Swedish deacons break barriers

YOU might think that training for ministry is hard enough without doing it in another language and culture, writes Annie Coley, Parish Development Adviser, Colchester Episcopal Area.

But that's what Dr Johan Sobelius opted for this Spring when he came from Chelmsford's partner diocese of Karlstad in Sweden to do a month's placement based in the Colchester Area.

Coming from an agricultural background, Johan has a particular interest in the rural church, which he
considers to be a primary resource in building God's church today, so a very full programme of visits was arranged to lay and ordained leaders in a dozen or more locations.

One thing that interested most of those who met Johan was why he decided halfway through his ordination training to become a permanent deacon rather than a priest.

In the Church of England we only know deacons as first year curates, on their way to becoming something else, but in Sweden a deacon is someone who works in the church in the area of their own
expertise.

This, he says, offers great opportunities to go out and find people in the world outside the church, understand their context and build relationships, which was where he began to realise his true
vocation was. The placement included preaching in a parish church - good experience, because
when there are less than nine million speakers of your language, English is a useful additional tool in ministry and mission.

Two training days, Conflict Management in Multi-parish Benefices (Norwich Diocese) and Leading from the Second Chair, this year's Reader CME topic, were both very relevant and in the Lincoln Diocese, Johan made visits to the chaplains to agricultural and migrant workers.

Time off was spent discovering the beauty of our largely hidden part of Britain. So as Johan reflects on all he has seen and done, how positive is he about the future of the church here and in Sweden?
Very.

"It is encouraging to see many working in the same direction, learning from eachother and trying to find good solutions locally." This is a task for the whole people of God: what we cannot be, he maintains,
is a church divided into 'consumers' and 'performers'. Johan thanks everyone for the warmth of welcome and openness in sharing, and hopes there will be a return visit to him and his family in Arvika. Ordination is in June 2009 - perhaps we could charter a plane!

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