On slow blogging

Just a quick heads up that things are going to be a bit slow around here as in other parts of life they are anything but slow.

Fortunately we are having some holiday at half term. However before that there are 12 weekday evenings (excluding Fridays - my day off). So far I am working 10 of them with the possibility of a meeting to fit in on one of the others.

With several lent courses following half term things won't slow down much.

One reason for the workload is that we have been rather short-staffed and that will continue until at least mid May. 

Sadly the impact of that is visible beyond blogging. For one thing I have been trying to shake off a cough for 2 1/2 weeks, thought I had done so but 3 services and a ecumenical lunch on Sunday undid much of the progress and the assembly I took this morning was a bit of a trial voice wise.

Another classic indication of being rather more busy than is ideal is easily measured by either belt holes or the bathroom scales - neither giving encouraging feedback at the moment.

Yet another indication is the frequency of filling cars with fuel and paying for servicing - again not encouraging.

Anyway having written this I thought it would a sensible idea to look at the breakdown of those meetings:

• 2 evenings Fresh Expressions planning (2 different Fresh Expressions). Important to me as Circuit Fresh Expressions Enabler
• 2 evenings Circuit Leadership team (unusual to have meetings so close together but required at present)
• 2 evenings on a retreat for ministers in their 5th year of ministry
• 2 evenings as Chair of Church Councils (covering for a colleague)
• 1 evening taking part in a Fresh Expression (the other one meets on a Saturday evening so does not figure in this count).
• 1 evening at Methodist Council
• 1 possible meeting as a briefing on a key agenda item for a Church Council

I also have one Saturday at Whitechapel (4am til about 2pm).

Fortunately maybe a bit quieter for Sunday worship with only 2 services each Sunday (but I also have 2 services on the Sunday when we are away on holiday). On the other hand on 2 Sundays both services are in the same Church so no repeats.

Now off to get on with the 400+ A4 pages of reports/briefing papers for Methodist Council next week.

Comments

[Will]

I pray you will be recovering soon from the cough. My scales aren't giving me good information, either.

[Olive Morgan]

My prayers for your recovery from your cough and for all those meetings!

[Olive Morgan]

Having just read
'Methodist preacher's blog, I think I must add special prayers for the Methodist Council. We will be watching with interest to see what you have to say after the Methodist Council has met!

[Methodist Preacher]

Dave, I too had a nasty cough which is only clearing thanks to the anti-bio tics so you have my sympathy.

I hope that you persuade the Methodist Council to withdraw the paper on "social media" to allow time for others to be consulted.

I've looked through most of the blogs that are carrying the story and no one has yet owned up to being part of the selected band.

That aside I think it would be worth talking to the young people in the Church. many use social media far more extensive than our regretfully aging band of Methodist bloggers - selected for consultation or not - and may have some useful insights that will help the Church hone our use of mew media.

[Dave]

MP,

Hey maybe I should go to the doctor sometime :-)

I made some good progress on catching up with my reading for Methodist Council today. I have got past the Social Media paper.

While I hear your point about young people I think that more recognition needs to be given by bloggers to the views of non bloggers and those who are concerned about proper governance. There is still a whole world out there beyond blogging. Despite our own belief in our self importance bloggers are not the centre of the universe.

It appears to me as if part of the issue is a clash of culture in terms of how consultation should happen see my comment on Dave Faulkners post.

My preference is generally for open and transparent dialogue. However, I also recognise that there are other models for consultation. deliberation and decision. There are pros and cons to them all in the right place. We should not simply abandon old models for trendy ones without the same theological reflection we should apply to all applications of technology/business thinking etc to the work of the Church in its calling.

Anyway we disagree on a number of issues relating to what should be shared and how it should be shared. I believe that everything should not be spread around the internet. I also believe that public exposure is not the right way to handle a number of issues and there are cases when harm has been done. As a Church I believe we should set high standards for ourselves not harming people.

As for the guidelines being restrictive. I should point out that one of my blog posts made during the Methodist Conference included a false claim. By being eager and doing live blogging from the gallery I got my facts wrong. Fortunately I was quickly corrected and the blog post updated within a short period of time. Maybe it was not a dangerous mistake but it could easily have attracted attention away from the real story. So I have a lot of sympathy for the hard working communications team who work incredibly hard to get positive and accurate messages out to the world.

By the way Richard has an excellent interview with Toby Scott on the development of this paper.

Finally, I don't know for how long the Methodist Council has been making all the agenda papers publicly available on the website before the actual meetings. This time I was reading some papers on line before my paper copy arrived. It seems that this paper, at least, has generated far more interest before the meeting than any I know of before. I suspect that we are all on a learning curve here about the right ways to be internet style open and yet allow for private conferring as has been done for a long time in our tradition. So I suspect there will be thinking that happens as a result of this.

[Methodist Preacher]

I hope your last comment is not a hint that Methodist Council papers will not be put online in future! That would be a backward step!

[Dave]

David,

How could that possibly be a hint? The council has not met yet, the council has not discussed anything yet.

I feel that we would be irresponsible to not take into account the reactions to this paper in considering the paper itself. You would be the first to criticise the Methodist Council if it took no notice of what has happened. All I did was point out that I have noticed and will be supporting the idea that we reflect upon it, I did so to reassure those who have been posting on the subject that they have been heard.

I personally feel that this situation demonstrates that we need to be more open and responsive but all I can say with any honesty at the moment is that the reactions should not be ignored but reflected upon.