Being in Connexion – challenges to the dot to dot puzzle!

I came to Methodism in my early 30s after my daughter decided that she wanted to go to the Sunday School at the top of the road and the church happened to be a Methodist one. Though Methodism was new to me, my husband was well versed in its distinctive emphasis having come to faith through the Methodist’s Fisherman’s Mission in Tynemouth as a teenager.
Coming from a social care background I found Methodist’s emphasis on social action and social justice particularly attractive and also the idea of “being in Connexion.” At the time we had come out of a young charismatic house church that had got its self in a muddle and the idea of being part of something bigger than the local church was attractive.
Connexion was explained to me using the imagery of a large dot to dot puzzle where authority rather than resting in a top down model of government, was found in a pattern of interdependence and mutual obligation as churches were linked to Circuits, Districts and on to representation at annual Conference. I saw a large dot to dot puzzle stretching across Britain.
Churches were given room to manoeuvre to develop their own particular emphasis but at the same time were restricted in a way that allowed the whole body to work together. In this way both arbitrary authority from above and congregationalism from below were guarded against.
In my training for ministry I found myself working alongside many students from overseas and gained an understanding that the dot to dot puzzle extended across continents and included people from a wide variety of outlooks and backgrounds.
In ministry, after taking the funerals of members who had served the church for over 50 years I enlarged my 2 dimensional dot to dot to a 4 dimensional model that reached back in time to link us with the saints of the past and reached forward in time, to link us those who will be part of the church in the future – long after we have gone.
Having found this model a helpful tool over the past 18 months, I now have reason to reflect and refine it, to accommodate the current challenges to mission that are taking place in our Circuit.
The first challenge has come over the last 6 months from Solihull, where in their commitment to church growth and “linking their community to Christ,” they have explored the idea of local continuity over wider connexion. This has seen really positive results as they have actively sought to maintain the new relationships they have made in the community, through a planned programme of teaching often based on a series of topics delivered by the minister. Offering this consistency of topic and person over a number of weeks has facilitated the building of relationship, as people have known what they have been invited back to. This positive work however has the potential to fragment the wider sense of circuit connexion unless we engage in an open and creative conversation, as to how we might enjoy the best of both across the Circuit as a whole.
The second challenge interestingly pulls the dot to dot puzzle in the opposite direction and that is the challenge to greater integration, as we consider the idea of joining with other Circuits in the Solihull and Birmingham area to become a Super Duper Circuit. Here we will be invited to be part of a larger pattern of local relationships with potentially a more intricate pattern of being in connexion. Added to my 4 dimensional dot to dot model I imagine (and yes you will need to work with me on this!) an ensaimada – a circle Sudoku – where each 1-9 ring will also relate to the row above and below in a sustaining pattern! Instead of a fragmentation of the dot to dot there could be further layers of intricacies added! This all has the potential for producing some interesting tensions.
What presents as clear to me is that with such potential change ahead, it is important that we take time out and engage in a creative dialogue in a variety of places to ensure that our models and thinking are keeping pace with our challenge to mission. From our house groups to the men’s coffee morning; to stewards meetings to staff meetings; to the larger forum of Circuit Meeting taking the best of what is happening in both places and seeing how they can be woven together will be important. Our past and present bonds of connected friendship can facilitate this process well and potentially there is opportunity for a creative time ahead. Rev Julia

Julia’s email address is juliamonaghan@lyndonmethodist.co.uk and she would welcome any dialogue.