Our diocese has been on a journey to arrive at our vision and strategy, and we continue to listen, envision and plan together.
July 2023 - Three Bold Outcomes adopted
Diocesan Synod adopts the final of the three bold outcomes as part of its mission strategy for 2030.
- Double the number of children and young disciples
- 200 new Christian communities
- Every parish, benefice and deanery showing signs of revitalisation.
September
2022 - Strategy update
"This document ... is provisional, an update. It is intended to show how we have progressed since July 2021, how our thinking has developed over this time - and it looks ahead to the further work that needs doing. I am especially grateful to our deaneries and parishes for their continuing work on this - for the care, time and commitment they have shown in developing local plans and in working collaboratively to develop a vision for the future.
Every day I hear wonderful stories of how people are meeting God and being blessed by their parishes - thank you! In all of this, my overwhelming feeling is one of privilege and gratitude. Canterbury is a wonderful diocese to serve - creative, deeply spiritual in its roots and profoundly generous in its character. It is my prayer that we keep hold of some of that excitement as we look to the future together - trusting God with our fears, offering to him our faith and our gifts in return. Thank you for your part in this work - be assured of my continuing prayers."
The Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin
Read our Strategy Update September 2022
June 2021 - Towards a Flourishing and Sustainable Future
A word from Bishop Rose
"Changed Lives Changing Lives is what first drew me to Canterbury Diocese. I saw in these words and the strategy underpinning it, not just a tagline, but a commitment and a passion - a passion for allowing ourselves to be transformed by God's loving grace so that we might, in turn, transform our world for his glory.
The Coronavirus pandemic has turned the spotlight on our priorities and insecurities, challenging our desire to find a way back to ‘normal’ to ‘the way things used to be’, to ‘the way we’ve always done it’. But we can’t go backwards – and we mustn’t. Instead, God is calling us to a better way, a better future.
Let us grab this moment, let us commit to continue to grow and learn and be shaped into the diocesan family that God is calling us to be. Let our lives continue to be changed, so that we can bring God’s transformation to the lives of others across our county. And let us be clear that a flourishing and sustainable future for our Church means growth - growth in discipleship, growth in confidence and growth in numbers.
In the Towards a Flourishing and Sustainable Future report, you will see that this process has not been ‘top down’. We began with an intentional period of listening throughout the autumn of 2020. Then we have worked with our deaneries, parishes and diocesan team to draw up plans for this next stage of our life together. You will be able to read the detail of those plans in this document.
This document signals a beginning, not a destination. Together we are embarking on a journey to create the kind of culture that will enable us to build a flourishing and sustainable future for our Church. We will be driven by our commitment to seeking God in prayer and scripture. Our journey will be marked by our openness to one another and to the Spirit and by our trust in the God who is bigger than pandemics, who is stronger than financial constraints - and who has plans for us that are greater than we could possibly imagine or hope for.
Thank you to each and every one of you - it is a privilege and a joy to be embarking on this adventure in such extraordinary and wonderful company!"
With blessings,
The Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin
Bishop of Dover
Autumn 2020 - Listening and discerning
In Autumn 2020 we entered a listening and discerning period. Read our reflections on what we were hearing - from God and from one another - in this season:
- Following the Golden Threads: Responses from our shared discernment process
- Tracing the Golden Threads: Reflections from our first Listening and Discerning loop.
We're still listening
Although our more formal period of listening and discerning has now ended, we haven't stopped listening. Please do continue to use the Listening and Discerning questions and resources in your local and personal reflective and planning times - and please keep sharing what you're hearing. Thank you.
Resources
or download the separate elements here:
- A word from Bishop Rose
- Briefing for facilitators
- Briefing for children & families
- Prayer Practices
- A theological note
- A 'kairos moment' for the Church
- Discernment in the New Testament
- Timetable