Growing Forward Together -
Towards 2020
As soon as you look to the future, it becomes part of the present. Lots of imaginative and creative things are happening in our Diocese that are actively shaping its future.
For some years now the Diocese has been guided by a set of values and priorities called Growing Forward Together.
From this page you can link to the original Summary (pdf) of these, introduced by Bishop Stephen, and a Full Version which adds more detail to the headlines.
In May 2006 Bishop Stephen asked Diocesan Synod to consider what the mission and ministry of the church would look line in the future. The year 2020 was chosen to focus these thoughts because it was far enough away to encourage fresh thinking and yet near enough to begin to work towards now.
In the last two years scores of people have been involved in consultations and contributed towards these papers as the two strands now come together as Growing Forward Together -Towards 2020.
These documents are now offered online to encourage further thinking and action. They are certain to change and be updated as more people look together at what it means to Grow Forward Together Towards 2020. This is very much work in progress in which you are invited to share and tell your story.
The 3 Column Summary outlines how we would like the church to develop and says something about how this might happen. The Four Themes document offers pointers to turn our existing priorities into practical steps. The Outlook Article from May 2008 introduces this more fully.