Every church can witness to the Good News of the Kingdom of God in its parish. Your church’s particular approach to mission will depend on:
- Your parish neighbourhood, its people and places
- Local charities, schools, institutions, and the partnerships you have with them
- Your church’s resources, including buildings, people, money
- The confidence of the church community
- Capacity for leadership and organisation
- The temperament, gifts and skills of people in the church community
- Church tradition
Mission is a shared, team effort, with every member playing their own role (1 Corinthians 12). Because it’s a team effort, the church will need to invest regular time in praying and talking together to discern what steps should be taken next.
These tools and resources can help you move forward in mission:
- Mission Action Planning - a regular cycle of planning and review. A confident parish with a strong culture can easily do its own mission action planning, but many parishes find it more effective to work with an external facilitator.
- Partner Organisations - such as Greenhouse, Leading Your Church Into Growth, Pioneering Parishes, Resource and Jesus Shaped People can work with you. Some are tailored to particular settings, such as rural contexts. Others are skilled in certain types of mission, such as new worshipping communities.
- Diocesan Partners - colleagues from our Mission Team, Telford Minster, Strengthening Communites, as well as parish clergy, will make time to help you think through next steps, lead sessions, and facilitate mission planning. To find someone suitable for your context, email us or phone 07496 638 805
- Diocesan Networks - mission is done in partnership! Lichfield’s mission networks support lay people and clergy in many settings.
