The Dicese f St Albans Missin Actin ning in the dicese f St Albans Intrductin Missin Actin ning is a central element in the new dicesan initiative. This initiative is an invitatin t the peple, parishes and deaneries, schls and chaplaincies t explre what it means t Live Gd s Lve tday by seeking t G Deeper int Gd, Transfrm Cmmunities and t Make New Disciples. It is an invitatin t jurney, t see things frm new perspectives, t discver new ways f ding things and t learn frm each ther as we travel tgether. There are many ways in which we can explre that jurney. Individuals and grups can take time t pray, reflect, study and discuss what it might mean in their lives, their hmes and their wrk. is an invitatin t a deeper and mre radical discipleship. Initiatives will be develped, fr example in Lent and Advent, t help parishes and peple explre that invitatin and strengthen their discipleship. Alngside this each parish, schl and chaplaincy is invited t ask hw its wn missin and ministry can be develped and shaped t Live Gd s Lve mre effectively, mre faithfully and mre jyfully in the light f the three themes. The jurney needs t be discerned prayerfully and imaginatively. Missin Actin ning and Missin Accmpaniers Fr parishes, in particular, tw resurces are ffered t help in that task f discernment: Missin Actin ning. This is a tl which has prved effective and fruitful in many ther diceses in recent years. It is a prayerful prcess f lking, listening and reflectin leading int planning and priritising; seeking, with the Spirit s guidance, t discern bth a visin and als a curse f actin. Typically that curse f actin might have a five year dimensin and yearly pririties.
Page 2 Missin Actin ning The end f this dcument ffers a shrt intrductin t the prcess f Missin Actin ning. Yu can find much mre detailed infrmatin frm a variety f surces. The Church Maps website www.churchmaps.c.uk has an excellent range f infrmatin and links t varius dicesan websites where yu will find a large number f guides and different appraches. The recent bk by Mark Ireland and Mike Chew, Hw t d Missin Actin ning: A Visin Centred Apprach (SPCK 2009) is a valuable, thughtful and practical handbk. Missin Accmpaniers. As part f ur shared cmmitment t this jurney we are seeking t identify Missin Accmpaniers t help parishes in this prcess. Their rle will be, as it says n the tin, t accmpany parishes as they, in their different ways, seek t discern and walk the jurney. The Missin Accmpaniers will, between them, ffer a range f skills and experience and will be able t spend creative time with PCCs and thers frm parishes. A separate guide intrduces their rle. Yu can dwnlad this frm http://www.livinggdslve.rg/living_gds_lve/missin_accmpaniers/ Making it wrk, helping it grw It is recgnised that parishes will want t apprach this in different ways and at different speeds. Sme will already be ding sme srt f Missin Actin ning and will want t review their plans in the light f the three themes f. Sme will need t spend time preparing the grund. Others will be ready t start right away. Pilt Prjects Missin Actin ning will be rlled ut in the dicese with a series f pilt prjects early in the New Year. These will take place in a wide variety f parishes in different situatins and f different sizes. This will enable us t learn hw best t make Missin Actin ning wrk acrss the dicese. If yu wuld like t be ne f these pilt prjects please get in tuch (see cntact at end f this sectin).
Page 3 Missin Actin ning Taking it frward As we learn frm this exercise we will be able t discver what wrks well and what desn t. We will be able t appint mre Missin Accmpaniers and grw this t include the whle dicese. Finding Missin Accmpaniers Please get in tuch if yu have suggestins fr peple wh culd act as Missin Accmpaniers. We need t find quite a large number f peple, clergy and lay, wh will between them have a wide range f skills. Matching Missin Accmpaniers Missin Accmpaniers will be matched carefully with parishes t create a helpful wrking relatinship. We d want this t wrk well and t be creative and energising. Please get in tuch t talk abut the srt f Missin Accmpanier wh wuld best meet yur needs. Parish r Benefice? It is expected that Missin Actin s will be prduced fr each parish, but benefices and teams might wish t explre hw plans can be develped tgether. Again, please get in tuch if yu wuld like t discuss what wuld wrk best fr yu. Reviewing and sharing Each parish is invited t wrk with a Missin Accmpanier t create a Missin Actin. The plan will als be subject t an annual review, where what has been dne can be assessed, the pririties and gals can be adjusted and an actin plan fr the next year agreed. This review will be shared with a Missin Accmpanier r a member f the Bishp s Senir Staff. Equally imprtantly we hpe t be able t make individual parish MAPs available t thers acrss the dicese. This is s that: Stries and best practice can be shared. Dicesan Officers and thers can ffer particular and targeted help t parishes in rder assist parishes in achieving their gals. Resurces can be develped t meet emerging needs and pririties acrss the dicese. Deanery reviews can mre easily reflect the reality and the pririties f parishes. Dicesan strategies can be develped using analysis gathered frm the parish MAPs. MAPs will becme a very imprtant tl fr the develpment f the missin and ministry f the dicese. Prayer and Respnse Please pray fr this initiative and begin talking abut it within the parish. Please d sme f yur wn thinking abut hw MAP might wrk best fr yu. Have a lk at sme examples frm ther diceses. Please get in tuch with questins and reflectins; we want t make this a fruitful and gd initiative. Please get in tuch abut Missin Accmpaniers and abut the timing that will wrk best fr yu. In the first instance, please cntact Jhn Kiddle by email jhn.kiddle@stalbans.anglican.rg
Page 4 Missin Actin ning Missin Actin ning in brief Missin Actin ning can be simply thught f as Lk and See and and D. Lk The first stage in Missin Actin ning is t spend time lking and listening. There are several imprtant aspects which can frm part f this; it s ften called an audit: Get ut int the cmmunity t lk and listen. What d yu see? What d yu hear? Back this up with gd lk at the scial and census statistics available fr the parish. Lk beynd the lcal area t the wrld. What are the needs and cncerns? Take a gd lk at the life f the church cmmunity. Yu might want t reflect n the stry f the church; where are we in the stry, hw des this chapter fit in? Yu might undertake a SWOT analysis Yu might take yur lk in the light f the Seven Marks f a Healthy Church i Yu might want t use an appreciative inquiry apprach Begin t discern the values f the church as they are and as they might be. Yu culd d s in the light f the 5 Marks f Missin r the 5 Values f a Missinary Church ii Lk Lk Lk In all f this, seek t lk and listen in the light f the three themes f. Hw are these reflected in the life f the church and its engagement with the cmmunity? Listen Assess Values This prcess might need t be led by a small grup but it is really imprtant t invlve as many peple frm the cngregatin and frm the cmmunity as pssible. It is vital that this exercise f lking and listening is infused with prayer; seeking t lk with the eyes f Christ and beginning t hear the vice f the Spirit.
Page 5 Missin Actin ning and See Lking and listening will begin t clarify int sme key pints; let this develp int a visin - a visin fr what this church, at this time and this cntext is called t be. In ther wrds, the lking grws int seeing, just as the prphets (the seers) saw a visin fr Gd s peple and fr Gd s wrld. Make time t pray fr Gd s guidance and inspiratin. See See See Visin Pririties Gals Visin is vital; it energises and unites. Visin mtivates and cmmunicates. There s a real skill in articulating a visin that peple will recgnise as authentic and will wn. It will happen when the first stage f lking and listening has been dne carefully and prayerfully. It will happen when time is given fr the visin t emerge, the lking then becmes seeing. The three themes f ffer a way in t thinking abut visin and maybe even a structure fr articulating it. What might the future be like if we were t g deeper int Gd, if we were t step ut and play ur part in transfrming cmmunities arund us and acrss the wrld, if we were t see new disciples playing a full part in the life f the church? Let peple use their imaginatin - it is a pwerful, Gd given gift. If the visin is articulated well and if it is recgnised and wned then the next stages will flw naturally and easily. See the visin, see the pririties and gals. Setting pririties means making chices. Firstly, what are the pririties fr reaching the visin? These may be pririties fr the next, say, 5 years. Secndly, what 2 r 3 f these can we wrk n in the next 12 mnths? Once yu ve agreed the pririties, yu need t set the gals fr each f them. These gals need t be SMART. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resurced and Timed. Prayer is as much a vital part f this stage as it was the earlier nes. If a small grup, r the PCC is wrking n this, make sure the rest f the church knws abut it and has a real feel fr the visin, pririties and gals. Ask peple t pray. Once the visin, the pririties and the gals have been seen clearly, the planning can begin. Take each gal ne by ne and ask hw is this ging t be achieved. Yu will need t lk at the different things that will need t be in place. Fr example: Cnditins Training Resurces Purchases
Page 6 Missin Actin ning Then lk at the actins that need t happen t put these things in place. Ask what might need t be stpped in rder t achieve yur pririties. It might be helpful t use the fllwing headings: What When Wh Check that the Actins make sense and that a wrkable prgramme has emerged fr putting them int practice. Check yu haven t missed anything and that there are n gaps. Yu ve nw gt yu re final MAP. Befre yu d anything else, cmmunicate it t thers. Make sure that peple are familiar with the Visin and with the. Yu might want t Hw prduce a simple leaflet r a PwerPint presentatin, r a vide t help cmmunicate this clearly. Actins Cmmunicate and D S get started. D D D Actin Check Celebrate Keep praying. Keep cmmunicating. Keep in tuch with thse wh have been asked t get n with smething. Yu may need t be ready t mdify the plan in the light f the reality f the situatin. It is imprtant that there is a cntinual system f checking hw things are ging. When gals have been achieved, celebrate. The MAP needs t cntinue t be wned, prayed fr and celebrated by the members f the church. It is als imprtant that this is put in cntext f ur shared call t Live Gd s Lve. Review Part f the essence f Missin Actin ning is its cyclic nature. As the first set f actins cme t an end and gals are r aren t achieved it is imprtant t Review things. This is where a Missin Accmpanier will be very useful. It is an pprtunity t assess hw things have gne but als t re- View, t lk again and see again the visin and s prduce an adapted MAP. Restating the 5 year pririties and setting new gals and actins fr the next year, fr example. i See The Healthy Church Handbk by Rbert Warren ii See Chapter 3 f Missin Shaped Church