BBC’s Island Parish highlights outdated Methodist employment
practices
17 December 2008
BBC TV’s Island Parish programme about life on the idyllic
Scilly Isles has sparked debate over the way that the Methodist
Church deploys its ministers.
Unite, the largest union in the country which has 2,500 faith
worker members, has now written to the 270,000-member Methodist
Church in a bid to improve and modernise their deployment
practices. This follows a meeting between Unite and The Connexion,
the church’s head office, over continuing concerns.
The matter centres on the case of Rev’d David Easton who was not
‘invited’ by his Scilly Isles’ congregation to continue as their
minister for the next couple of years; an issue that Unite is
increasingly dealing with across the UK.
Under the Methodist ‘invitation’ structure, a minister can be
moved, with the devastating knock-on effects for their family and
the schooling of their children. Reasons don’t have to be
given.
Rev’d Dr Mike Bossingham, who runs the Unite Faith Workers’
support line, said: ‘We receive calls every year about this process
and the pain caused is quite widespread. The Island Parish episode
has highlighted the issue to a much wider audience.’
‘I would say that nearly every Methodist minister, at some time,
has been hurt by this process. We certainly know of ministers who
will not seek re-appointment simply because they fear being wounded
by the process.’
‘One of the problems is that in small circuits, such as the
Isles of Scilly, a handful of discontented people can get
themselves elected to the circuit meeting and flout the will of the
vast majority. They are able to do this without giving any reason
and so the minister is left feeling bewildered and betrayed.’
‘Even the church admits error in the ‘invitation’ process,
little is done to compensate the loss to the minister.’
Unite has come up with a set of proposals to make the process
fairer which have been presented to Methodist Church leaders. These
include:
- transparency and accountability in the ‘invitation’ process,
making it easier for the minister to remain in post, should that be
his calling
- the voting procedure needs to be reviewed
- those who vote against a minister should state their reasons
for doing so and the minister should be given a right of reply
- the minister should have a right of appeal.
Rachael Maskell, Unite’s National Officer of the Community and Not
for Profit Sector said: ‘It is ironic that an organisation
which stands up for justice and fairness around the world has such
an unjust system embedded within its own structures. We hope that
the Methodist leadership will modernise its employment practices on
the advice of Unite.’
-ends-
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS:
Rachael Maskell, National Officer, Community and Non Profit
Sector 0207 420 8979 or 07768 693933 Shaun
Noble Communications Officer 020 7420 8951 (direct line) 07768
693 940 (mobile)
Unite press releases on the Non Profit Sector can be seen on
website: www.unitetheunion.org/nonprofit
Unite was formed by an amalgamation of Amicus and the Transport
and General Workers’ Union in May 2007.
