ABSTRACT
The ARCS work with Portsmouth Dioceses (Roman Catholic) was unusual for its non-London base, springing from a previous research relationship in an earlier project. It offers an important insight into the possibilities and challenges for that diocesan-initiated renewal and resourcing of mission which is now commonplace within both Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism in England and Wales. As an example of the ways in which the discursive exercise of episcopal oversight can act creatively and positively (1), this Practice also elicited learning concerning the difficulties of such centrally/hierarchically initiated processes. The effective communication to both parish clergy (2) and lay people (3) was problematic, not least for the difficulties all seemed to have in moving beyond an ad intra ecclesiological perspective. At the same time, these difficulties, and that around celebrating Eucharist as missionary (5), were fruitfully recognised and responded to by the diocesan team. For the ARCS team, this work with Portsmouth early in theological action research development was key to our positioning our research firmly away from ‘consultancy’ towards a more thorough-going participatory process (4).
