Building up our parishes and communities

Bearing the fruit of Seeking the Kingdom through:

Cherishing what is good. Reimagining what could be. Serving every community with hope

Every parish in our diocese is unique — shaped by its people, history, gifts and calling. Yet every parish is also part of one diocesan family, sharing the same mission: to reveal God’s love, serve our neighbours, and build the Kingdom of God in the heart of our communities.

Whatever their size or context, our churches matter. Building up our Parishes and Communities is our commitment to help each one flourish: strengthening what is healthy, addressing what is difficult, and supporting bold, missional decisions for the future.

“There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord… in everyone it is the same God at work.” (1 Corinthians 12:4–6)

What we'll see on our journey

As Building up our Parishes and Communities becomes embedded, we expect to see:

Parishes with clear purpose, realistic plans and renewed confidence
Buildings that serve mission and strengthen community life
New and revitalised worshipping communities emerging across the diocese
Churches that are outward-facing, hospitable and hopeful
Stronger relationships between schools and churches
A richer, more diverse diocesan family
Action on climate care shaping the witness of every parish
A diocese where tradition and innovation walk hand-in-hand

This is how we build a Church that serves every community with faith, creativity and joy.

Why Building Up our Parishes and Communities matters

Our Shaping for Mission process at the start of the decade revealed both deep faithfulness and real fragility across our parishes. Some churches are thriving. Others are struggling with buildings, leadership gaps, finances, ageing congregations or lack of connection with their communities.

For our diocesan family to grow younger, more diverse, and more outward-facing, we must attend honestly to our foundations: understanding where we are, what is strong, what needs revitalising, and what new opportunities God is opening.

St Mary’s House’s will work to support Building up our Parishes and Communities focusing on health, honesty, courage, and hope.

Our commitments

Building up Parishes and Communities

1 Helping parishes understand their health and opportunities

We are equipping every parish to make informed, missional decisions by:

Using the Health and Vitality Review of all parishes
Highlighting missional opportunities visible in local data
Supporting parishes to develop Mission Action Plans that are purposeful, realistic and regularly reviewed

Good decisions come from clarity — about strengths, challenges and calling.

2 Enabling churches to resource one another

No parish is alone. To strengthen local capacity we are:

Developing groups of trained volunteers who can temporarily support another church needing additional leadership
Encouraging mutual support across benefices, deaneries and wider networks
Sharing learning between communities that are seeing growth and renewal

We grow stronger when we grow together.

3 Making wise and hopeful decisions about buildings

Church buildings are extraordinary missional assets — but they can also demand our time and attention. We are:

Producing a diocesan buildings strategy
Supporting parishes to discern the right future for each building
Focusing grant funding where it will have the greatest impact on mission and ministry

A building should serve the gospel — not the other way around.

4 Encouraging new ways of being church

Changing times call for creative mission. We are:

Supporting digital and hybrid worship
Encouraging ecumenical collaboration
Sharing stories of innovation across the diocese
Helping parishes see vacancies not as a problem but as opportunities for fresh growth and renewed mission

Sometimes the Spirit leads us into new forms of church life — and we want to respond courageously.

5 Growing generosity and strengthening finances

Financial sustainability underpins missional confidence. We will:

Publish a diocesan giving strategy
Help parishes foster a culture of generous discipleship
Support stewardship conversations that are rooted in hope, not anxiety

Generosity is a spiritual gift — and a sign of trust in God’s future.

6 Planting and nurturing new worshipping communities

To serve all people in all places, we are committed to:

Exploring the possibilities for new, nationally‑funded and locally‑resourced church plants and chaplaincies
Supporting pioneer, fresh expressions and community‑rooted worshipping communities
Creating networks so leaders can learn from one another

The mixed ecology is not an add‑on — it is what our world is becoming.

7 Strengthening connection with local communities

Every parish is a mission field. We are:

Offering support with community mapping
Encouraging community engagement plans in every parish
Developing clear pathways from outreach activities into discipleship
Sharing best practice from Places of Welcome, food projects, social action and more

Outward‑facing churches naturally become growing churches.

8 Deepening relationships between churches and schools

Schools are one of our greatest opportunities for mission. We will:

Map engagement between every parish and its local schools
Overcome barriers to productive relationships
Support parishes and schools to work together in service of children, young people and families

Where children encounter the gospel, the future of the Church is strengthened.

9 Becoming more welcoming, inclusive and reflective of our communities

We are committed to ensuring our churches reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. This means:

Providing practical training, challenge and support
Encouraging parishes to identify voices missing from their church life
Embedding best practice in safeguarding and inclusion

A church that reflects its community can better reveal Christ within it.

10 Moving towards Net Zero Carbon

Caring for creation is part of our witness and our responsibility to future generations. We will:

Support parishes in the Eco‑Church process
Encourage use of the Energy Footprint Tool
Help churches think creatively about carbon, land, energy and mission

Environmental discipleship is gospel discipleship.

Page last updated: Friday 27th February 2026 7:37 AM