As part of our commitment and calling to introduce more people to Jesus, deepen discipleship, develop our Christian leaders of the future and work for justice, it is vital that we address the key challenges that we have been facing as a church for some time.
This is part of our ongoing commitment to continuing the growth agenda developed by Bishop James in 2015 and continued by Bishop Bayes to build on our calling to ask God for a bigger church to make a bigger difference.
Here we introduce a consultation on how together we can be Fit For Mission and invite you to share your views.
While this is something that we’ve long understood as a Diocese through the Rule of Life, we recognise that we can best achieve this through identifying a clear direction of travel that sets out what resources we need.
Church attendance has been in decline and we are reaching a crucial point in the Diocese – we need to increase our capacity to invest in our mission.
This decline has meant that over time, more has been expected of fewer people. We know this must change – we need to work together to share the load if we are to be Fit for Mission.
We also need to explore how we look after our buildings, which need significant investment. It often falls to volunteers to meet the demands around maintenance. The way we manage them needs a new approach.
The Covid pandemic has created a unique set of circumstances for change and gives us a renewed opportunity to adapt and re-establish our parishes at the centre of communities.
The views of our Church community are vital in helping to shape our future, and we want to hear from as many people within the Diocese as possible about how we might tackle these challenges and see growth in the church.
Bishop Paul introduces Fit for Mission
Our core principles or priorities
We are basing this consultation around 4 core principles or priorities. 1. Introducing people to Jesus 2. Deepening Discipleship 3. Developing Christian Leaders 4. Working for Justice Watch as Bishop Paul explains more
Some obstacles to Fit for Mission
We have identified five potential obstacles to being Fit For Mission 1. A long-term decline in membership and attendance of the Church of England 2. The under-resourcing of the front line 3. Pressure on people 4. Unsustainable buildings 5. A church that does not look like or act like me
How you can share your views
Bishop Paul encourages us to share our views
This is a valuable opportunity for everyone to share their opinions and ideas and help to inform our proposals for the future.
So please do get involved and share your views. You can do this by:
We’ll be using all your feedback to shape our proposals for the future. We’ll share these with you after the summer, when we’ll once again be seeking your views on what we’ve set out.
Let’s work together to get Fit for Mission.