Group Ministry. It runs the risk of becoming a power block or separation of men and women from their primary responsibility in the local church; of facing emotional strain on those who must work closely .together in a group of "sinners"; of developing a psychic dependence on each other rather than looking to Christ as the primary source of support and u n i t y ; o f becoming less efficient when .more workers are placed in one small area; of lacking a sense of direction because one leader is not given responsibility and authority. Yet the Group Ministry approach takes these risks in the knowledge that the Church must work .to fashion patterns by which it may again express itself with power in places where the "word is scarce."
