Every minister or deacon shall engage annually in a process of Accompanied Self-Appraisal. The purpose of this process is to strengthen each minister or deacon in fulfilling his or her vocation by examining three areas of accountability:
i.
how the minister’s or deacon’s
personal calling to ministry is currently experienced
ii.
the ways in which that vocation is
being fulfilled in relation to the church as a whole
iii.
the ways in which vocation is being
fulfilled in the particular appointment in which the minister or deacon is
currently stationed, or, in the case of a minister or deacon serving in an
appointment not within the control of the church or without appointment, the
ways in which that vocation is otherwise being fulfilled.
taken from
Standing Order 743
The process and the content of ASA belongs to the minister and remains confidential. The accompanist is responsible for process, eg. arranging meetings, ensuring the process happens, supporting the presbyter or deacon.
The
continuation of the process depends on the relationship between the presbyter
or deacon and the accompanist – this may take longer than one year
·
the church is not prescriptive of
what happens in the process – it is a decision for the presbyter or deacon and
the accompanist
·
the process does require the
presbyter or deacon to reflect and obtain feedback
The
process should usually take between three or four months, each year.
Pairings
Pairings,
between presbyters or deacons and accompanists, are confirmed in January:
·
all new presbyters and deacons
(not Probationers) are paired with an accompanist
·
existing presbyters and deacons
(not Probationers) will remain with their accompanist for 3 to 5 years
·
if either party is not comfortable
with the matching, for whatever reason, then a new pairing will be made – if
you have any concerns about your pairing please contact the District Appraisal Officer
In any new
pairing, the minister or deacon is invited to complete a New Minister’s Form and send it to the accompanist before their first
meeting.
First Meeting
This meeting usually includes the following:
·
some reflection, on the part of
the presbyter or deacon, to decide the aspect of ministry to be appraised in
that year – a topic can be extended over more than on year, if this is
appropriate, as long as this has been decided at the beginning of the first
year
·
some consideration of what the
‘feedbackers’ are to be asked and the most appropriate way in which this
feedback will be collected, eg. from inside or outside of the church; from the
congregation, colleagues or others; by questionnaire, interview, observation,
etc.
It may not
be possible to achieve this in one meeting, therefore further meetings may be
required depending on the particular situation.
There are
two useful leaflets that might support this meeting
·
Leaflet for Feedbackers
; information for those from whom feedback is obtained
·
Topics for ASA ; lists of topics used in ASA process in
previous years
Reflecting on the Feedback
Once the
presbyter or deacon has obtained feedback they are encouraged to take some time
reflecting on what they have received. Whether this feedback and reflection is
shared with the accompanist is for the presbyter or deacon to decide
·
most choose to share this part of
the process
·
the accompanist is able to help
the presbyter or deacon to make the best of their feedback by reflecting on
questions like:
·
what do I get from the feedback?
·
what can I learn and take forward into
my ministry?
·
what SMART objectives am I able to
set for myself?
SMART
= Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based
The next period of self-appraisal, ie. next year, should begin with how far, or not, these objectives have been achieved.
At the end
of the process the accompanist completes a Closure Form and Expenses Form that both need to be returned to the District Appraisal Officer.
Two events
are organised each year to offer support to accompanists:
·
in September – Refresher Day
·
in May/June – Support Evening
Details of these events and other information about the scheme is to be found in the ASA Newsletter, which is distributed twice a year (summer and winter)
The 2007 Methodist
Conference adopted a report which outlines the scheme that it is proposed will
replace ASA from 2009. The Annual
Development Review is currently being piloted in five districts
(
The Oxford
& Leicester District made a formal response to these proposals in 2005 –
this response can be read here.
A draft
set of questions
have been prepared for use in Annual Development Reviews (ADR) which may be
useful for self appraisers in the wind down of ASA and the run up to ADR
The
Accompanied Self-Appraisal scheme in the Northampton District is overseen by
the District Appraisal Group (DAG). This group usually meets twice a year and
consists of:
·
Chair of District
·
District Appraisal Officer
·
ASA Trainers
·
Accompanist rep
·
Ministerial rep
·
District Training &
Development Officer
The names
of the members of this group are available in the Synod Directory or from the District Appraisal Officer