Mission
As part of our commitment to growth, we ask every church to create a Mission Action Plan (MAP). We want to make our communities and those beyond the church a greater priority and to prayerfully and strategically consider how we relate to them.
Approximately 85% of parishes in the diocese have now produced a Mission Action Plan, many more are in the process of launching their MAP.
Our prayer is that every one of us in Derby Diocese have that real sense of joy of working together for the glory of God through the MAP process over the coming years.
For more information please contact:
Revd Lee Townend, Church Growth Officer, 01332 388668 or email lee.townend@derby.anglican.org
Click here to search the Download Centre
A list of the most read pages in the Training section follows.
Introducing the Christian Faith to Inquirers and Seekers
These resources are useful to have available in churches simply for visitors to take away. Write something for your church or contact the Mission Adviser for ideas
Christianity for the Open Minded (Inter-Varsity Press, Tel: 0115 978 1054 or sales@ivpbooks.com)
A booklet designed to engage the inquirer or seeker. There are other titles in the series.
Why Jesus? Nicky Gumbel (Alpha Publications, Holy Trinity Brompton, Brompton Road,
London. SW7 1JA. Tel: 0845 644 7544)There is also a Why Christmas? version.
Spelling it Out... a leaflet on being a Christian subtitled 'an ordinary churchgoer offers to explain' and part of a series of leaflets first written by Kate Rhodes for Bolton Abbey. It is available from Tim Tiley (see websites below).
The Light of the World Also available from Tim Tiley. It features Holman Hunt's famous painting on the cover and then gives the background story and an application of the message for our lives.
Christianity a pocketsize foldout guide (The Good Book Company, Elm House, 37 Elm
Road, New Malden, Surrey. KT3 3HB. Tel: 0845 225 0880).
No Ordinary Man St Luke's Gospel in an attractive format including Christian testimonies and stories (Deo Gloria, deo-gloria.co.uk; Tel: 020 8651 6246). Deo Gloria produce a range of other materials suitable for those on a 'spiritual journey' and who may know little or nothing about Christianity. A sample pack of these materials is available for £11 and is worth ordering.
The Story, An innovative booklet telling the Easter story and one of a range of resources available from Lifewords (see website address below).
Websites Worth Exploring
www.rejesus.co.uk (designed for non-church people wanting to explore Christianity)
www.deo-gloria.co.uk (includes a range of outreach material)
www.churchtourismassociation (for further advice on being a welcoming church)
www.achurchnearyou.com (a useful website to have on visitor literature - the site does what it says in its name, enabling people to find their local church)
www.cofe.anglican.org (the Church's national website is always worth exploring)
www.timtiley.com (website for the popular supplier of prayer cards, greeting cards and other material for visitors and church members alike)
www.lifewords.info (formerly Scripture Gift Mission, and supplying a range of materials for giving away including a range of booklets with titles such as 'Living with Loss', Meditations of Life', and Who am I?')
Books
Creating a Culture of Welcome in the Local Church, Alison Gilchrist (Grove Evangelism series, Ev 66)
Open for you, Paul Bond (Canterbury Press, 2006)
Back to Church Sunday – 26th September 2010
Even though September seems a long way off....it’s not too soon to be thinking about this year’s Back to Church Sunday resources. For those who are familiar with the project, there is a simple new way to sign up for resources on the national website at: www.backtochurch.co.uk
The website states: “Back to Church Sunday is now the largest single local-church invitational initiative in the world. It is based on the simplest and shortest step in evangelism - that we should invite someone we already know to something we love; invite our friend to our church. The initial focus was to invite ‘back’ those who used to attend, but we want to ensure that anyone who doesn’t currently attend can be guaranteed an especially warm welcome.”
Last year Church of England churches welcomed back 53,000 people on Back to Church Sunday 2009, a 71 per cent increase on 2008, as part of a growing initiative that saw more than 80,000 people come back to church across the UK on one Sunday in September. Derby Diocese has been part of this initiative for four years now and a number of churches have found it a valuable resource.
Statistical returns from participating churches suggest that an average of 19 people returned to each church after receiving a personal invitation. Parishes in each of the Church of England’s 44 dioceses were joined by congregations from Churches Together in Scotland, the Church in Wales, Baptist, Methodist, United Reformed, Salvation Army and Elim Pentecostal churches nationwide, and Anglican churches in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Canada. Back to Church Sunday began in Manchester in 2004, spread to Wakefield Diocese in 2005, nine dioceses in 2006, 20 in 2007, and 38 in 2008, when an estimated 37,000 people came back across the UK.
Resources
This year’s resources focus on the same invitation to ‘Come as you are’ and there are posters, invitation and prayer cards and a DVD which can all be ordered by churches directly from the website. If you have not already registered your church there are packs available from the Mission Officer, Lakshmi Jeffreys, at Derby Church House (lakshmi.jeffreys@derby.anglican.org; 01332 388687). This year Back to Church Sunday is on Sunday 26th September – anyone who would like to know more about how their church can participate and take the opportunity to be part of something much bigger, contact Lakshmi or check out the national website: www.backtochurch.co.uk
Comments from churches in Derby Diocese taking part in 2009
“People have seen the church burst into life, and most have played a hand in it. Everyone has benefitted from this event, a fresh vision for existing church members and a new start for the 27 new people who came.”
“It only needed something like this to get me through the door!”
CONTACT
Revd Alan Griggs is licensed as the lead agricultural chaplain within Derbyshire Rural Chaplaincy (DRC). The DRC is hosted by Chaplaincy Derbyshire, an independent Christian organization and registered charity, operating across the county. Alan works with a small team of chaplains and volunteers drawn from various backgrounds and different Christian denominations, but all of whom are passionate about walking alongside the agricultural and rural community in Derbyshire.
What we do
We celebrate the contribution of agriculture, we listen and by invitation, we pray with and for the agricultural and rural community. We provide Christian spiritual and pastoral care and we complement the rural church by supporting patterns of worship and prayer around the agricultural year, as well as pastoral services for the farming community by invitation. We also attend the Agricultural Business Centre every week and host a monthly prayer meeting and annual farmer’s harvest and carol service.
For more information or to meet the team visit the DRC website at: www.derbyshireruralchaplaincy.org.uk
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