DISTRICT ACCOMPANISTS (ACCOMPANIED SELF-APPRAISAL)
 
  

The Methodist Church has adopted a scheme of annual appraisal for all its ministers and deacons. They are expected to undertake a period of appraisal (perhaps lasting three months each year), reviewing particular aspects of their ministry, with the aim of a total overview of that ministry within the compass of three years.

The distinctive feature of this scheme of appraisal is that it is self-appraisal. Ministers will not be appraised by an external or authority figure (e.g. Chairman or Superintendent). The control, direction, ownership, content and outcome rest entirely in their own hands. But it is a key part of the scheme that they will have someone to "journey" with them independently, supportively and sensitively during each year's self-appraisal. This is the rôle of the accompanist. It is undeniably a significant responsibility, while yet being a privileged opportunity to play a part in the support and care of the ministry of the Methodist Church.



Each annual period of self-appraisal consists of five stages:

1.
The pairing of minister and accompanist, and initial reflection of the part of the minister.

2.
A meeting between the minister and accompanist to consider that reflection and to determine the focus, shape and investigation of the self-appraisal.

3.
The minister seeks "feedback" on the areas of ministry being reviewed from selected appropriate people.

4.
Minister and accompanist meet again on one or several occasions to evaluate the feedback and to set targets for the year ahead.

5.
The process is concluded for that year.




The oversight and administration of the scheme rests with the District Appraisal Group, appointed by the Synod and listed below. Key people in the Group are the District Appraisal Officer, the trainers and the secretary.

The Appraisal Officer and secretary arrange the pairing of self-appraisers and accompanists, information which they alone retain in confidence. However, the only information that is fed back to the Appraisal Officer from each annual self-appraisal is whether it has taken place and been concluded or not. The content of the self-appraisal remains totally confidential to the self-appraiser.

The District Appraisal Group undertakes the administration and development of the scheme, and arranges training/awareness and support/review sessions for accompanists and ministers separately.



Qualities required by accompanists

They must be practising Christians with an understanding of and a sympathy for the Methodist Church and its ministry. They have a necessary degree of maturity and life-experience, and it is an advantage if they have worked in occupations with some personnel responsibilities as well as experience of appraising and being appraised. They have to have qualities of patience, humour, shrewdness, encouragement and empathy - and the ability to listen and not to be too readily surprised.

It is hard to paint a more specific picture - and perhaps unwise anyway, in that accompanists will need to encompass a variety of personalities, as there is no such thing as the stereotype minister!

An accompanist must appreciate the significance of the fact that it is self-appraisal that the ministers are undertaking. After all the accompanist is not conducting an appraisal, does not play a directive rôle, and is not there to produce solutions for the minister.

It is the policy of the District Appraisal Group that neither accompanists nor ministers are offered a choice of whom to partner. It is the intention that an accompanist will not be asked to accompany a minister from their own Circuit, and those who are paired will, hopefully, not know each other well before the self-appraisal begins.

It will be usual for an accompanist to accompany the same minister for up to three years, but it is the view of the District Appraisal Group that pairings should only continue beyond three years in exceptional circumstances.

The ownership of the entire self-appraisal process is the minister's, and that the accompanist is expected to maintain a very strict degree of confidentiality.

DISTRICT ACCOMPANISTS

 
Mrs Kathleen Benny Mr Michael Boxall Mr Paul Bradley
Mrs Jean Cant  Dr David Cappitt Mr Maurice Chattle
Mr Alex Cloke Mr Jack Delbridge Mr Tom Douglas
Mr Robin Dowsett Mr Kenneth Eade Mrs Carole Ellis
Mrs Beulah Fletcher Mrs Joan Fullbrook Mrs Susan Gibson
Dr David Gooch Miss Sue Grasby Mr Steve Hall
Mrs Anne Hallifax Mr Len Hartigan Mr Alan Hartridge
Mr Ian Hunt Mr Alan Jameson Mrs Freddie Jenkins
Mrs Judith Jewell Mr Arnold Johnson Mr David Kendall
Mrs Pam Kendall Mrs Felicity Kendon Mrs Alison Laing
Miss Janet Loader Mrs Margaret Maskell Ms Sue McCrossan
Rev. Michael Meech Dr Fred Meynen Mrs Valerie Moffat
Mrs Geraldine Morgan Mrs Joyce Nelson Mr John Oborn
Mr Rodney Ovenden Miss Elizabeth Ovey Mrs Judith Parsons
Mr Edward Pender Mrs Jill Pender Mrs Ann Pfeiffer
Ms Sally Phillips Mrs Jean Plant Mrs Linda Prior
Mr Philip Sandiford Mrs Margaret Sawyer Mr John Scott 
Mrs Joan Seakins Mrs Sue Smith Mr Roger Stickland
Mrs Mary Stock Mrs Elizabeth Swift Ms Christina Tom-Johnson
Mr Neville Walton  Mrs Glenice White Miss Kathleen Wood
Mrs Beryl Woodward Mr John Woodward Mr John Wroe
Miss Christine Wykes