SYNODALITY AND SPIRIT OF COLLEGIALITY IN THE CHURCH TODAY

 

 

The last four years 2021-2024 the Church has been walking towards active participation, communion and mission. The basic question in picture has been and still is, are we walking together as a church? The spirit of the synod is simply the manner of doing things as a team, consulting, praying together in the spirit of the spirit, reaching out to those who feel left out, being ecumenical in thought and deed, celebrating together at the table of Eucharist and our daily celebrations of life, as brothers and sisters of one Father. The synod has brought out of us the best of team ministry gathered by Jesus, at least in its embryonic elements. Luke 9:1-6, 46-48; John 1:35-39; this is now becoming an ideal for many women and men, clerics, religious and lay people who are trying to minister together and with a precis style of Christian leadership and service. (Dodd Donnelly, Team theory and practice of Team Ministry, 1997).

The synod to many has come as a surprise and not a surprise to those who are good church historians. Some welcome and cherish, while others are skeptical about, or even opposed to. Those who prize it see in it a more just way of exercising ministry in the Church, and one which offers a greater possibility of cooperation among various ministries which offers greater possibility of cooperation among various ministries which operate in the Christian community. (Richard H. Guerrette, A New Identity for the Priest, 1973:47-48). Those who oppose it see in it another post Vatican II fad, or an attempt on the part of the laity, and especially the women, to get hold of ministerial power and roles which, they think, are reserved only to some people in Church.

We are going to venture into ways of exercising and/ or structuring the exercise of ministry in the church in the Synodal mode. We shall also attempt to get the description of Synod and spirit of collegiality, offering some reasons for the importance, and actual urgency of forming synodality as Team ministry. Then we shall put forward attempts the formation of Team ministry, especially in the AMECEA region, where the Church is considered as a Family of God.

How do we exercise ministry in the Church Today?

We find ourselves in a given church, residential or visiting and what we see around these churches leaves one with questions on how things are done in and around these churches, or structure that exists.

a)      One man show

This is seen in the way one exercises ministry, where everything is centred on one man doing everything for the community. He celebrates the rites of the community, holds all power in the community, he gives all the orders. He is what we could call fac totum for the community, or to use a popular expression which typifies even better this exercise of ministry he is deus ex machina for the community. He doesn’t allow anybody else to operate in the community. When it comes to ministry it him and nobody else. How many times have we heard the Priest say in the Parish: “for as long as I am here, nobody will…” “They will have to go over my dead body before…” “I am the pastor here: The bishop sent me here to run this parish: nobody will take away that responsibility from me…” No need to go into detail over this, we witnessed from the questions and answers people gave during the Synodal question sessions, and we know how much of this mentality still exists in some churches today. We have to recreate a new identity of today’s priest. Edward Schillebeeckx states: “The model of the pastor who is capable of doing everything is clearly out of date” (Edward Schillebeeckx, Ministry, 1981:135).

b)      Ministries under one man’s control

One is the minister but he has people under him who have to follow and do what he says strictly, operates under his authority, to the extent that he allows them, and with the style and idiosincracies that sets up for them. These other ministers are in function of the ordained minister, they do what he cannot do, or does not want to do, or is incapable of doing which of course is never said with loud tones, but they have no say, no input, no alternatives to offer. They are simply alter ego of the ordained minister., who appoints them and removes them, controls their actions and dictates their behavior. (J.J.A Vollebergh, “Religious leadership” in Minister? Pastors Prophets? 1980:41-42). One wonders whether with technological advancement these tasks may not be done by robots, properly programmed and activated at the right time by the master.

c)      Ministers as professionals

Some of our ministries in the church today resemble that of multinationals. In these systems there is a clear organogram which operates like the brain of the system and spells out clearly who has the supreme authority in the team, how and to what degree that authority is shared by the various departments etc. Everything is ISO Certified you do not need to guess work. Against that job descriptions a person will be evaluated, promoted, fired, penalized or rewarded. Communication between the ministers is done through memos or notes, with copies to all those above the writer and the addressee. (Joseph H. Fichter, “The Myth of the Hyphenated Clergy”, 1969:15-32).

Where do you leave the presence of the Holy Spirit of God living in the community, and to the members of the community, themselves, or whether the Spirit has been straight jacketed by the structure and the members are victims of modernized oppression. We still have many other methods of structuring and exercising ministries in the church will simply depend on what kind of model do you see around you, rediscover it, learn one or two things about it to get the grasp of life you are living as a Christian in your given surrounding. The synod has come to show us the way of dealing with many issues and where ministers are considered equals. In the synod there are no hierarchies but round table service function and witness of life. The charisms we have in the church should help us open our mentality and thought that we share in the decision making: All are responsible, within their own field of activity, for the execution of the plans. Each is accountable to the whole team of her/his activities, and they are constantly renewed through prayer, sharing and prophetic challenges.

d)      The Synodal way ministry

Each ministry is a service to the community of the believers, and not a privilege, a position of prestige, giving honour and status to the minister. Service which means true concern for those served by the ministers, love for them, fondness of them, caring about them, going out to them as much as possible at their level. Ministers who are servants are concerned about the good of the people and not about reward, recognition, promotion, neither are they deterred by humiliations, lack of success, lack of appreciation. Naturally appreciation and cooperation of extreme help if any and when they are given; but they are of little consequences if not given. (Ross. F. Kinsler, Ministry By the People). In the Christian community authority and charisma are for service.

e)      In the synod all ministers are considered equal

The members of the team are ministers. That is what grounds them together, a reality they must recognize, and which calls them to treat each other as equal. To relate with one another at par, to deal with one another with respect and love. This equality should not deny that there are various ministries, different roles who bring their talent to usefulness in the Synodal mode. The one in charge considers himself as primus vel… prima inter pares, and will act not out of power, of authority but more as a focal point of the team’s activities. This accepted equality by the team members translates into practice, to the farthest possible extent, the idea of collegiality of Vatican II, and offers a model of collegiality to be studied and followed by team ministers at all levels. It is about sharing life together, operate together. If this has to be clearly taught in seminary classes, theological thoughts and research, then we know that we are walking together as pilgrims of hope to a destiny of great faith and hope.

f)       The synod welcomes charisms and put to proper use

Each ministry is based on the charism that is given by God to a specific person to accomplish the designated mission within the church. It is a grace of building of the community. The ministers operate by the power of the charism, which the mother church recognizes and approves, accepts it and not a bestowing of it. (Anon Houtepen., “Gospel Church Ministry” in Minister? Pastor? Prophet, 22). These are charism which the synod should help us to accept, recognize and respect and freely allowed to operate. Ministers do not exist because one in authority has called them forth, neither do they operate because s/he wants it. Ministers exist in their own right, and act in their own right. They are not benevolent approval of those in authority; neither do they operate according to the whims of those in authority. In the community the fullness of ministry comes from sharing of the charisma of all the members of the Synodal team, not from one single minister.

g)      In the synod all team members share in decision making process

We live in a world that is complex, even in rural areas, people are becoming more and more sophiscated and with needs which cover the whole gamut of human behavior, that requires understanding of differences, adequate planning and accurate execution. There is need to listen to the experiences of those ministered to, to study well the situations have to be diagnosed with sound theological, sociological and cultural analysis; the decision has to be made with logical reasoning and accuracy. (J.J A. Vollebergh).

The time when one person could make all final decisions alone is over. Decisions that bring hope are those decisions made in unison. All the team members must bring their expertise, their experiences, their insights and those of the people whom they serve, into the process of decision making. To reduce our ministry to an impromptu response to all situations is to become the blind leading other blind. To reduce our apostolate to uniformity of activities, to the same trum-trum day in and day out, is to become stagnant in the society which changes constantly and quickly. To expect all decision be made by one person only, is to lead the apostolate into chaos and ruin, or into doctorial and blind power.

h)      In the synod all team members are responsible, within their own field, for execution of the decisions made communally by the team.

Once the plan of action has been approved and the decisions made and finalized, then each Team member must feel responsible for its execution. There should be no interference unduly, try to influence and to impose ways and means that the minister doesn’t agree with, or doesn’t not want to use, or are not in keeping with his or her style of action. We must be convinced that each one of us has his or her own modus operandi, style of ministry, common sense, speed of action, sense of responsibility, and, for as long as the minister is allowed to remain in ministry, she should be responsible for that ministry and of the execution of that part of the plan which is his. Even if the other ministers of the synodal team would perform better, they do not have the right to interfere and change the chartered plan during its implementation. Is there any responsibility then? Is the minister responsible to anyone? Yes, of course.

i)       In the synod, each minister is responsible to the whole team for her/his activities

Each member should give accountability of what he does. Accountability to the Synodal team what we planned as a team has to reach its fulfillment. The members have a right to question the leadership in light of the above-mentioned criteria. They have the right to make a critique of the way of ministering to propose alternate ways and even to demand changes, or to pass judgement on the conduct of one of team members, and to take punitive actions whenever the team as whole decides to do so.  

j)       Members of the Synodal team are constantly renewed through prayer, sharing and prophetic challenges.

This is the most difficult to implement. Schools, hospitals and those who work in intuitions will find it easy to follow the above mentioned points. But the Synodal team ministry is quite different and special one. These are people who have found faith which is at the foundation of all they do. They follow the gospel that is spelt out clearly in the teaching of Jesus, and even shows more clearly in hos examples what ministry is, and how ministry is conducted in the small Christian community. These are people who are called by the Spirit to ministry, and are endowed by the same Spirit with keeping with the type of ministry to be exercised in the community. These are people with professional preparation and/or a long experience in a given type of ministry to be exercised in the community.

These are people who may have a good professional preparation and along experience in a given type of ministry which must be respected and treasured. These people form a Synodal team not only to work more effectively, or to minister better, but to become, through the experience of ministry and of the team, better disciples, more dedicated ministers. They need to sustain each other with team prayer, team sharing of their faith and their journey. They need to sustain each other, to support one another, to edify one another, to call forth to sustain each other, to support one another. A team of ministers is a small faith community which grows, struggles, prays, shares together, goes through the ups and downs of life and ministry and the idiosyncrasies of each person with pain but also with determination.