And so it ends


Five years of university approach their end today as I head to New College to hand in my Masters dissertation. Odd to think that five years of education might be condensed into 44 pages of text. Of course, that’s just a very small part of it, but I guess every word is influenced in some way by that learning process.

Not through any sense of vanity or high regard for my work, but simply because some gracious people have expressed an interest, I’ve uploaded my masters research work. There are three research essays and the small dissertation. All-in-all around 26000 words of my ramblings as I tried to get my head around Emerging Church and how the Church of Scotland was and is interacting with it.

I was commenting to a friend that the days of struggling to find 1500 words for an essay in first year seem a very long way removed from churning out 15000 words for a dissertation, but the time has disappeared in a flash and I’m sure it will not be slowing down any as I head into probation in just over a week’s time.

Maybe I should have entitled the post, “And so it continues.”

ps – my thanks to Alan, Fiona, Lindsay and Maggie for being kind enough to proof my dissertation. I can only apologise for putting you through that.


10 responses to “And so it ends”

  1. Was good to see you on Friday post diss hand in.  Very well done that man.  And, like I said, you have made a valuable contribution to the research pool in this area… opened it up further and given a different perspective on this from a denominational POV.  When you going to put some of it together for an article for ‘Scottish Theology’?  [no, not kidding]
    Will miss our blethers ar NC and will be odd not seeing you around!  I am truly beginning to feel that I am just a part of the furniture now at uni. as I approach yr 7!!!!

  2. @Maggie,

    You did volunteer, and I am very grateful for it.

    @Nik,

    Do you mean the SJT or Theology in Scotland (wot your mate Fran editorialises in).

  3. Congratulations, I wonder if you are thinking of a book in reply to Outside Verdict – just a thought. Every blessing in the next stage of your journey.

  4. Congratulations! It’s been a long road from Gartmore and Selection Conference. Probation is great – I can say that now I’m nearing the end! Enjoy your placement – I may see you there on occasion!

  5. @Freda – Wasn’t that Inside Verdict? I would be interested in getting some sort of feedback on it from 121. I have the impression that I’ve either simply stated the obvious and that’s what everyone is working towards in the CofS snail-like way, or there is a genuine lack of joined-up thinking oging on.

    @CB – It does seem such a long time ago, but the time has disappeared so quickly. This past year in particular seems to have flown in. Is suspect probation will pass even more quickly.

  6. Thank you.

    I have my last candidates’ conference at the end of the week and then have probation conferences to look forward to. Who knows, they may invite me back to give a ‘real-life’ view. Bit of a risk of scaring folks off though I would have thought.

  7. Oops – sorry John! My mistake shows how lazy one gets in retirement, (I get my two Verdict books muddled) but I would be interested in reading an up to date book that made some of the current work and reaction to new patterns of ministry/emerging church more accessible. CofS reports are all well and good but they don’t get out to encourage people in the pew. One of things dunned into me as a student was the importance of story!  Will leave you to guess who from!

  8. I don’t feel tempted by a book, but I could be persuaded to revisit the essays and dissertation to make them more coherent and less ‘academic’.

    Most of all though, I’d actually quite like a reaction from 121. Setting aside the academic aspect of my research, I’m really curious about how I’ve interpreted the GA reports. I’d also love to know the politics that’s almost certainly going on in the background, Is there an agenda being pushed here? Is CWW being ‘sidelined’ in favour of shiny new Emerging Church ideas? Lots and lots of other questions going round in my head.

    And I’d really love to think that someone (other than God, of course) actually has a big picture in mind and is looking at all this through the same lens I have. Otherwise I think these things will just bumble along ineffectively, wasting time and resources and achieving little other than a degree of disillusionment.

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