Our vision

Called Together is our shared vision and practical plan of work across the Diocese to change, serve and grow, as we seek first the Kingdom of God, with compassion, courage and creativity.

Seeking God’s kingdom in this way means bringing about a Church where all can flourish and ‘have life in all its fulness’ as God intends (John 10:10).
 

An ambitious and hope-filled plan

Called Together is an exciting and ambitious nine-year programme of work to help realise our common vision to grow missional churches, with missional leaders and missional disciples.

At the heart of the vision is a commitment to creating and supporting a flourishing and well-resourced parish system to grow God’s kingdom across Medway, north and west Kent, and the London Boroughs of Bromley and Bexley.

The work supported by the vision is designed to enrich every church setting.
 

How it is being funded 

In March 2025, the Diocese was delighted to be awarded nearly £11 million in support of the Vision by the National Church’s Diocesan Investment Programme (DIP) – a programme that is overseen by the Church of England’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Development Board (SMMIB).  

The award is the largest externally funded investment this Diocese has received for mission and growth. This is new external investment, not Parish Offer or diocesan reserves, and is investment directly into parishes.

Watch this short message from Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Rochester, as he talks about our plan as a diocesan family.
 

Three objectives

Within the overall vision, our key objectives are to grow missional churches, with missional leaders and missional disciples, that are: 

• Growing a safe and healthy culture for all
• Growing younger and more diverse
• Growing spiritually and numerically
• Impacting their communities
• Releasing financial resources for mission
• Planting and growing new missional churches

The three key objectives nurture, support and depend on the other.

Four workstreams

Four workstreams help focus the work to grow God's kingdom. Learn more about each one.
 

Missional Leadership Development (MLD)
Training, formation, wellbeing support, and targeted resourcing for lay and clergy. Learn more
 

Missional Development Places (MDP)
Recruitment and capital works in 15 mission-focussed projects across a range of locations within the Diocese which will purposefully share learning beyond their boundaries Learn more

Children, Young People and Families (CYPF)
Resource hubs, community schools engagement, training, apprenticeships, and leadership pathways. Learn more
 

Revitalise
Focused support for parishes facing challenge, using targeted interventions to restore sustainability. Learn more

All are seen through the lens of growing safe and healthy cultures, because if we are truly seeking God's kingdom, then we must reflect is values of righteousness, peace, wholeness, and fullness of life for all. 

This means core commitments across each workstream to:

• Diversity and inclusion: Serving and equipping people across all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and contexts, including urban, suburban, estates, rural, and new housing.
• Safe and healthy cultures: Ensuring all work projects model safeguarding, wellbeing, accountability, and good governance.
• Net Zero: Ensuring net zero and environmental stewardship is an integral part of mission and ministry and embedded within capital projects and parish support.

The difference it will make

By 2034, the expectation is that the vision and plan of work will have achieved:

• More leaders: a 50 per cent increase in lay missional leaders, and stronger pipelines of ordained vocations.
• More children and young people: a 50 per cent increase in children and young people engaged with church, and 25% more churches with substantive CYPF ministry.
• More disciples: at least 25 per cent more people making a commitment to faith.
• More attendance: a 15 per cent overall increase in church attendance (over 3,700 new worshippers)
• More sustainable churches: churches revitalised, financially resilient parishes, and growing mission in new housing areas.
• Healthier culture: embedding safe and healthy cultures, inclusion, and environmental sustainability across all parishes

Be part of it

Every person, parish, project, and diocesan team, has an important part to play in making the Called Together vision happen. 

Below are a range of resources and materials to help everyone share understanding of the Vision within their setting:

• Download the Called Together explainer booklet for parishes (printer friendly version)
• Download the Called Together Vision poster 
• Download the Expected Outcomes graphic
• Download the Called Together - Our shared diocesan vision overview briefing (pdf)

If you would like physical copies of the parish explainer leaflet or the poster, please contact: communications@rochester.anglican.org

Stay up to date

• Read the latest progress update on work around the vision. Updates are shared quarterly
• Learn more about the fantastic mission and ministry already taking place across the Diocese to grow God's Kingdom. Download Together magazine or find our News section.
• Watch our Growing the Kingdom films highlighting stories of mission and ministry across the Diocese 
• Pray for the vision
   

Key Contacts