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, hope-filled plan

Called Together is an exciting and ambitious nine-year programme of work to help realise our common vision, and which has the potential to benefit every parishes across the Diocese. 

In March 2025, the Diocese was delighted to be awarded £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 as he talks about our plan as a diocesan family

Future expected outcomes

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.

A place where churches and communities are renewed in faith, hope, and love, and every person is equipped to live and share the gospel in daily life.

This ambition is reflected in the overall outcomes for Called Together, which are that by 2034, the programme will have delivered:

• More leaders: a 50% increase in lay missional leaders, and stronger pipelines of ordained vocations.
• More children and young people: a 50% increase in children and young people engaged with church, and 25% more churches with substantive CYPF ministry.
• More disciples: at least 25% more people making a commitment to faith.
• More attendance: a 15% 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

Three key 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 help focus our work to grow God's kingdom and ensure a flourishing and well-resourced parish structure. They are:

• Missional Leadership Development (MLD):
  Training, formation, wellbeing support, and targeted resourcing for lay and clergy.
   
• Missional Development Places (MDP):
  Recruitment and capital works in selected parishes to grow and sustain worshipping communities and share learning and missional models with others.
   
• Children, Young People and Families (CYPF): 
  Resource hubs, community schools engagement, training, apprenticeships, and leadership pathways.
   
• Revitalise:
  Focused support for parishes facing challenge, using targeted interventions to restore sustainability.

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 workstreams: planned projects and activity

Be part of it

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

This is what we believe we are being called to - let's make it happen!
 

Explore more

• Access a fuller explanation of the vision, download the guide, ‘Called Together – our shared diocesan vision and its workstreams’
• Read the latest progress update on work so far - shared each quarter.Click here
• Learn more about the fantastic mission and ministry already taking place around the Diocese to grow God's Kingdom through our Growing the Kingdom films 
• Discover more news and stories - download Together magazine or find our News section.

More resources are being developed to help share the story of the vision in settings across the Diocese. Let us know what you would find helpful by contacting: communications@rochester.anglican.org

Key Contacts