I'll be a little personal. It's been quite a week for me. It's not often you find yourself two days in a row on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald or, for that matter, phoned at the crack of dawn to appear on ABC breakfast radio.

On Tuesday I found that, of all things, this blog was the basis of media reports about clergy making inappropriate smart cracks and bad jokes in church. Meanwhile here on my blog the conversation moved a long way towards the more esoteric question of humour in heaven.

But let’s not lose sight of the real point. I do want to remind my (basically clergy) readership not to forget how peeved lay people get when we don't deliver material helpful to them growing in their understanding, love or focus on God.

I’m not saying I’m not at fault too. I even got a phone call this morning from a woman who wanted to be anonymous, so fearful was she of criticising me. All she had to say was that sometimes my voice drops down in preaching and she can't understand, and it really annoys her. I thanked her and resolved to be more clear next time. She had heard me on the radio and thought it was time to tell me what had been really bugging her.

On that question of the general demeanour of clergy, I remember some years ago now that a member of my family who is not now a church goer did attend a baptism of one of my grandchildren. He wasn't massively impressed.

"The minister bounced around like a game show host," he said. Enough said.

The second reason for being in the public eye (and talking to the ABC in the pre-dawn blackness while walking my dog) was far less fun.

Reaction to our financial problems

It was the story about the loss of well over $100 million from the Diocesan Endowment as well as other monies from the Endowment of the See, which the Archbishop had written to the parishes about.

I was struck by some of the reaction of people to the story of the difficulties we have found ourselves in.

If you read the press you will know that there was a rather strange connection between thoughtful equity investments for the long term, which we were doing, and gambling, which we were not doing. Though I see that other letters soon tried to correct this complete misunderstanding. There was a little bit of schadenfreude for those who’d like to see the great Sydney Diocese brought low, and some genuine confusion, even worry that a church organisation should somehow tainted by money and involved in such investments.

I know there are some real questions that need further reflection.

I see no problem with putting the money God has given us wisely into investments to increase its value. And even adding to that sum through prudent borrowing and reinvestment. At least not in a moral or theological sense.

That said, I know there are questions that need to be asked about the particular way in which things were done given the indisputable fact that much money was made but even more money was finally lost. (after we had spent so much of it.)

It was interesting that some of the harshest things that were said to me personally during the week were emails from members of the Diocese of Sydney who were in general terms I thought to be on side with us. Some of the kindest things were from those much further away, like a clergyman from central Victoria who sent me an email of personal encouragement. I guess it goes to show you can never quite know.

The future

For us in the Diocese the big questions will be not so much wringing our hands as we look backwards. Rather it is working out what to do as we move forward. I am very happy to know that our finances are in good shape now. The questions is dealing with the losses. And this will have a massive impact on the money our Synod has available to it as well as, for quite different reasons, the amount of money the Archbishop will have for his [episcopal] team.

In every case there is going to be significant and, I suspect, unavoidably painful cuts. Fortunately the parishes should be spared. It's just us who work in St Andrew's House and all other more central activities - Moore College, Youthworks, Anglican Media - who will be at the front end.

Finally we on the Glebe Board will next month process a very extensive report which is a completely review of our processes, membership, governance and performance as a board.

We are even going to be given individual reports on each of us as directors. Gulp!

However painful this might be, it is exactly what is needed and I hope it will lead in the long run to a much higher level of performance. In fact, it may even be the kind of thing we should do with a number of our boards and activities.

A difficult week, but one that will ultimately have an upside as well.