Our visionNo one can encounter God and remain unchanged. From Moses at the burning bush to Jesus himself at his baptism; from fishermen leaving their nets, to the women who first witnessed the resurrection – the Christian story is a story of lives transformed. And the story goes on – we are called to partner with a generous God so that lives changed by an encounter with Christ overflow into families, homes and communities and will be changed for the better: Changed Lives → Changing Lives. Click here to read our Diocesan Strategy in a nutshell. Resourcing the Future (2019) - an update from the update from the Church of England's Renewal & Reform programme. Our objectives
Our goals (2018-2023)Over the next five years as a diocesan family, we choose to:
Our values
Our projects: what we're doingOur strategy is a ‘living document’ – as we listen to God and one another, as we seek his will for us and our communities – the shape of our work will undoubtedly change. As that work evolves, our projects will develop and new areas of work will be identified. These documents and webpages will be regularly updated to reflect the changing shape of our work. Changing Lives Prayer NetworkOur diocese is already full of people who are faithful in prayer. The Changing Lives Prayer Network will build on our rich heritage to deepen our shared life of prayer in a more intentional way, by:
We will be celebrating a Diocesan Day of Prayer and Pilgrimage on 31 May 2020, as part of Thy Kingdom Come’s global wave of prayer. Ignite: Church, but not as you know it...Ignite is a worshipping community for those on the edges of our society, for whom ‘traditional church’ might not make much sense. There are already three Ignite congregations in the Diocese and, with support from the Church Commissioners, we are well underway with planting a further nine across the Diocese and the Channel Islands. Although these first plants are aimed at particular groups of people, there will be lessons and resources from this project that can benefit churches in all contexts. Prioritising young peopleMany of our communities are already engaged in flourishing ministry with teenagers. Building on this, we will establish new youth hubs which will aim to increase the number of teenagers in our churches and to encourage and nurture teenagers as disciples. The first hub – Zeal Youth Hub – has already been established in Sittingbourne, with churches from across the deanery working together to help young people connect with faith and worship in new ways. This work will be overseen by Youth Hub Project Leader. With the aim of supporting this ministry across our diocese, we will be looking out for what learning and resources might benefit churches that are seeking to work with teenagers in a variety of contexts, as part of the continued development of our commitment to ‘Whole Church.’ Changing Lives ConversationsWant to change the culture? Let's start by changing the conversation. Two simple questions for you to explore with your church, small group or friends:
These questions are designed to help us think about how confident we are in our faith, and in sharing that faith. Across our diocese, church and community groups will be meeting regularly to ask each another these questions, seeking to learn how we can better help one another to grow in confident faith. Click here to find out more and access resources to facilitate your own Changing Lives Conversations. Missional Learning CommunitiesMissional Learning Communities (MLCs) help us to find God’s way forward in mission in our changing contexts and changing world – transforming the culture of the church. MLCs follow a three year path that gives churches a framework and resources to help them listen attentively to God and their community and decide what God might be calling them to be and do. The first MLC wave began in 2019, followed by the second in 2020. Subsequent waves follow each year. The combination of commitment, spiritual disciplines and practical tools make MLCs a powerful process. The evidence is that this kind of process can lead to profound and positive change. Caring for CreationGod’s gift of creation - our natural world - provides everything to sustain our lives. As humans, we're appointed by God as stewards of life on earth, and yet our actions have contributed to the widespread extinction of species. Now, human-induced climate change (the biggest environmental challenge we face) is damaging the most vulnerable people on earth and could ultimately jeopardise our very existence. Our Diocese believes that care for creation is fundamental to our mission and our Diocesan Synod in November 2019 decided that this should be a key strand of our strategy for the future. Find out more here. |