Yet another ordained ministerial layer - a restored Permanent Diaconate? Where does it leave the Laity ? The report 'For such a time as this' conjures the image of Synodical Oil.

THE DREGS ? .............. Our younger daughter worked for 13 years as a chemical engineer in the oil industry. When a tanker arrived at the refinery, one of her jobs was to calculate, depending on the quality of the crude oil, what fractions needed to be drawn off for each of the various applications for which oil products are needed, until you reach the heavy sludge at the bottom. It seems to me that we are in danger of trying to draw off more and more layers of ordained ministry, with different titles and applications, and leaving a reduced and denser layer of laity at the bottom. Is that what the Church needs?

A PARTNERSHIP .............. We have been hearing for many years now about the need for and desirability of an active LAY discipleship and ministry. To my mind that means non-ordained, but committed to witness and service, sharing in the ministry of the ordained but each with our own contribution to make. "All Christians are 'sent' or 'apostled' by the Lord" "Every baptised believer is called to ministry in one way or another", and again "All according to their vocation and ministry play their part." We as the church need to work together in partnership, in the community as well as in the church and we risk disempowering the laity by syphoning off more and more forms of ordained ministry. We may know or think we know the difference between stipendiary ministry and NSM and MSE and OLM and LLM and LPA. To most people in our parishes, whether they come to church or not, anyone entitled to wear a dog collar or robes is a 'vicar', and everyone else is 'congregation'.

STILL USEFUL ............. To return to the oil. That bottom layer of oil still has its uses. One is as bitumen to provide roads and pavements - to be trampled on by every vehicle and pedestrian - useful maybe, but passive. But perhaps there is hope too. Another use of the sludge is as heavy fuel oil to power ships. And, at least in a traditional style church, the laity sit in that upturned ship called the nave! Lay people can and do provide the power to keep the Church moving forward, steered and encouraged by the various white-collared sections, but not overshadowed by them.

Viviane Hall [Oxford] at General Synod - November 2001