John Swinton, Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges

Abstract

in the New Testament are contextual and do not mandate any particular form of oversight today. Deferring an examination of the patristic evidence to a later chapter, the second and third chapters consider how history, tradition and the ecumenical context of different British Churches condition their understandings of oversight. Inevitably, but not in an overstated way, the association of the English episcopate with the privileges of establishment is part of that context. For me – and, I suspect, for most readers – Part 2 (Experience) is the most interesting and useful part of the book. The editors have assembled a set of perspectives on oversight from a wide range of (mainly Protestant) ecclesial backgrounds: Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, URC, Salvation Army, Pentecostal, New Church, Black Church and New Monastic. I found it fascinating to compare the roles and responsibilities of a Salvation Army Divisional Commander, a Methodist District Chair and a Baptist Regional Minister. And David Muir makes the point that in Black Churches the designation and use of titles or offices are important and can be a sign of disrespect or ecclesiological imperialism if you get them wrong. Some common themes emerge in Part 3 (Practice). Roger Standing notes that ‘trans-local ministry is not local ministry writ large’ (p. 203). It carries – increasingly – responsibilities for management and governance as well as leadership. Some of the more poignant chapters in the book are written by those whose denominations are ambivalent about oversight yet put people in place to do it. Roberta Rominger (URC) comments: ‘In short, the job is impossible . . . it is a ministry under immense stress . . . it carries enormous responsibilities without the attendant authority to make things happen’ (p. 141). For the sake of the well-being of those in oversight, I hope the sceptics take note. This book will be valuable for anyone new to a position of ecclesial oversight or someone already in such a position wanting to explore the nature of their role more deeply.