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Bishop David will be meeting the Vestry
on 28th July 2010 to discuss the Casting the Net programme
Casting the Net is a new initiative that will help
us to grow as congregations which are strong in faith and attractive to people who are seeking answers to deep and spiritual
questions.
What’s involved?
Casting the
Net is a simple but powerful approach to congregational growth. It asks us
to think about our congregations as living communities of God’s people. It asks us to explore practical steps which
we can take along the path towards growth.
It asks each of our congregations to do
three things:
o
Reflect together on what the spiritual and
community life of a healthy, growth-oriented congregation should be. o
Apply that thinking to their own congregational
life, identify the most important areas for development, and build a coherent 3 year plan to address them. o
Act upon the plan, with regular monitoring
and review of progress. Why is this
so important?
o
A move from decline to growth is central to the new Vision and
Strategy for the diocese. From the review process during 2006/7, however, it became apparent that many of our congregations
don’t have a clear picture of ‘where they are going’. It was also obvious that we lack
an integrated picture, spiritual and organisational, of the whole life of our congregations.
o Casting the Net is a natural development of the MYCMI
and Mission 21 programme, but it goes much further. We know that to thrive and grow on a sustained basis
we now need a comprehensive framework for congregational life, with a strong orientation towards mission and growth and one
simple but powerful process to work with it.
What
is a healthy, growth-oriented church?
Within the Casting
the Net programme, the framework that congregations throughout the Diocese will be asked to use is based on
“The Nine Marks of a Healthy Mission-Shaped Church”.
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The Nine Marks of Mission
At Pentecost 2009 (May 31st), all parishes will be asked to launch the Casting the Net programme,
which will encompass the Nine Marks of Mission. The Vestry and the Rector will be considering how to 'make a difference,
by implementing a meaningful and effective programme over the coming months.
The Nine marks of Mission
are :
1. Worship that renews and inspires, embracing the rich variety of our traditions | | 2. Transformed lives and communities, through receiving the Good News of Jesus Christ | | 3. Lifelong Christian nurture:deepening the knowledge of God in our lives | | 4. Reaching out to children and young people, because mission-shaped churches seek to engage with children and young people | | 5. Rooted in prayer, word and sacrament: experiencing God and his will for us | | 6. The welcome
of newcomers and celebration of life events: helping
newcomers become part of the life of the church and making the most of special occasions | | 7. Sharing faith by confident and sensitive evangelism, witnessing to God’s presence and power | | 8. Serving the community in practical ways, reaching out to others,
especially those in need | | 9. Ready
to seek growthand Cast the Net |
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The Diocesan Review 2008 The Diocesan review has been published. You can download
a copy form our downloads page.
Everyone should read this document (or the short summary), since
it points the way forward for all parishes. There is much to consider and decide upon. The action plan -
Casting the Net- is now being discussed and implemented. You can find more detail on the Diocesan website at this link. The Vestry will be considering how best to adopt the proposals after Whitson when more infomation is available.
We are looking forward to working on this together with a Development officer and Karen Gaskell (a member of St Mary's
congregation).
Diocesan Review May 2008
Casting the Net May 08
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St Mary's Church
Main Street Aberfoyle FK8 3UG UK 01877 382887
A charity registered in Scotland: SC023266
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