Continuing Leadership

Reflecting back from Cliff College and looking forward to the next 'Breakfast on the Beach' on Sunday and picking up the family threads between has proved interesting.
First, that most of what I read and we talked about last week, however far it explored patterns of leadership within the church, mostly takes the idea of Priest/Pastor/Presbyter as essential. The thinking seems to me to focus more about how far priesthood etc. must change:- how it operates, what it has to do to contend with current cultural climate, how it must become more enabling of the laity or more collaborative for example but rarely does it get into the possibility that its time has come. I'm not saying that all clergy ought to be out of a job (that would include me!) but it does seem to me to be something that ought to be just as much in the melting pot as everything else when we talk about leadership in the future.
I was caught, on my quick round up of the blogs I keep track of, by this from the Emerging Grace blog which I think fits in to the whole discussion on what we mean by leadership for the future, because we can't have discussion about leadership without talking about the church that needs (?) leading. The argument about movement and institution in particular fascinate me especially in the area of can it be big and not become an institution?

As far as the family theads they seem to me to have had, in my abscence, had a challenging week (though they probably argue life is more challenging when I'm around..) managing a few unexpected and unuasual things in their stride!

Planning for 'Breakfast on the Beach' seems more low key and relaxed this time now we all seem to know what to expect and what is needed it I certainly am feeling far less preassure

I am more concerned at the moment as to how best to speak up for communities that currently don't exist in the rafts of new hosing planned for Northampton and how to get the Methodist Churches here engaged in that when many are concerned for the welfare of their own congregations and local communities.