1. Mission and Pastoral Conferences 2018
Deanery plans

2. Deanery Plans Legal status for deanery plans
What qualifies as a deanery plan?
Who prepares a Deanery Plan?
Legal Consequences –
Consultation provisions
Presumption in favour
Commissioners’ Guidance
Features of a deanery plan
Role of DMPC
Role of Deanery
For the purpose of this presentation, by “deanery plan” we mean a plan for pastoral reorganisation.
We’ll be covering:
Gives legal status to deanery plans for the first time
Not compulsory
May be element in a Mission action plan
Deanery Plans Group has prepared guidance. This group consisted of various: Archdeacon, DMPC Sec, Bishops Planning officer, Dio Sec. etc.

3. What Qualifies as a Deanery Plan?
Four conditions
Consultation with interested parties
Approval by Deanery Synod
Meetings for any dispossessed office-holders
Approval by DMPC
Consultation – don’t forget patrons!
- DMPC may specify extras (e.g. ecumenical partners in an LEP or Sharing Agreement)
- Time and format of consultation not specified (could be two rounds e,g, on issues and on a draft plan)
Approval by Deanery Synod
- may need two meetings (one to present/one to vote)
- make aware of consultees’ views
- record in minutes (plus voting figures)
Meeting for office holders who might be dispossessed (with DMPC not deanery)
Approval by DMPC
- may need vetting and recommending by a Sub-Committee (especially if Bishop’s Council is DMPC)
- At this point, the Plan becomes an “Approved Deanery Plan” and can benefit from certain legal consequences (more later).

4. Who should prepare a Deanery Plan?
Measure doesn’t specify
Deanery (via Deanery Pastoral Committee)
DMPC (via a Sub-Committee)
DMPC/Deanery partnership
Deanery – danger of being in isolation from diocesan vision
- capacity issue in some deaneries
DMPC - DMPC could consult and prepare (maybe via a Sub-Committee) and have approved by Deanery Synod
- danger of lack of “buy-in”
DMPC/Deanery partnership - recommended in Commissioners’ Guidance (which can be found on Mission and Pastoral Measure section of the CofE website), more later on roles

5. Approved Deanery Plans – Legal Consequences
Proposals must be “substantially the same” as in deanery plan
Omit S6/21 consultation stage
Presumption in favour – unless there are material considerations
Omitting s.6/21 consultations may save a stage (if already have and consult on deanery plans). Otherwise will replace the s.6?21 consultation with consultation on the plan.
Issues style consultation particularly appropriate for deanery plans
Presumption raises bar for representors (therefore important to make views known during consultation on plan). No presumption either way for other cases. However, due to some legal issues this won’t be in effect on 1st October (legislation forgot about appeals); should be sorted in next Misc Prov Measure so should come into effect early 2019.

6. Material Considerations
Plan based on incorrect or out-dated information
Process flaws in developing plan
Significant opposition among i.p.s or deanery synod members
Matters (which may be matters of detail) not covered in the plan
Plan more likely to be outdated if recommended reorganisation is implemented late in the plan period
DMPC Secretaries and Commissioners’ staff job to prevent procedural flaws
Important to record level of support during consultation
Reps usually about matters of detail. Detail may change after plan recommendations

7. Deanery Plans Essential/Desirable Features
It should relate to the wider Diocesan mission planning context
Have regard to any diocesan-wide parameters set by the Bishop, Diocesan Synod and DMPC
Be comprehensive in scope
Be evidence based
Have the widest possible engagement with and ownership by clergy and parishes and community bodies
Not about reorganisation in isolation
Some examples of diocesan parameters might include
- the number of clergy (stipendiary or self-supporting), pioneer ministers and lay workers available and any limitations on their deployment;
- the support which the diocese can offer in the way of financial or other resources;
- opportunities presented by the provision of strategic mission funding by the Commissioners;
- diocesan wide planning and development issues;
- ecumenical considerations.
Comprehensive (covering deployment of clergy and lay workers, use of buildings, financial resources, potential for Fresh expressions and ecumenical working)
Limiting factor of basing on narrow criteria (e.g. just clergy numbers)
Evidence to back conclusions

8. Scope of Deanery Plans (1)
What area can they cover?
One or more deaneries
Part of a deanery
Parts of more than deanery
May cover wider area (each deanery to approve own part)
Scope for archdeaconry or diocesan planning (and can look at deaneries/archdeaconries as part of plan)
Also parts of multiple deaneries (e.g. if a housing estate crosses multiple deanery boundaries, a specific plan for that area might be appropriate).

9. Scope of Deanery Plans (2)
Developing lay ministry
Local Ecumenical Partnerships
Audit of churches and other church property
Sharing church buildings with other denominations
Use of church schools
Encouraged to be wide-ranging – examples list. Not all will need reorganisation but may influence it
A buildings audit should identify the scope for extended use of existing buildings or whether they should be replaced or are no longer needed? CBC can help with template

10. Scope of Deanery Plans (3)
Church plants or Fresh Expressions
Access to grant funding or other resources
Scope for co-operation with community bodies
Identifying of initiatives better carried out at deanery rather than parochial level
Simplifying administration through joint councils
Grant funding or other resources may be available from Church or secular bodies for particular buildings or projects
Community bodies such as local charities or local authority sponsored bodies promoting regeneration
Joint Councils legislation to be amended in forthcoming Church Representation Rules (extra option of delegating all functions and thus essentially putting PCCs in abeyance)

11. Evidence - Examples Population by parish/benefice
Potential housing development
Deprivation statistics
Student populations
Weekly attendance
Parish share records
Repair costs for churches based on the latest QIRs
Presence of other denominations and faiths
Number of C of E church schools and availability of their premises
Links to national stats for population and deprivation.
Dioceses will have attendance and share records and will monitor local plans re developments
growth including an examination of planning policies

12. Role of DMPC Setting the context/parameters/timeframe
Providing leadership and support/developing local leadership capacity
Encouraging consistency of approach
Identifying the interested parties
Providing information (e.g. statistics or planning policies) for an evidence based plan
Approving and monitoring plans
Time frame for production
Lifetime of plan (probably five years +) Timetable for implementing may be shorter.
Give context and constraints (eg. Clergy numbers, financial support).
Members or officers assisting deanery group
Training for those undertaking work
All deaneries working to same criteria
Better knowledge of i.ps
Knowledge held at diocesan level (links in Guidance to nationally held information)
Monitoring as well as approving

13. Role of Deanery Providing local leadership
Encouraging participation in formulation of the plan
Providing locally held information
Formally approving the plan
Presumption incentive to participate as best opportunity to have views heard.

14. Scenarios Workshop Have template for a scenarios workshop
map and benefice/parish details in advance (imaginary deaneries but based on real-life benefice and parish situations)
presentation on “what you can do” goes with it
plan in groups (with differing briefs)
Done once (Leeds 2013) needs sufficient time (all day)
Aimed at rural deans/lay chairs