"My key mission is to lead the Church in worshipping Jesus Christ and encouraging people to believe in him and follow him. That's my mission." (source)
Those of us who've become accustomed to a lack of clarity in the leadership of the Church of England had better start getting used to something different. I'm surprised to find myself so surprised at Justin Welby's clarity in statements like this one. But that surprise is quite telling - why have I got used to wordy fluff in the place of clear vision? And it's a challenge too - do I or my fellow church leaders have the same clarity? What is my key mission?
I've recently been on a 2 day consultation on 'priesthood', and what it is and what it isn't. I've come back with a lot of thoughts, stories, a few insights and helpful quotes, but nothing like the above. And I'm reminded again just how important it is to get alone with God, as Jesus did, to get back to the key mission. So often life is so busy that I lose track of priorities, and end up just responding to deadlines and demands. That's not good enough, and it's no help to the church I lead.
I think we are in for some very exciting times. Both the CofE and the RC church now have people at the top who have a clear idea of what they (and we) should be about and are not afraid to ruffle a few feathers when necessary.
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