In exploring the two understandings of ordained ministry outlined above I have explored the tension between the ‘catholic’ view of the ontological status of priesthood and the ‘protestant’ view of the functional status of priesthood (or ‘ministers’). Most people face a tension between being and doing. I now wish to
present an understanding of enabling as a manifestation of being a priest that breaks through this tension and reconciles both the why (being) and how (doing) of being a priest/minister.
I am not suggesting that enabling is now the one True way to express an understanding of ministry in general and ordained ministry in particular in the contemporary Western world. What I am suggesting is that, as we look at the type of leadership that we might expect within the church, the conceptual framework of enabling allows for pluriform expressions of ministry in general and ordained ministry in particular.
Carnley (2004), Küng (1983) and Cowdell (2004), amongst many others, each speaks of the charism necessary for leadership within the church. For Küng (1983) the primary focus is one of service and collegiality. As with Sofield and Juliano (2000), I consider that gifting, sharing power, enabling, mutuality, and respect for the ‘other’ are at the heart of being a priest. Being an enabler is about allowing God’s people to be who they might be as, in the words of A Prayer Book for Australia (Anglican Church of Australia Trust Corporation 1995: 780), they “‘take their part’… in partnership with other clergy and the congregation”. This applies as much in a parish, as in a school, or as at home; anywhere, in fact, where people are called to live and move and have their being. Being a priest, whether in the traditional sense or as an enabler, involves expressing the charism of service to others in all areas of life.
The Anglican Church is uniquely positioned to cope with pluriformity. The Anglican capacity to embrace catholic and protestant, word and sacrament, and to hold together unity in diversity and diversity in unity means that Anglicans can readily engage with the pluralistic situation in which they find themselves in contemporary Western society. The capacity of the Anglican Church to engage with pluriformity also allows it to value both ordained and lay ministries. Macquarrie (1977) highlights this collegial approach to ministry:
In the liturgical renewals of recent years, care has been taken to ensure that the laity have a definite active role in the worship of the Church along with the clergy – this is concelebration in the broad
sense. In the reforms of Church government likewise, a larger voice has been given to the laity – this is the principle of collegiality, again in a broad sense. But if these reforms are to be meaningful, the laity must also have a voice in the development of the Church’s doctrine – there must be co-theologizing, if I may coin a word. (Macquarrie 1972: 18, see also Macquarrie 1977: 420 ff)
I suggest that such an emphasis on collegiality and the valuing and celebration of both ordained and lay ministries is central to ESM. Indeed, ESM, as an alternative way of being church, specifically fosters an egalitarian view of all ministries, in which no one ministry is viewed as better or superior to another, but merely different.
In addition, ESM is a contemporary example of pluriformity in action, and can adapt to various contexts. ESM can be seen as a synthesis between the ontological understandings of ordination as focused on ‘being’ (ministerial essence) and the functional understandings of ordination as focused on ‘doing’ (ministerial roles). Further, the practice of ESM engenders an environment where parishioners, and particularly the Team members, participate in a process that allows for the on-going development of, and reflection on, contextualized theologies (that is, a type of ‘co- theologizing’ in practice). In its inclusive and expansive ethos, ESM allows the institutional church to be relevant to the pluralistic, secular, post-modern world without losing the traditions of Anglicanism and the central concepts of Christianity.
Conclusion
In this chapter I provide a theological conceptual framework for understanding Enabler Supported Ministry and enabling through my discussions of the five defining theological characteristics of ESM (mutuality, service, relationship, praxis, and Baptism) and the theological emphasis in enabling on collegiality. My ethnography of four rural Anglican communities of faith is enriched and expanded through an awareness of the theological conceptual framing of ESM and enabling.
The adoption of an inter-disciplinary approach provides an understanding of ESM and enabling that combines both sociological analysis as well as theological insight. Such a framing offers the possibility of appreciating the inductive, sociologically informed theology that underpins ESM and enabling (see Chapter Nine for further discussions). The stories I tell of the four parishes in Chapters Five to Eight demonstrate that new forms of church that are aware of both social and cultural context and theological context facilitate healthy and sustainable communities of faith that are connected to their wider communities.