These are my recollections and notes from the meeting. I hope I have heard Bp Philip accurately, but any errors are my own. Bp Philip spoke of four priorities that he comes to the Diocese with. They are what he presented to the selection group when he was interviewed for the post.

However, before laying out those priorities he also referenced the Diocesan Mission Statement – To Discovering God’s Kingdom and Growing the Church. He very much supports this; both as recognising that the Kingdom is greater than the church (God is at work in the world at large, revealing his Kingdom), and affirming a passion to see the Church grow and flourish in its calling. He is not planning to change this Mission Statement.

He also spoke about an emphasis:

• on Prayer, which is at the hart of everything he is seeking,
• on Hope, which he believes we must recognise and speak out (as someone has said, we are seeing signs of hope and statistics of despair – let’s major on hope), and
• on the Legacy of Faith in this county. Bp Philip certainly treasures the peculiar legacy of faith that we are inheritors of in Cornwall.

As to his four main priorities, he set these out as (in no particular order):

Celebrating Children & Young People – not just looking for them, but celebrating them as fellow disciples. [Personally, I would want to add ‘Families’, as a focus alongside this, as they so intimately linked in God’s heart and purposes]. He seems to be a fan of Messy Church, but is keen to promote the place of children & young people in our ministry and church life.

Valuing Innovation & Pioneers (in fact being innovating and pioneering) – he is keen for the church to trying all sorts of things and not afraid of failure. He referenced Tribute ale, named after the system of tribute whereby miners were encouraged to seek out new seams. The Diocese has started a particular pioneering work at Falmouth (largely funded from national resources) and others will follow, but we are all encouraged to be innovative and pioneering.

Being Transformed from the Inside Out – He values the church’s work in transforming society, but is clearly looking for a church that is itself transformed from the inside out. This means that we need to pay attention to where we are and who we are – and especially pay attention to God in who and where we are. The test of such transformation, he suggested would be whether what we become its truly contextual both to the Gospel and to our local situations.

He believes that this may mean a new model of ministry; setting the whole people of God free in their gifts and calling. He recognises that this could be messy, but suggested that it was not only worth the risks, but an increasing necessity.

Looking Beyond these Shores – from his CMS background he is keen to expand our links with other churches overseas. He values our existing relationships, but wants to add others. Reflecting on Cornwall’s ancient past trading links, he has a particular desire to see links with the church in the Lebanon (ancient Phoenicia)

Finally, from a personal point of view, he spoke about his desire to be a listening bishop, collaborative and to give a voice to the marginalised and – most of all – to be gospel centred, gospel celebrating and gospel proclaiming.

I believe we have a Bishop who has been sent to us for this time. He is not the answer – Jesus is – but we need to pray for him, listen to him, and surprise him with what God is calling us to be and do. All institutions, by their nature, are resistant to change. The Church of England, in its structures and procedures, seems to have an extraordinary ability to frustrate the very things that Bp Philip is passionate about; let us pray for him, encourage him, and hold him to what he has set out to do.

Perhaps there is an approach that can move on from this image to something more appropriate for the Body of Christ

Start with a Team – often it seems that only one person is pushing, so the first step is to gather a team of those who seem most active in the church (always admitting that not all the active people are active in a good way; so we are looking for godly people). Getting them together and getting them to recognise their calling together as leaders in the church. Identifying the leadership team is the first hard step.

Getting the Team to Work Together – the next stage is to recognise that the people who may seem to be called to leadership all have their own ideas and agenda. If they are pushing (or pulling) in different directions they are not going to be part of the solution. There is probably no shortcut in this stage – it takes time talking, praying and worshiping together, to find some sense of mutual calling and vision. And, this needs to be an ongoing working at relationship; regular and committed.

Envisioning the Church – if it is left there, we have only achieved more people pushing the wheelbarrow. We need to do something about the wider Church. Perhaps, the first stage is to begin to encourage a vision of what the church is and what it can be. This can be like oiling the wheel; making the wheelbarrow easier to push and decreasing its natural resistance. Churches naturally get rusty unless they are maintained. Envisioning, here, has a double meaning: it is both giving the church a vision (a purpose and direction); and it is seeing the church differently (envisioning a different way of being church). Both are necessary.

Equipping the Body – Making the wheelbarrow easier to push is a great thing (it is often harder than it should be; somehow like pushing it uphill). But the next stage is like installing a motor. The church is not meant to be pushed, like a wheelbarrow; it is a living body, that moves because it is alive. And Leadership is meant to be an encouraging and managing its growth and life, not pushing it along. Often, though, the body has become like a patient in hospital; a once living and vital person, becomes dependent and passive. We need to free the people and equip them to live out their calling together.

Given all of the above, however, we need to remember that each church is the actual people of Christ that have been gathered as that local expression. They are not theoretical, but real, people; and they are the people that must be that particular expression of church. We always have to work with what we’ve got – with who we are – and to wish we (or they) were different is lacking in faith. Jesus gathered the most unpromising group of disciples, but in his hands, and with the gift of his Spirit, they turned the world upside down.