View our Strategy For Growth Action Plan presentation from Sunday 19 June 2011 by clicking here.

View the Dioceasan leaflet on growth strategy by clicking here.

STRANDS ON THE VINE (January 2012)

Description of growth and unpacking of the six strands

As one of the Working Party put it early on, 'the major reason we are involved in this strategy for growth is because we believe that as Christians gathered in church communities we have a gift for the world'; in other words, we have a message of good news about Christ's love and salvation which we can do no other than share, give away, generously and freely. Ours is an organic faith; we are caught up in a cycle of graced growth.

The Growth Strategy is about finding our centre again, reminding ourselves about what lies at the heart of our faith - God's steadfast love for us and God's desire for us 'to love one another'; to know ourselves as blessed and from this confidence to be 'a people of promise', affirmation, blessing, 'on the way', expressing the fullness of this graced relationship in, to and for the world. All too often, churches forget this; they become unsure, tentative and, at worst, little more than enclaves for the like-minded; they cease to be missionary, concentrating rather upon self preservation and self-care. They need to turn outwards, become 'centrifugal' again, remember that they are 'for the world'.

The Growth Strategy is thus aimed at enabling congregations to become more world-facing, more outward-looking, more Kingdom-focussed; helping them to become aware again of the needs and gifts of those around them in such a way that they make loving contact, form connections, share the message, and so in time draw others into their fellowship - so that together all may experience the fullness of life that comes through knowing God and being grafted onto the Vine. So yes, it is about both Kingdom and Church: about growth in confidence, spirituality, prayer and worship, active discipleship, faith-sharing and also about numbers, about growing younger, about moving from chaplaincy to church. About going out and drawing in; becoming attractive and attracting communities of faith within the wider local community.

There will be failures; growth is not an inevitable outcome. But that ought not to make us downcast; we can learn from failure as much as, if not more so, from success. We must hold fast and be risk-takers, walking forwards with resilience and hope, attentive to the task, supporting one another, confident in our being, 'abiding' in His love. In what follows, we offer a description of the six strands. These are the fruits of a holistic, organic picture of growth, so expect the strands to intertwine as they would on a vine. Feel free to use pictures to help people engage with these; be creative!

Prayer and spirituality being a praying community:

developing thepersonal and corporate life of prayer and spirituality of the church community; study groups; alternative worship; growth in liturgical prayer; growth in contemplation and meditation; opportunities for Quiet Days and Retreats; labyrinths; pilgrimage.

Learning and discipleship being a learning community:

Deepening everyone's discipleship; seeing the congregation as a place in which all grow in understanding, wisdom, and discernment of their particular gifts; extending this idea of vocation to daily life and work; helping people feel valuable and valued, a part of the whole.

Missional leadership being an intentional community:

Thinking about what kind of community we are called to be, one in which all members see themselves as participant parts of the whole, responsible with Rector and vestry for the missional life of the charge; looking at every aspect of congregational life through mission spectacles so that all decisions are made with those who are not yet members in mind; being bravely generous about use of money and plant – asking 'who is this for? can be it be for more than us?'; thinking about 'who we can work with?' in our communities and our Regions; always going forwards but with the wisdom/lessons of the past supporting us; thinking 'Kingdom'.

Numerical growth being an affirming community:

knowing that we are part of something bigger with eternal values; knowing where we have come from and what we are about; knowing that He is with us till the end of time so that we feel confident in offering this gift to others - by developing skills in evangelism, invitation, welcome, inclusion, and integration: growing welcoming teams; improving your gifts' discernment techniques and ensuring that both newcomers' and old-timers' talents are used, supported, evaluated and appreciated; growing the next generations.

Imaginative outreach into communities being a purposeful community:

listening to the heartbeat of our local community and connecting with it in ways that are appropriate for the context; doing a community audit; getting to know our neighbours; using all the creativity and art forms at our - and the community's – disposal: music, literature, dance and so on; getting involved in service in, to and with our local communities; thinking about pilgrimage and sacred buildings.

Children and young people being a nurturing community:

taking care of the saplings, sowing seeds, growing younger: exploring new ways of doing children's and youth work; Godly Play; Messy Church events; thinking 'events' not weekly Sunday School; offering resources even when numbers are few; joining forces with others for big events.

THE PACE QUICKENS (14 May 2011)
Plans are now well under way for the Launch of the Diocesan Growth Strategy. Every Region will be holding a service around Pentecost, using a common Liturgy written for the occasion. To emphasize the diocesan nature of this work, the Preacher and President at each service will be the Bishop, but the service will also include symbolic actions or symbols appropriate to the local context.

That balance between 'the local' and 'the diocesan' in the Launch Liturgy is symbolic of the Strategy as a whole. For while it is a coherent set of pathways guiding our corporate life over the next five years, offered and led by the Bishop, that 'framework' will enable each charge to grow according to the nature of the local soil and 'weather conditions'. The fruits growing up the trellis will be different according to context.

Launch services will be held in the following places:
Galloway: St Ninian's Castle Douglas 6th June at 7.00pm
Glasgow South and Renfrewshire: Holy Trinity and St Barnabas Paisley 7th June at 7.30pm
Glasgow North West: All Saints Bearsden 13th June at 7.30pm
Ayrshire: St Ninian's Troon 21st June at 7.30pm
Glasgow North East: St James Bishopbriggs 22nd June at 7.00pm
Lanarkshire: St Mary the Virgin Hamilton 23rd June at 7.30pm

So what happens after the launch? Every charge will be invited to call a Facilitator to come and work alongside them in drawing up its Mission Action Plan (MAP) for the coming year. A MAP acts as a 'compass', pointing out the direction in which the charge will work, and a 'magnet', drawing all members to co-operate in shared aims and objectives. MAP Facilitators will work with up to two congregations - neither of which would be their own - accompanying them as they produce their Plan and thereafter keeping a watching brief as the charge seeks to implement the actions it has identified. This 'partnership' with the congregation will be
reviewed annually, for a maximum of five years.

The Bishop or the Dean will visit every charge once a year to listen to the stories of avenues explored via the MAP, and to share in celebrating those ventures which have worked well and learning from those that have not been successful. Both are important, and the most important aspect of all is the fact that new ventures have been tried. These stories of growth will also be shared across Regions and Diocese by a variety of other means: through a dedicated web site, at Regional meetings, at synods and through DNS.

As members of the diocese we will work hard at planting and watering, and will be supporting one another too, but the Strategy is underpinned by an awareness that it is God who makes things grow, and that we are co-workers in God's service (1 Cor 3, 6-9). So in the lead-up to the launch let us all pray the Growth Strategy prayer:

Spirit of our Loving God, in your mercy and compassion inspire, encourage and empower us to live and work together as a Diocese, to allow your mission for us to take flesh through Jesus Christ our Living and Eternal
Lord. Amen