What is supervision?

What is supervision in the Methodist Church?

Supervision in the Methodist Church is an exploratory and reflective process. Every ordained minister is required to meet 1:1 for 9 hours with a trained, resourced and approved supervisor to reflect on their vocation and practice over the course of a Connexional year. Others with significant pastoral responsibility are encouraged to be in supervision. This is a different process to one that you may have experienced in other walks of life and is not to be confused with line management or assessment. Rather it is an accompanied process of reflection on ministry.

Since September 2020 almost all presbyters and deacons working in the Methodist Church have been in structured supervision.  Conversations continue about how to make that practical for those not in circuit appointments and for lay people in relevant roles.

Ministers in other appointments, which include MIST chaplains, pioneer ministers, ordained Connexional Team members, ministers without appointment, ministers with appointments outside control of the Church, and ministers with permission to reside overseas, are also of course included on the District Supervision Implementation Plans or equivalents. Much more detail about the related policy can be found in the FAQs page of this website

Why supervision?

The purpose of supervision in the Methodist Church is to support effective mission and ministry as part of a culture of prayer, accountability, support and safety for all who minister and for those amongst whom they work. 

Good supervision helps the supervisee pay attention to the detail of their practice within the horizon of God's justice and love and in relation to the Church's expectations about ethical and healthy ways of working.

The experience of the majority of those who received supervision is that it provided regular space in the diary that promoted their own health and wellbeing and helped them focus on the outcomes of their ministry for others.  For some supervision has become a regular means of grace in which God's transforming presence is being encountered. 

Questions

If you have questions about supervision, please consult the FAQs page and if that doesn't help, contact me on binghamj@methodistchurch.org.uk.  If you would like to discuss any aspect of supervision in the Methodist Church please contact me by email or telephone (07799 900487) to arrange a time to do so.

I look forward to sharing with you in this important work.
 

Jane Bingham
Ministry Development Officer for Supervision