Journeying Together in the Life of the LocalChurch

Journeying Together invites us as a diocesan family to work together in order to share the transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ with people in and around Gloucestershire.

To fulfil this calling we are encouraged to build a diocese which:

  1. Worships together
  2. Shares our Christian faith and values
  3. Provides a visible presence in every community and parish
  4. Serves the wider world

One way of relating the life of the local church to the diocesan Mission Statement is to use these four headings as a starting point for reflecting on what is already happening locally. You might want to use the subheadings in the Journeying Together leaflet as further prompts to reflection.

In a PCC meeting, local ministry team or other group, you could look at the four areas and ask:

  • Which aspects of mission and ministry are already being undertaken?
  • Which of these might God want us to grow in the future?
  • Are there things we want to start – or stop?
  • Are there one or two priorities in each of the four main areas that we want to work on over the coming year?

Working through these questions can help churches celebrate the things they are doing, identify areas for growth, and then translate this into action. It can also be helpful to look at these questions across the life of a whole benefice when there is more than one church or congregation.

Instead of tackling all four areas at once, you might decide to look at them over a series of meetings.

Sharing the picture that emerges from this kind of review can then provide the basis for identifying and calling forth the resources needed to support it. These resources will be:

  • spiritual: prayer, discerning where God is leading and the gifts he gives…
  • human: time, talent, levels of commitment, advice…
  • material: buildings, equipment, finance…

Which of these resources will you need to develop the life of your church? Who might your partners be in doing this?

Some people find it helpful to then use a SMART analysis to test out their priorities and goals to ask if they are:

SSpecific and Stretching

  • A goal should be specific in its Aim and Objectives
  • Work on producing the best wording to summarise the goal will pay dividends in the long-term
  • It should also take you on from your current situation and not simply be a statement of what’s already happening.

MMeasurable

  • It is encouraging to be able to see results and, in order do this, goals need to be measurable.
  • Something vague like ‘it would be good to see more people in church’ is likely to cause disappointment: How many new people; by when; in what context?

AAchievable and Agreed

  • Unachievable goals lead to guilt and frustration.
  • Also, make sure that there is consensus, and that it isn’t just one person’s – or a small group’s – bright idea.

RRelevant and Realistic

  • Make the goal relevant to each situation. Every church and every community is different. Just because the church down the road is doing something, doesn’t mean it will be right for you.

It has to be your goal for your situation.

  • It can be good to include some early ‘easy wins’. This will give encouragement to all involved in the process.

TTime Bound and Timely

  • Say when the goal is to be achieved by. Then, at that point, it can either be ticked off, or reviewed.
  • The timing of the goal should also be appropriate, in terms of what else is going on, and what other priorities are set.

Above all, keep focused on where God is leading the local church. Make prayer the heart of everything, and set out to achieve one or two new things rather then being overwhelmed by initiatives. Celebrate the good things that are already happening and the new goals as you achieve them. And never be afraid to stop doing some things so that other things have space to grow.

Our mission:

Sharing the transforming

Gospel of Jesus Christ

with people in and around Gloucestershire