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At its meeting in November, Diocesan Synod received a presentation setting out diocesan priorities over the next few years as we continue to grow as Kingdom People. Synod commended these with almost unanimous approval (there was just one abstention). These priorities were developed in consultation with a number of groups and set out how we plan to invest in our churches to increase health and sustainability.
Between now and 2030, under God’s grace we aim to:
Double the number of children and young people worshipping in our churches compared to 2019 figures, investing in more paid children’s, families’ and youth workers so that we have at least one church with a flourishing young peoples’ ministry in each major area of population, and two such churches in each deanery.- Create 100 new worshipping communities offering a range of ways for people to come to faith and worship God. (eg Forest Church/ Café Church/ Walking Church)
- Invest in the renewal of a number of our churches to ensure that each major area of population has at least one church with 150 people attending weekly, enabling them to support other local churches.
- Invest in our clergy and lay leaders, providing training and development opportunities to enable them to grow and feel supported and equipped for mission. We want to make the Diocese of Worcester one of the most attractive places in which to minister.
In presenting the new priorities to Synod, Archdeacon Nikki, Diocesan Lead for Transformation and Change said:
“We have prayerfully prioritised the development areas which we think could make a step change in addressing the numerical decline we cannot ignore. Energy, time and resources will be dedicated to these key areas, while we continue to support the ongoing life of all churches. There is something for everyone in our plan – alongside these key priorities we will continue our support for smaller churches, develop an emerging rural strategy and continue to offer Mission Accompanier support for all churches that wish to become healthier and more sustainable.”
The priorities will help strengthen parish churches and encourage them to thrive in their individual contexts as they worship God, make disciples, share hope, and transform communities. The Healthier Churches Fund has already made a number of grants to parishes to enable them to explore these areas further, including helping to fund children’s and youth workers in Kempsey, Pershore and Malvern – we hope these will be the first of many. We will also be offering a range of training opportunities to help parishes explore where and how a new worshipping community might be established, with Mission Accompaniers and our existing Resourcing Church teams also supporting churches as they explore possibilities.
We plan that our first renewal areas will be in Greater Dudley and Redditch. We have shared these proposals with deanery synods as well as the parishes involved and will be shortly meeting with the Church Commissioners to apply for additional funding. This will enable larger communities to be built in some of our churches which will help to support other congregations locally and make a difference to all.
We will be sharing more details about all these plans early next year as they are developed further, providing different opportunities to hear more about how your church can get involved and continue to grow in health and sustainability.
Download a pdf summary of our priorities and how your church can get involved.
