The Diocese of Rochester is delighted to announce that it is to receive £11 million over the next five years from the Church of England to support its work to further grow God’s Kingdom and serve communities across Medway, north and west Kent, and the London Boroughs of Bromley and Bexley.
The national church’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB) has approved the additional funding for the Diocese’s Called Together vision, a nine-year plan that will see every parish have the opportunity to benefit from initiatives designed to grow the number of people attending church from a diverse range of backgrounds, including children, young people and families.
The national funding supplements £10.9 million of already budgeted investment from the Diocese of Rochester for work to help grow a flourishing and well-resourced parish system – money that comes from the generous and sacrificial giving of parishes to support ministry and outreach currently underway across the Diocese.
This new funding partnership with the Church of England will allow more work to be undertaken and in a shorter timeframe in support of the already fantastic ministry and outreach taking place on the ground in parishes.
In a drive to increase the number of well-equipped, sustainable, and missionally focused churches and leaders (both lay and ordained), efforts will be focused around four workstreams - Missional leadership development, Children, Young People and Families, Investment in missionally healthy places, Revitalising fragile churches.
Each of the workstreams will be seen through the lens of growing safe and healthy cultures to ensure that all endeavours reflect the Kingdom values of righteousness, peace, wholeness, and fullness of life for all.
Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Rochester, says he is delighted with the success of the bid:
“Our vision is an ambitious, hope-filled plan that aims to better support work on the frontline in our parishes. I am delighted that the Board has put its full backing behind the programme and endorsed our belief that growth in our churches is already happening and can happen still more.
There is much to be positive and hopeful about here in the Diocese of Rochester.
“I am incredibly grateful to all those colleagues who have not only worked so hard and prayerfully on shaping our vision and objectives, but in pulling the bid together itself. This has involved a partnership between our diocesan staff team and people in the parishes, as well as with the Diocesan Synod.
He adds:
“This has always been about listening to the Spirit and shaping our plans to respond to God’s call to our diocesan-family. Now, in partnership with our parishes and the Church of England, this is about making this vision happen, and I pray for God’s blessing on the work that is to be undertaken and the lives that are to be changed and enriched through relationship with Jesus and the ministry of our churches.”
Some of the exciting work to be undertaken includes:
- The design and implementation of an enhanced mission-orientated training programme for clergy and lay leaders
- Development of supportive missional networks for key church officers such as Church Wardens, Treasurers, Administrators, Parish Safeguarding Officers, and Children and Young People’s workers - paid and voluntary
- A Wellbeing Programme for clergy, lay leaders and headteachers, delivered by the St Benedict’s Centre, West Malling in partnership with other providers
- Establishment of three parish-based Centres of Excellence to showcase and support work with specific age-ranges of children and young people
- An apprenticeship scheme offering on-the-job experience of Children, Young People and Family work in churches
- Fifteen mission-focused parish projects across a range of locations in places where they will purposefully offer to share learning beyond their boundaries
Welcoming the news, Matthew Girt, Diocesan Secretary and lead for the bid said:
“This is not a plan where only a few will benefit but an integrated vision for operational and cultural change, and I am therefore delighted that we have received such a resounding affirmation from the Board.
I am also incredibly grateful to our parishes as they likewise demonstrate commitment to this vision through their generous giving and their prayers.
“The vision stands on the shoulders of previous post-war pilgrims of the Diocese of Rochester who, also at a great moment of societal change, upheaval and challenge, held a steadfast belief that through their combined endeavour, generosity, and faith, they could grow the Church and God’s kingdom, and everyone has a part to play in making it happen.”
The Venerable Allie Kerr, the Archdeacon of Bromley and Bexley and one of the key authors of the bid said:
“We believe God wants to grow our churches, and we know that for a plant to grow it needs the right kind of soil. A key part of the vision is therefore about us working together as a diocesan family to nurture healthy cultures that allow all our settings to be welcoming, safe places where all are valued and can flourish.
She continues:
"This vision is also about refocusing our diocesan support services to come alongside parishes, to listen and understand their unique contexts, and equip them with the resources and support they need to help them serve their communities in the way they know best.
This new money, alongside our core funding, will greatly enhance our ability to move forward with these ambitions, and I am excited to see what God’s grace will bring to fruition through this work."
Find out more about the Called Together vision at: www.rochester.anglican.org/about-us/ourvision/