Continuing our series looking at the changing models of ministry, Revd Mark Wade shares his experiences of learning to be an oversight minister.

Mark joined the Diocese of Truro in September 2024 as vicar and oversight minister in Liskeard and St Keyne, where he oversees three traditional churches: Dobwalls, United Church, St Keyne, and St Martin’s. There are also new congregations pioneering new ways of doing Church such as SOAR and the children’s midweek group which is now a worship community for the whole family called Blaze Supper Club.

Mark says: “All of this celebrates my call to serve West Wivelshire as an oversight minister. My previous role was a hub leader in Church Wigan in the Liverpool diocese. All my experience of ministry over the last eight years has been in oversight ministry, how I was trained as a curate, and my first two roles as an incumbent. There has been a real sense of call to this ministry, and seeing it grow and flourish.”

Mark says the attraction to the call in the Truro diocese was the area of oversight ministry and vision for the diocese, and the heart of the benefice, not only to grow traditional congregations but to also grow new ways of doing Church and connecting with people where they are at and growing new leaders. “As I read the 36 pages of the parish profile, what spoke to me was the openness of wanting to invest in growing leaders and taking risks in doing Church differently.

“I believe these are two of the most important parts of oversight ministry: the willingness to take risks and think outside of the box, and taking time to invest in local lay leaders and exploring their vision, gifts, and hopes for the different worship communities that they serve in.”

Over the last nine months Mark has spent time sitting and listening, getting involved and beginning to see new things start, and new leaders grow, and people exploring who and what they might be called to. He said: “In our small village Church of St Keyne, where we have between 12-18 regulars, there are two great examples. The first is two of our lay leaders doing the Local Worship leaders’ course. They have found this to be a good space for them to explore what God might be asking of us in worship, but also our outreach to the community.

“One of them is part of our Messy Church team, and this has helped him, and the team, think about how we can connect more to the five or six families who come to Messy Church. So, over the summer, we shall be running it in the park, and one of them will have a BBQ. This is a great example of oversight ministry as I have just walked with them and asked questions, shared with their vision and God’s vision, and they are shaping the ministry and excited about growing in numbers, but also growing their teams.

“The other great example comes from one of the helpers at Messy Church who came with her sister and connected and then started to help, and now comes on a Sunday morning, and in spring came to our Alpha course, and in her words ‘this is the best news ever and has changed my life in what it means to follow Jesus’. She is now going to be camping with us all when we go to Creation Fest in the summer.”

Listening & responding

Mark says that oversight ministry has been the only ministry he has known. “We shall be raising new priests all over the UK, and this is all they will know, which is good news in my view, but also brings challenges.

“To do oversight ministry well we need to know the history and tradition and celebrate all that has happened and learn. From my experience in Wigan, this was something we did not do well at the start of Transforming Wigan. When we became Church Wigan, we ensured we spent more time listening and responding to the needs of people and what had happened in the past. I believe one of the biggest challenges is listening and learning from all that has gone before and ensuring it is not just about the new things we do but also taking everyone with us in leading in this new way. This is hard, challenging, and time-consuming, but also brings so much more wealth and depth when the Church unites together.”

Mark says he is so hopeful for the future of the Church and for us in Truro diocese. “One of my joys has been taking part in training with a group of other oversight ministers. Some have moved from across the diocese while others like me have moved to diocese because of the vision here. This group has brought me much joy and laughter. I have also been able to journey with people through the lows and challenges of ministry, consider how we do oversight ministry well and work towards enabling us to not only grow as leaders but also grow our local leaders.”

Risk taking

Mark says the other important part of oversight ministry is risk taking. “Some of the new worship communities may fail, and some will succeed. Some of those stepping into leadership are not traditional leaders. This is what we saw Jesus do with his disciples: he took risks, he was willing to see people make mistakes and learn from them to shape and form them.

“I am excited about seeing people with ideas and about creating a culture of permission giving, releasing the community to go with an idea that they believe God is asking them to do. I believe my role as an oversight ministry is to journey with them and support them. Some see oversight ministry as a strange and uncomfortable new way of doing ministry, I see it as going back to the early Church’s way of doing ministry, simply listening and responding to what God is doing and asking of us.”

As it says in Acts 2 42-44:

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.

Mark says this is what he is seeing in his role in oversight ministry – people faithful, eager to grow together, willing to take risks, and eager to see the Kingdom of God grow. “I am excited about the coming year and years of being an oversight minister in Truro diocese; that vision to invest in people, in building new worship communities and growing new leaders, and just as those first disciples did, take risks.”