transforming church
transforming lives
introduc
Transforming Church, Transforming Lives is the vision and mission strategy of the Diocese of
Guildford. It envisages individuals and church communities open to the transforming work of God’s
Spirit in their own lives, and so becoming agents of Christ’s transformation to the world around
them.
This vision is deliberately couched as a strapline to the phrase ‘Diocese of Guildford’, rather than as
an initiative in its own right. Transforming Church, Transforming Lives communicates the essence of
everything we are seeking to pray and work towards across the diocese, rather than being a separate
mission project to be hived off to a small bunch of enthusiasts. To use the jargon, it is an ‘add-up’
rather than an ‘add-on’.
No strategy, however well intentioned, will achieve anything of any lasting value without God at the
heart of it: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, we labour in vain…’ (Psalm 127:1). Prayer is therefore
foundational to all that is envisaged – planting, watering, wedding and pruning, but always looking
to God to give the growth.
Transforming Church, Transforming Lives is not about asking people to work harder, but to work
sharper - becoming more intentional and focussed in how we pray and what we are seeking to do.
At its heart lies the vision of a growing, vibrant and generous Christian movement, empowered by
the Spirit and rooted in word and sacrament, which confidently proclaims and lives out the Good
News of Jesus Christ across the region and beyond.
Transforming Church, Transforming Lives is a framework not a blueprint, encouraging a thousand
local initiatives to work towards our broader shared goals. It is primarily a strategy for the local
church, though many of its principles can be extended to groups of churches, network
congregations, chaplaincies and church schools. Its ethos is:
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To encourage local mission initiatives through permission-giving, training, support and
finance.
To develop a deeper sense of partnership and shared accountability between churches and
across the diocese, as parishes increasingly look to resource one another, and the diocesan
hub to resource the whole.
To grow a culture of honesty, mutual learning, persistent prayer, deepening discipleship and
confident faith sharing.
history
When members of the Crown Nomination Commission first gathered to pray and to draw up a role
description for the next Bishop of Guildford, it was felt that the diocese lacked a well-owned vision
and mission strategy. The Common Purpose initiative from 2008 was reckoned to have made
something of a difference, but was seen ‘not to live and inspire’. One of the tasks given to the new
Bishop of Guildford by the Archbishop of Canterbury was therefore to ‘lead the diocese in a more
joyful and intentional approach to witness and mission’, while ‘encouraging a wider sense of
collegiality and common purpose’.
The Common Purpose Working Group was duly convened in the spring of 2015, in response to the
Archbishop’s charge and to Bishop Andrew’s initial meetings around the deaneries. It brought
together members of the Bishop’s Staff Team with a varied group of clergy and lay people from
across the diocese. At the first of the group’s meetings, the idea was born of a systematic gathering
of views through an online survey – a unique initiative in the development of a diocesan vision.
The survey was filled in by nearly 1500 people, lay and ordained, and a shared picture began to
emerge:
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- Encouraging Signs of Growth across the diocese tended to be associated with enhanced
ministry among children and young families, the development of new worship services, and
the increase in social action projects (foodbanks, street pastors and the like). Churches that
were responsive to social change (e.g. recognising the changing nature of Sundays, and
making adjustments accordingly) were directly benefitting from that responsiveness.
Hindrances to Growth included a deficit of prayer and strategic thinking, a lack of youth and
children’s work provision, various financial, building and administrative considerations and
– most significantly – low levels of Christian discipleship and a lack of confidence in sharing
the gospel.
It was therefore suggested that the various Resources Available to parishes from the
diocesan hub should be directed towards providing church growth conferences and training,
audit tools and consultants, and towards offering seed-corn money for encouraging new
initiatives (especially among children and youth). Discipleship, evangelism and lay leadership
training were regarded as particularly important, while two specific projects (increasing the
number of ordained vocations by 50% and encouraging the development of congregations
in new housing areas) were given enthusiastic endorsement. The final common theme was
the need to learn from one another and to grow co-operation between parishes in prayer
and mission.
The results of the survey were shared, discussed and prayed over at a meeting of the clergy on
November 30th 2015; and Bishop Andrew (along with the archdeacons and other members of the
working group) made a second tour of the deaneries, communicating the results, praying together
for the health and growth of the church across the diocese, and picking up a good number of fresh
responses and insights along the way.
Following further discussion in a number of different forums (including Bishop’s Council and Diocesan
Synod) a number of specific goals began to emerge in the spring of 2016, and the decision was made to
replace the phrase Common Purpose with the strapline Transforming Church, Transforming Lives. Materials
were then prepared for a launch of the new vision in September 2016.
context
During this significant period of consultation in 2015-16, a number of wider considerations came to
the fore, of which the following have proved the most significant:
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The National and the Diocesan: Guildford is one of 41 dioceses across the country, and our
own strategic thinking needs to be informed by wider strategy within the Church of England
and beyond. The so-called ‘five marks of mission’, the three quinquennial goals and the
current Renewal and Reform programme all offer a broader, and genuinely helpful, setting
in which our diocesan discussions are taking place.
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The Central and the Local: The structure of the Church of England gives a considerable
degree of autonomy to parishes and chaplaincies, which leads at best to a rich diversity of
churchmanships and approaches to mission, at worst to shrinking or struggling parishes
becoming increasingly embattled, inward-looking and isolated. Any approach to a diocesan
vision therefore needs to be primarily focussed on supporting local efforts, while not losing
sight of the bigger picture. One question that has increasingly come to the fore in our
discussions is whether we should identify a basic minimum provision that all of our churches
should offer (perhaps with the help of their neighbours). This provision is reflected in a
number of the 12 diocesan goals below.
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The Local Church and the Wider World: Diocesan strategies will generally start with the
parish church, but they must never stop there. Chaplaincies have a significant part to play in
the church’s mission, as do church schools and community and global initiatives (many of
them ecumenical). Meanwhile the deanery dimension is significant too, with a growing
recognition of the need to think strategically within deanery and other groupings so as to
release fresh energy for mission; and our ecumenical relationships also play a part, not least
in the bubbling up of a plethora of new initiatives, including street angels, food banks, prayer
groups and evangelistic missions.
Inherited Church and Fresh Expressions: The language of the General Synod Report, ‘Mission Shaped
Church’, is now more than 15 years’ old, but it’s basic premise remains deeply relevant: that churches need
both to make our traditional service pattern (‘inherited church’) more accessible to the newcomer and to
develop quite new approaches to Christian community (‘Fresh Expressions’) to draw in those for whom
‘coming to church’ is a wholly alien concept. Our own survey suggests that growth points often lie in
developing these Fresh Expressions alongside our traditional worship patterns, so that any Diocesan
mission strategy needs to focus both on doing what we do as well as we can and on trying out some new
approaches.
in essence
Set within that broader context, Transforming Church, Transforming Lives:
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Sets 12 Diocesan Goals, which together provide the framework of all our mission activities
within parishes, chaplaincies, schools, the cathedral and the diocesan hub.
Provides Resources for parishes, schools, chaplaincies and the cathedral as they select the
goals to which they’re particularly committed over the coming year: these resources to
include support, training, mentoring, prayer resources and grant funding through the newly
established Growth Fund.
Expects every parish to pray over its mission priorities and to produce its initial Development
Plan by Easter 2017, to be renewed and revised in each year following.
These elements of the strategy are more fully worked out in the following two sections of this
report.
transform
The Twelve Diocesan Goals
Below are the twelve diocesan goals agreed by the Diocesan Synod of July 2016, together with a
brief commentary on each. The word ‘diocesan’ here relates not to some centralised top-down
approach, but to goals that are owned by us all: indeed each of them has been suggested by a
significant proportion of the 1500 people who filled in the online survey.
As we prayerfully seek to serve one another and to look to the God who gives the growth, our goals
in the Diocese of Guildford are:
mak
disciples
1. For every parish and chaplaincy to develop an appropriate strategy for making prayerful,
confident disciples in daily life
Discipleship in one sense covers everything we do: and the vision here is of a community committed
to lifelong learning, and to equipping its members to ‘love and serve the Lord’ in the neighbourhood,
the workplace, the home, the school and elsewhere. This goal places both prayer and confidence
right at the start of the strategy – two key elements in the survey responses – and at its heart is the
question, ‘How do we create a culture of spiritual growth?’
An ‘appropriate strategy’ for developing that culture will look different in different parishes. It might
well include courses and small groups of different kinds, but also e.g. pilgrimages, mission trips,
Christian conferences and a rediscovery of the spiritual disciplines.
increas
believers
2. Together to increase the number of new Christians of all ages through persistent prayer,
confident faith-sharing, life-giving worship, and the development of a hundred new
worshipping communities by 2027
This picks up on the two greatest areas of church growth highlighted in the survey. A ‘new
worshipping community’ here might be clergy or lay-led, and could consist of a new congregation in
an existing building, a small missional community, a youth church or a completely new fellowship on
a housing estate. The number ‘100’ signals a step change in the development of fresh expressions
across the diocese. 2027 is the 100th anniversary of Guildford Diocese.
grow
youth & children’s
ministry
3. For every parish to develop a safe, attractive and spiritually-enriching children’s and youth
ministry, encouraging sharing of resources where appropriate
The main issue here is a commitment to making all our churches friendly and accessible to children
and young people, as well as committed to their growth in discipleship. ‘Clustering’ suggests
partnerships between churches here, as well as between churches and their local schools. As an
example - with a large number of youth and children’s workers already operating across the diocese
- paid workers could spend, say, 10% of their time in supporting other churches on their children and
youth strategy.
develop
lay leaders
4. Together to increase the number of lay leaders of all ages, who are called, trained and
deployed in the church and wider community
Goal 4 relates both to licensed and other forms of Christian leadership within church and the wider
world. The key to this goal is creating a culture of vocation across the board.
recruit
more clergy
5. Together to grow the number of ordinands by 50% from 2020 and beyond
Our diocesan response to this vital national aspiration will be both exciting and costly in terms of
money, creativity, time, effort and prayer. Internships will play a part in some of our parishes, and
we will need to open up three new curacies a year from 2020 onwards, as we seek to grow a godly
and gifted ordained workforce for the future. Incidentally, this national aspiration will only go some
way in maintaining clergy numbers, given the high level of retirements forecast in the next 15 years.
cultivat
community
partnerships
6. Together to increase the range, professionalism and spiritual fruitfulness of our partnerships
with the local community, to help create a safer, stronger, fairer and more sustainable society
This picks up on the third growth area in the survey, and expresses our responsibility to be ‘salt and
light’, good news in the communities we serve. The words ‘fairer and more sustainable’ connect with
the last three of the five marks of mission: ‘to respond to human need by loving service; to transform
unjust structures of society, challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation;
and to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth’.
reach
beyond borders
7. Together to grow the number and depth of our partnerships with Christian communities
beyond our diocesan borders, in the holistic mission to which Jesus calls us
This looks to our connections with other parts of the country and the wider world, recognising that
Christians in the diocese have much to learn and much to give. Parish links are in view here, but also
wider diocesan links, mission trips, school links and our wider contribution to the national church. In
particular this goal gives a rationale behind the substantial sums the diocese pays to the Church
Commissioners to resource ministry in other less affluent parts of the country.
nurturing education
8. Together to improve the standards and develop the Christian distinctiveness of our church
schools, wholeheartedly embracing our contribution to education across the diocese
Goal 8 places the work of the school and university chaplains, the Diocesan Board of Education and
the GST (our Diocesan Good Shepherd Multi-Academy Trust) right at the heart of the mission of the
diocese, and suggests a wider commitment to education in our community schools and colleges.
encourag
generous giving
9. For every parish to encourage an increasing number of worshipping Christians to commit to
regular, proportional and sacrificial giving
Christian stewardship is the theme here, one of the most basic expressions of the wider issue of
Christian discipleship. At present Guildford Diocese is somewhere in the mid-table when it comes to
the proportion of worshippers’ income that is given away. The impact of increasing that proportion
could be extraordinary.
shar
expertise
10. Together to share expertise and streamline our processes so as to release fresh energy for
mission
This goal explicitly brings our central administration team into the missional frame, as well as
encouraging a greater synergy between one church and another. Easily accessible on-line forms for
all processes would be a help here, and a volunteer consultancy service is currently being developed,
offering advice in HR, finance, change, project management.
communicat
effectively
11. For every parish and chaplaincy to develop effective communications, promoting a church that
is visible, attractive and accessible
Goal 11 also encourages a sharing of resources and expertise between parishes, as well as a change
of focus for the diocesan communications’ team.
improv
church buildings
12. For every parish to work towards having church buildings that are fit for purpose in supporting
today’s ministry and mission
The aim here is to develop facilities of a reasonable standard that enable worship, fellowship,
outreach and community activity to be conducted effectively, with proper regard for accessibility,
safety and environmental responsibility. To achieve this may require a more proactive approach by
the centre (including the DAC) in assisting parishes than hitherto, especially through the provision of
consultancy and possible funding via the Growth Fund.
resourcing
By far the most vital resource in Guildford and every diocese is our laity and clergy, those at the
coalface of God’s mission in their churches, communities and workplaces: and the whole ethos of
Transforming Church, Transforming Lives is to seek to release all of God’s people into more joyful,
intentional, generous and fruitful Christian service.
Along with the ongoing support of the diocesan teams (about which more below), two new
initiatives are being introduced across the whole diocese to assist the Transformation agenda: the
creation of a Growth Fund and the introduction of Parish Development Plans.
1. The Growth Fund
Plans are under way to develop a substantial Growth Fund to provide significant seed corn funding
for mission projects within Transforming Church, Transforming Lives. Details of how this will be
funded and administered will be explained in due course. As part of this new initiative a significant
bid to the Church Commissioners is being put together, with a special focus on releasing funding for
pioneering congregations on new housing estates; but money will also be available to help parishes
and chaplaincies whose Development Plans including convincing projects linked to the
transformation agenda.
2. Parish Development Plans
The aim of the diocesan goals is to provide a focus for our mission activities, and not to pile fresh
burdens onto the shoulders of clergy, PCCs or diocesan staff. Many of the 1500 who filled in our
survey articulated the lack of a strategy for growth in the churches they attended – and the goals
give a framework for such a strategy.
Our churches are in very different places when it comes to thinking strategically. What is needed is
a simple and easily applicable approach, which can assure a basic level of strategic thinking in every
church while not unnecessarily duplicating the efforts of those who are already operating at
‘doctorate’ level.
Such an approach should also empower the clergy to keep the church’s mission at the heart of PCC
and other agendas, rather than allowing those agendas to have too great a focus, say, on buildings
and finance.
What is envisaged is the following:
a. At Parish and Chaplaincy Level
Each parish will be asked to create a Development Plan by Easter 2017, and to keep it up-to-date
and regularly reviewed. Chaplaincies will be encouraged to do the same. Development Plans will be
administered by the Parish Development and Evangelism Team, who will also offer written and
online materials, personal coaching and advice, and prayer and liturgical resources.
Typically this process will begin with a PCC (or equivalent) setting aside a period of time for prayerful
reflection, during which special priorities are set for the coming 12 months. Some churches or
chaplaincies might like to hold a vision day for the PCC or a rather wider grouping.
Wider factors may play a part in the PCC or chaplaincy deliberations. There may be a broader
deanery strategy emerging in which they are called to play a part, or local concerns that need
addressing. For example, if the statistics show that the number of children in a church community
is in serious long-term decline, a member of the relevant team (in consultation with the Archdeacon)
might have a supportive word with the incumbent, offering to help reverse the trend.
Off the back of that discussion a number of priorities will be set which form a local Development
Plan, and which link with some of the 12 diocesan goals. For example a PCC might decide to focus
on 5 priorities:
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To attend a conference on Church Growth to be laid on by the diocese later in the year
(Goal 9).
To improve the website and noticeboards (Goal 11)
To work with the Community Engagement Team and other churches in the deanery to
train debt advisors and open a CAP centre (Goal 7)
To hold a stewardship campaign (Goal 5)
To start a new Messy Church in a local school (Goals 2 and 6).
These priorities will then be communicated to the church and to the Parish Development and
Evangelism Team, and a progress report made at every PCC meeting (or equivalent) over the course
of the ensuing year. A request for help from one of the diocesan teams, or an application to the
Growth Fund, could be made at the same time.
The idea here is for every church member (at the fringes as well as the centre) to have a clear idea
of their church’s mission priorities for the coming year.
b. At Deanery, Group or Local Ecumenical Level
As mentioned above, one of the considerations that PCCs and chaplaincies may need to take into
account in their planning is the broader strategic discussion at deanery, group or local ecumenical
level (as in the CAP centre example above). There is an appetite for this inter-parish working
expressed in many of the responses to the survey, and Archdeacon Paul has written a helpful paper
advocating the benefits of a Deanery Mission and Pastoral Committee.
Where churches jointly agree to work on a particular mission project, funding from the Growth Fund
may still be available; and such a project will then find their way into the Development Plans of each
of the churches involved.
c. At Central / Diocesan and Cathedral Level
The Diocesan hub includes the senior staff, along with the teams currently working from Diocesan
House, the Education Centre and the Cathedral. The hub exists primarily to offer encouragement,
mentoring, training and funding to support work on the ground, including accessing resources and
expertise from outside the diocese.
As parishes and chaplaincies put together their Development Plans with an eye to the 12 Diocesan
Goals, the following teams will be the first point of contact for parishes looking for expertise or
training:
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Goals 1, 4 and 5: the Discipleship, Vocation and Ministry Team
Goals 2, 3, 8 and 9: the Parish Development and Evangelism Team
Goal 6: the Community Engagement Team.
Goal 7: the Board of Education.
Goals 10 and 12: the Administration Team.
Goal 11: the Communications Team.
In addition the teams will have a more proactive role to:
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Develop a diocesan culture that enables clergy and churches to flourish and play to their
strengths.
Communicate, administer and help resource the vision of Transforming Church,
Transforming Lives in the parishes, chaplaincies and schools.
Engage in high level discussions with e.g. local authorities and the Church
Commissioners, so as to release resources, fruitful partnerships and mission potential.
Play a significant role in vacancies and appointments, seeking to ensure that churches
and their clergy (of varied churchmanships) are working towards the vision of a
Transforming Church, Transforming Lives.
Use statistical and other information to make supportive, non-judgmental interventions
in parishes that need them; and
Point people to good practice in other parts of the diocese (or beyond) – another strong
theme to emerge from the survey
praying
Finally; some theological pointers for Transforming Church, Transforming Lives.
The Mission of God
The Bible teaches that mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but rather lies at the very
heart of God the Holy Trinity. The whole language of ‘sending’ and ‘being sent’ is fundamental to
our understanding of the New Testament, especially John’s Gospel: God sends his Son; the Father
and Son send the Spirit; and Father, Son and Spirit send the church to fulfil God’s plan of salvation
for the world He loves (see e.g. John 3:17, 14:26, 15:26, 20:21).
Joining in with God’s Mission suggests the need for a prayerful attentiveness to the still, small voice
of the Spirit, and to God’s ways in the world. The joyful encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian
eunuch in Acts 8 offers a great example of that attentiveness, and reminds us that good planning
will always sit alongside the spontaneous and unforeseen.
The ‘Five Marks of Mission’ remind us of the breadth of our mission work. Our calling as the Body
of Christ is to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, to teach, baptise and nurture new believers,
to respond to human need by loving service, to seek to transform unjust structures of society and
to strive to sustain and renew the life of the earth. Transforming Church, Transforming Lives draws
together all of these areas - and one approach to drawing up a Development Plan might be to
encourage each church community to see where the missionary God is already at work, then
offering to join in.
Kingdom and Church
Jesus came to inaugurate the kingdom of God – his rule – on earth, and encouraged us to pray ‘Your
kingdom come’. Signs of God’s kingdom include the preaching of the Good News, repentance,
healings and release from oppression (Matthew 4:23, Luke 4:18).
From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus called together disciples to form a messianic community,
living by the values of the kingdom of God (as spelt out in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7).
In Acts 2:43-47 we see that community in action, characterised by spiritual power, lavish generosity,
overflowing joy and vibrant worship. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks in powerful terms of
the importance of the Church in God’s kingdom purposes (see 1:20-23). The rest of the New
Testament introduces us to a variety of local churches, each with their own particular character,
strengths and struggles.
Transforming Church, Transforming Lives unashamedly begins with the local church, but it does not
end there. Our calling is to pray ‘Your kingdom come’ in our communities, then to give ourselves,
creatively and sacrificially, towards the fulfilment of that prayer.
Transformation
The New Testament has two related words for transformation: morphoo (from which we derive our
English word morph), and metamorphoo (from which we derive our word metamorphosis).
Morphoo is used in Galatians 4:19, where Paul speaks of Christ being ‘formed’ in us; metamorphoo
in Romans 12:2, where he speaks of us being ‘transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that
you can discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect’.
God’s transforming work begins in Christian individuals, as Christ is formed in his people (Galatians
4:19; 2 Corinthians 3:18); but transformed lives also have a transforming effect in the church and in
the world around them. Having instructed his readers to be ‘transformed by the renewing of your
minds’, Paul goes on to picture what that transformation looks like in the church and wider world,
speaking of love, generosity, perseverance, and a Christ-like attitude to both stranger and
persecutor (Romans 12:3-21). Jesus’ images of salt, light and yeast also pick up this transformation
theme, as does St. Paul’s teaching about the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Growth
God’s creation call to ‘go forth and multiply’ is picked up in a missionary context in the many
agricultural images scattered through the New Testament. Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God as
like a mustard seed – the smallest of seeds that becomes the largest of plants (Mark 4:30-32); he
speaks of the sower, who perseveres through disappointment and failure, and sees the good ground
yield mixed but, at times, startling results (Mark 4:1-20). He speaks of God as the ‘Lord of the
Harvest’, and encourages his disciples to pray that workers might be sent into the harvest field
(Matthew 9:38); and he speaks of the need for pruning (John 15:2), and of the principle of death
and resurrection – the seed ‘dying’ to ‘produce many seeds’ (John 12:24).
The numerical growth of the early church is well charted by Luke, who moves in stages from 12 to
5000 before losing count! Numbers are important, because they represent individuals who have
responded to the call of the Kingdom (the ‘fortyfold, sixtyfold, hundredfold’ increase in the parable
of the sower); but the letters to the churches in the book of Revelation also remind us that size isn’t
everything, and that much that is best in our life together cannot be weighed and measured. As the
Risen Christ says to the church in Smyrna, ‘I know your afflictions and poverty – yet you are rich!’
(Revelation 2:9). There is also a cyclical aspect to church life, with St Paul reminding us to ‘preach
the word in season and out of season’ (2 Timothy 4:2).
We should not underestimate the challenge of growing churches in today’s climate, but nor should
we give way to a self-fulfilling fatalism. Provided we plant and water carefully and prayerfully, there
can be an expectation that God will bring growth, however fragile that growth may sometimes
appear (1 Corinthians 3:6). The themes of perseverance and not losing heart regularly appear in St.
Paul’s writings (e.g. Galatians 6:9).
The People of God
Both Old Testament and New holds out a vision of a people who are filled with God’s Spirit and
called into His service: what the reformers called ‘the priesthood of all believers’ (see Exodus 19:6;
1 Peter 2:9). The idea that some Christians ‘do’ ministry and other Christians have ministry ‘done’
to them is quite contrary to this biblical understanding. Rather, those who are called to lead the
church are called to equip all God’s people to be ministers and missionaries in their homes,
workplaces and communities (see Ephesians 4:11-13).
Those churches of all traditions that have begun to rediscover this principle – to release the whole
people of God in the vision and passion that God has stirred within them – are exciting and
sometimes risky places, where men and women and children grow in confidence, and church
becomes more of an organism than an organisation. Transforming Church, Transforming Lives
encourages such a development, and an approach to leadership that is both strategic and releasing.