Mission Action Planning Tool - Diocese of Sheffield · 2018-09-16 · They should have your PCC/DCC’s blessing and authority. Second: hold a meeting to work through the eight sections

Mission Action Planning ToolPart of the Strategy for Growth for The Diocese of Sheffield

MOVING ON WITH MISSION ⟩

The Diocese of She� eld is called to grow a sustainable network of Christ–like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every place, which are e� ective in making disciples, and in seeking to transform our society, and God’s world.

Welcome to the Mission Action Planning Tool. This resource supports the Diocesan Growth Strategy and our desire to help make things easier for parishes. In 2014, the Church of England published

From Anecdote to Evidence1 which is the fi ndings of one of the most comprehensive research projects ever undertaken to analyse what helps churches to grow. One factor strongly linked with growth is: A Clear Mission and Purpose. Here in the Diocese of She� eld this is set out in our vision statement and our four strategy documents:

» Growing the Body of Christ » Re-imagining Ministry for Mission » Salt and Light » A Little Letter on Giving

This Mission Action Planning Tool (MAP Tool) draws on From Anecdote to Evidence and our four strategy documents to help all parishes to refl ect on some key aspects of the life of your church – its worship, ministry and mission as part of the Bishop’s Growth Strategy.

We hope that it will help you:

To refl ect on what God is currently doing amongst you so that you can celebrate, a� rm and build on these things.

Consider what new or di� erent things God is calling you to do. Draw up an action plan which will help you to prioritise your time and resources. This will be as much

about what you need to stop doing as it is about new things. If you already have a clear action plan in place it will provide a helpful tool to assess your plans against the

fi ndings of From Anecdote to Evidence and the Diocesan Growth Strategy. Provide practical information to identify where training and support can be targeted at parish, mission

partnership, deanery and diocesan level to help you deliver your plans. It suggests where you can go for help and advice. Please remember that the Parish Support Team and

sta� at Church House are here to help.

We hope this tool will enable you to honestly and progressively explore before God how to bear more fruit as you seek to make disciples of Jesus and grow his church.

Welcome,

+Steven & Mark

1. From Anecdote to Evidence Church Growth Research Programme 2014. The Church Commissioners for England.

The Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft,Bishop of She� eld

The Revd Canon Mark Cockayne, Director of Parish Support

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What’s in this guide?

Contents No.

Intro - getting the best from this tool.......................................................................................................................... 3

Mission Action Planning Tool Timetable.................................................................................................................... 5

1. A Place of Welcome and Belonging..................................................................................................................... 6

2. A Place of Worship and Prayer................................................................................................................................ 8

3. A Place of Nurture, Discipleship and Vocation.................................................................................................. 10

4. A Place with a Clear Mission and Purpose with Good Collaborative Leadership................................... 12

5. A Place for Empowerment and Involvement of Lay Members...................................................................... 14

6. A Base for Evangelism, Outreach and Numerical Growth.............................................................................. 16

7. A Place of Serving and Transforming - Salt & Light.......................................................................................... 18

8. A Place Actively Seeking to Engage with Children and Teenagers.............................................................. 20

MAP Summary Form........................................................................................................................................................ 23

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Get the Best from Your Mission Action Planning Tool

Growth doesn’t happen overnight and this tool is not a quick fix. Think like that and you will quickly discourage yourselves. We have carefully designed this to be a two year cycle which is best discussed by a small group, overseen and reviewed by the PCC.

You need to include as many people as possible in your church without getting bogged down in meetings and discussions. So give permission and freedom for a small group to journey with this framework and help steer your church to growth.

You have up to three months to complete this initial part of the process. Please ensure your responses are received before 31st March 2015 as they will form part of the Archdeacons’ visitations.

Using the Framework – A Step By Step Guide

If you are new to this document it may look intimidating. Don’t panic. We’ve designed this tool to make it easy for you to reflect on growth. Parishes like yours have successfully done this, so simply follow these suggested steps.

First: get a small group togetherThis can be a leadership team, standing committee, shared ministry team or simply people you feel have something to o�er. It will work best if you find people who represent all parts of your church life – not just from one congregation. They should have your PCC/DCC’s blessing and authority.

Second: hold a meeting to work through the eight sections of the frameworkThis meeting should take no more than two hours. We have found the most helpful way for this meeting to work is for each member to read the whole booklet through before you work through each section in turn. Every section is laid out with an introduction, Starter for 10 and individual questions with a summary form at the end.

Starter for 10 Questions

Before the meeting, each member should just answer the Starter for 10 questions. Do this instinctively to get a feel for the relative strengths and weaknesses of your church in that area. When you meet, use your Starter for 10 scores to start a discussion. Find out what everyone has scored and then try to come to a single score that all can agree with for all eight questions. Not the average score, but one that recognises and reconciles any di�erence of opinion. Try to get a sense of agreement.

Individual Questions

Once you have agreed your Starter for 10 scores, work as a group to answer the individual questions for each section by:

• Ticking YES or NO to each question.

• Looking at each question in turn and deciding:

o Do you have any problem areas important enough for special action over the next year?

o Could any of your strengths be built on?

• Recording in the action box a single specific – SMART – action you can take.

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Being SmartYou need to avoid the risk of becoming too ambitious or general. A statement like “Get lots more families into church” sounds more like a hope than an action. If you want more families then how will you do it? A new service? A di�erent pattern of services? Becoming a Child Friendly Church?

To help achieve this you might like to think of taking SMART actions. These are:

Specific – something that you will definitely be able to say you have or haven’t done, e.g. starting a new service.Measureable – something you can clearly gauge the success of, e.g. numbers coming to a service.Achievable – something that is realistic rather than a pipe dream.Relevant – something that is related to the section you are looking at.Timed – something you have put a deadline on.

If you follow some SMART actions then you are more likely to push yourself to make it happen.

• Deciding if you need to carry out a more wide-ranging review of this area. (If you do we recommend that it is one of your eight actions)

Summary FormHaving completed and agreed scores, questions and actions for each section then complete the MAP Summary Form by transferring:

• The Starter for 10 scores to the Statement table.

• The agreed actions to the Key Action table.

• Any Areas for Wider Review.

The final Summary Form should be seen and signed o� by the PCC/DCC before being returned by 31st March 2015 to give the Archdeacons time to review each deanery before the visitation services.

Mission PartnershipsThe information from your MAP document will help you in your discussions as you make plans in your Mission Partnership together. We are conscious that parishes are at di�ering stages on the Mission Partnership journey. Established partnerships may wish to use this tool to work on one MAP for the Mission Partnership. We will sharpen the tool to focus more on planning in Mission Partnerships in the second cycle in two years time.

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A Two-year CycleOnce you have your eight actions then your group can use them to monitor progress. You will need to keep your PCC involved. Every year you should send a progress report to your PCC.

Fully review your progress after 12 months using the form we will send. Think about what you have learnt; what you would do di�erently and make any necessary revisions for the coming year. Then you will be ready to start the next two-year cycle.

MISSION ACTION PLANNING TOOL TIMETABLE

January 2015 MAP Tool sent out

March 2015 We need the Summary Form returned for the Archdeacons’ visitations

Ascension – Pentecost & 10 Days of Prayer 2015

Include prayer for your parish plans in the 10 Days of Prayer

Summer – Autumn 2015 Use your plan to help you set your budget and make your Common Fund re-sponse for 2016. You can also use it to share your vision for the church as part of your stewardship campaign and gift day

January 2016 We will send you a Review Form asking for an update on progress and helping you to review your plan

March 2016 We need your Review Form back for the Archdeacon’s visitation

Ascension – Pentecost & 10 Days of Prayer

Pray for your progress and review plans

Summer – Autumn 2016 Set your budget for 2017 and continue to address your stewardship

January 2017 We begin MAP Tool 2

A much more comprehensive Mission Action Planning resource is available for parishes who wish to go deeper into mission planning. You may find out more about this from www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPTool or contact the Parish Support Team at Church House if you want further information.

Email: trish.sta�ord@she�eld.anglican.org

Please return your completed MAP Summary Form to:

The Parish Support Team, Diocesan Church House, 95 – 99 E�ngham Street, Rotherham. S65 1BL.

If there is anything you would like clarified or have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us on: 01709 309147 or email the Parish Support Team at: trish.sta�ord@she�eld.anglican.org. An electronic version of this MAP Tool and Summary Form is available from www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPTool. The information from your Summary Form may be entered online at the same website.

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1. A Place of Welcome and Belonging

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)

In From Anecdote to Evidence many churches attribute growth to a welcoming atmosphere - ‘belonging and caring’. The most direct route to growth comes from members inviting and welcoming family, friends and acquaintances.2

It is often said that people who attend a service of worship will decide within minutes whether or not they will come back. This is much more than a handshake on the door or a quick “hello” at the end of the service before we go o� to talk to our friends. A cross look or “excuse me, you’re sitting in my seat” translates to “go away, you’re not welcome here”. Welcome and hospitality is not the job of a few people on the welcome team, it’s the job of the whole church family.

Starter for 10

With a score of 1 – 10 (1 completely disagree – 10 fully agree) how do you rate the following statement?

We give a really warm welcome to our church and people want to come back.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Completely disagree Fully agree

Do you need further help in the area of Welcome?

If so, visit the website: www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPTool

2 Help about Season of Invitation can be found at www.she�eld.anglican.org/seasonofinvitation

WWW

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Questions

1. Does our welcome and hospitality help people to quickly feel comfortable and encourage them to come back? YES NO

2. Do we have an attractive welcome pack / welcome literature? YES NO

3. Are we good at spotting new people? YES NO

4. Does everyone in our church play their part in welcoming people and in helping them belong? YES NO

5. Do we build good relationships with baptism families, prepare them for baptism and stay in contact afterwards? YES NO

6. Do we help newer people find their way around church and know what various activities are going on? YES NO

7. Do our church members use every opportunity to invite family and friends along?3 YES NO

8. Do we notice if people stop coming and follow this up? YES NO

Action

What is the one thing we could do over the next 12 months to make our church a place of greater welcome and belonging?

Has our discussion suggested a need for a more wide-ranging review of the way in which we welcome and help people feel they belong? YES NO

Having discussed this area, we conclude that our Starter for 10 score is:

3 Help can be found at www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPTool

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2. A Place of Worship and Prayer

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised him… They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:30-32)

To worship is to change. Worship opens our eyes and our hearts to the kind of encounter with God that changes our perspective then changes our lives. Parish worship, then, needs to o�er all in our community an open and accessible route to such an encounter. Its first concern is for transformation and its focus therefore should always be more mission shaped than simply church shaped.

Being intentional in your chosen style of worship is another factor linked to growing churches in From Anecdote to Evidence. “Style of worship and where a church places itself in terms of its theological tradition appear to have no significant link with growth, so long as there is consistency and clarity and the chosen style and tradition are wholeheartedly adopted.”4

Prayer is an integral part of the diocesan discipleship and growth strategy. In Growing the Body of Christ, Bishop Steven writes, “In our Ten Days of Prayer between Ascension and Pentecost year by year we seek God’s grace for this cycle of proclaiming the faith, working with the enquirers who come and deepening the discipleship of the whole people of God.”5

Starter for 10

With a score of 1 – 10 how do you rate the following statement?

The worship in our church is attractive, inspiring and inclusive.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Do you need further help in the area of Worship and Prayer?

If so, visit the website: www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPToolWWW

4 From Anecdote to Evidence, page 85 Growing the Body of Christ, page 10

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Questions

1. Does our regular worship draw people into the presence of God? YES NO

2. Is our liturgy accessible and easy to follow? Does it draw in and engage those who may have never worshipped in a church before? YES NO

3. Is our worship child friendly with appropriate safeguarding in place? YES NO

4. Do we review the pattern and delivery of our worship on a regular basis to keep it fresh and transformational? YES NO

5. Does prayer play a central part in the life of the church and in our worship? YES NO

6. As a church are we using the Ten Days of Prayer between Ascension and Pentecost to encourage and deepen the prayer life of the church?

YES NO

7. In general do we challenge and equip people to make regular time for personal prayer and Bible reading? YES NO

Action

What do we need to do over the next 12 months to further develop our regular worship and prayer life?

Has our discussion suggested a need for a more wide-ranging review of the way in which we worship and pray? YES NO


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3. A place of Nurture, Discipleship and Vocation

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19)

Christian growth and maturity don’t just happen. Nurture and discipleship are core challenges for any church in every generation. In the diocesan strategy document, Re-imagining Ministry for Mission, Bishop Steven writes, “The starting point for re-imagining ministry for mission is the renewal of our understanding of our baptism, of our discipleship and of the ministry of the whole people of God.” In Growing the Body of Christ, we are encouraged to rediscover a discipleship cycle of sowing – nurture – deepening. In From Anecdote to Evidence we discover that two thirds of churches that said they o�ered encouragement and support through specified discipleship courses, (“preparing members to be a Christian witness in their daily lives”) showed growth. Our day to day life and witness is central to our vocation. Christianity isn’t just about church. Similarly vocation is not just about serving the church; it is about the church equipping its members to be disciples in the world.

Starter for 10


Our church is a place where everyone grows and matures as a disciple of Jesus.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Do you need further help in the area of Nurture, Discipleship and Vocation?


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Questions

1. Do we regularly see people coming to faith in our church? YES NO

2. Do we have e�ective ways of helping people mature in their faith and their walk with God? YES NO

3. Do we have things in place each year in the three stages of the discipleship cycle?

SOWING – o�ering the gospel to those on the outside of the church YES NO

NURTURE – a regular nurture course for enquirers or new Christians o�ered at least once a year, e.g. Alpha – Emmaus – Pilgrim – catechism course

YES NO

DEEPENING – growing, maturing and deepening in the faith, e.g. small groups, study groups, social acts of service YES NO

4. Do we help people talk about and live out their faith day by day, beyond the walls of the church? YES NO

5. Do we actively seek to identify and encourage people who God may be calling into licensed lay or ordained ministry? YES NO

Action

What is the one thing we could do over the next 12 months to help people mature in their faith and sense of vocation?

Has our discussion suggested a need for a more wide-ranging review of the way in which we help people move on in their Christian faith? YES NO


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4. A Place with a Clear Mission and Purpose and Good Collaborative Leadership

It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me. (Col 1:28-29)

The Diocesan Vision and Strategy is a framework for growth, not a strait jacket. It sets a clear and compelling vision of the future but it is the responsibility of each local church to discern and make plans about how to make this vision a reality in each unique and diverse location. In response to falling members of stipendiary clergy the strategy document Re-Imagining Ministry for Mission challenges us to find new ways of ministry for mission in a pattern that is sustainable in the long term and working collaboratively with other parishes and the wider deanery. The development of Mission Partnerships will require our clergy to be good leaders who embrace and manage change.

“The calling of the ordained is not to do the work of ministry for the church but to enable and lead the ministry and mission of the whole church.”6

In From Anecdote to Evidence the leadership qualities that stood out as being significant in relation to growth included:

Having a vision for growth and doing new things to make it happen

Motivating others

Ability to train people for ministry and mission

Having the ability to engage with outsiders and newcomers

Starter for 10


Our church is well led, enabling people to identify and grow their God-given gifts

and talents.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Do you need further help in the area of Clear Mission and Purpose and Good Collaborative Leadership? If so, visit the website: www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPToolWWW

6 Re-Imagining Ministry, page 11

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Questions

1. Are we committed in principle and practice to growing collaborative/shared ministry and leadership? YES NO

2. Do we have a clear vision for growth that is understood and owned by members of the church? YES NO

3. Is our church intentional in setting clear goals that move our vision forward? YES NO

4. Are we prepared to welcome and embrace change if change is required to make our vision a reality? YES NO

5. Are we making good progress in developing our Mission Partnership? YES NO

6. Are we committed to our wider church family outside the parish boundaries? YES NO

7. Is teaching on stewardship and Christian giving done annually?7 YES NO

8. Is there a moment in the year, or a gift day to pray about your budget for next year and invite people to review their giving to the vision of the church?

YES NO

Action

What is the one thing we could do over the next 12 months to develop and empower collaborative/shared ministry and leadership?

Has our discussion suggested a need for a more wide-ranging review of the way in which we share and empower people in leadership? YES NO


7 More help in stewardship and Christian giving can be found at www.she�eld.anglican.org/stewardship

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5. A Place of Empowerment and Involvement of Lay Members

There are di�erent kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are di�erent kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are di�erent kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Cor 12:4-6)

An ancient Christian writer called Irenaeus once said, “The glory of God is man or woman fully alive.” God not only calls his people, he also grants us gifts and abilities, which are not restricted or constrained by age, gender, or ordination. God’s gifts are to be used in his services in our church certainly, but also in our places of work, our home and our leisure.

In From Anecdote to Evidence, research shows that lay involvement and good quality lay leadership is linked to growth. This includes licensed lay leadership and the ‘lay lay’ people without formal ecclesial training. The results also show that a church is most likely to decline if the numbers of lay volunteers is limited.

Making disciples is foundational to all of this, which is why it is central in all four of the diocesan strategy documents. In Growing the Body of Christ, Bishop Steven writes, “If we want the church to grow we need to give priority to making disciples through the life of every local church (children, young people and adults.)”8

Starter for 10


Our church is a place where people grow their gifts and flourish and vocations are nurtured.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Do you need further help in the area of Empowerment and Involvement of Lay Members? If so, visit the website: www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPToolWWW

8 Growing the Body of Christ, page 9

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Questions

1. Do we encourage all our people to discern their gifts (spiritual and practical) and to have confidence in using them in the service of the Kingdom?

YES NO

2. Do we have a clear plan in place to make and grow disciples of Jesus? YES NO

3. Do we have an on-going network of small groups to support lay people in their discipleship? YES NO

4. Do we encourage lay people to be actively involved in mission, ministry and leadership? YES NO

5. Do we regularly rotate volunteer service among a larger number of people? YES NO

6. Do we help our volunteers and lay leaders to get the appropriate level of training and support if they require it? YES NO

7. Do we support Christian discipleship in the world of work, including those in our church with leadership responsibilities outside the church?

YES NO

Action

What is the one thing we could do over the next 12 months to help us to recognise and release more lay people as volunteers and leaders?

Has our discussion suggested a need for a more wide-ranging review of the way in which we share and empower and release people in leadership?

YES NO


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6. A Base for Evangelism, Outreach and Numerical Growth

…praising God and having the good will of all the people. And day to day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved (Acts 2:47)

Being intentional in prioritising growth is another common feature identified in From Anecdote to Evidence of churches that are growing, numerically and in spiritual depth. Both go hand in hand. Just as growth in nature is a sign of health and vitality, so we welcome every sign of spiritual and numerical growth in the life of the church. If it is to happen, we have to be intentional about it, sowing the seeds so that God can make them grow. Always looking beyond the horizon of where we are now. In Growing the Body of Christ, Bishop Steven asks “What would we need to do in order to see God grow the Church of England in the Diocese by as much as 20% over the next decade?”

As always this starts from where we are now, evaluating the quality and e�ectiveness of what’s already in place. Then asking, what are the next steps we need to take to grow?

Starter for 10


Our church is committed to growth.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Do you need further help in the area of Evangelism, Outreach and Numerical Growth? If so, visit the website: www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPTool

WWW

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Questions

1. Have we taken hold of Bishop Steven’s question about growing by 20% over the next decade? YES NO

2. Do we help church members to invite others to church? YES NO

3. Do we make the most of our major festivals, school services, civic services etc? YES NO

4. Do we build good supportive and ongoing relationships with baptism families, couples coming for marriage, and those we connect with through bereavement? 9

YES NO

5. Do we have any specific plans to connect with and reach out to people as yet untouched by our church? YES NO

6. Have we given any thought to starting a Fresh Expression of church or finding a way to build church for those who would not readily join our existing congregations? 10

YES NO

Action

What is the one thing we could do over the next 12 months to grow our church numerically?

Has our discussion suggested a need for a more wide-ranging review of the way in which we help people to share their Christian faith? YES NO

In general have we identified and started to address our biggest obstacle to growth? YES NO


9 Help can be found at www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPTool10 For further information see www.she�eld.anglican.org/freshexpressions

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7. A Place of Serving and Transforming – Salt & Light

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8b)

You are the salt of the earth… (Matt 5:13)

As Jesus ascended to heaven he promised his disciples they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. Their witness would begin where they were in Jerusalem and would ripple out through Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Our mission begins in our local community – but it cannot finish here.

In From Anecdote to Evidence, growing churches were often actively engaged with those who might not go to church or are outside the existing community. “Looking outward is central to mission and many growing churches are those who engage with their local community, some providing social services (including debt counselling, and night shelters) along with some environmental projects were shown to have a positive impact on growth.”11 Our diocesan strategy document, Salt and Light, uses the Five Marks of Mission to explore how we can serve and transform our communities and God’s world.

Starter for 10


Our church makes a di�erence to our local community and

at least one other community beyond.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Do you need further help in the area of Salt and Light?


11 From Anecdote to Evidence, page 12

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Questions

1. Does our community know that we are here; do we have a good reputation as a faith community? YES NO

2. Has our parish identified a ‘Salt and Light’ rep to be a Faith and Justice link? Do they attend our PCC meetings? YES NO

3. Do we find ways of listening to the particular issues that grieve our individual church members about the world they live in, at least once a year, as suggested in Salt and Light? 12

YES NO

4. Are we involved with initiatives that make our community a better place to be? YES NO

5. Are we su�ciently involved with our local school(s), church and non -church schools, lay and/or ordained involvement? YES NO

6. Do we actively support any Christian agencies or mission partnership in or outside the UK? (e.g. Christian Aid, Tearfund, CMS)

YES NO

7. In general do we challenge and equip people to be witnesses to Jesus where God has called them to be and to bring the gospel to those who have never heard it before?

YES NO

Action

What is the one thing we could do over the next 12 months to help our church make more of a di�erence in our community or further afield?

Has our discussion suggested a need for a more wide-ranging review of the way in which we help people engage with the world beyond the walls of the church?

YES NO


12 Salt & Light booklet, page 12

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8. A Place Actively Seeking to Engage with Children and Teenagers

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10: 13–14)

Sometimes our churches can be very di�cult and inaccessible places for children, teenagers and their families. We have to address this if the church is going to replace the existing generations of churchgoers. In From Anecdote to Evidence we are informed that, “there is an urgent need to focus on children, young people and their parents and a challenge to identify how the church can best invest in people, programmes and strategies which will encourage young people actively to continue exploring faith.”13 Churches that o�er programmes for children and teenagers are most likely to grow. Our diocesan strategy document, Growing the Body of Christ, asks us to rededicate ourselves to making disciples of all ages, and encourages us to put things in place in the three stages of sowing, nurture and deepening for children and teenagers.

Starter for 10

With a score of 1 – 10 (1 completely disagree – 10 fully agree) how do you rate the following statement:

Our church is good at making children and young families feel welcome.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Do you need further help to engage with Children and Teenagers?


13 From Anecdote to Evidence, page 26

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Questions

1. If we have children in our church, are we doing the following things to keep them into their teens and young adulthood?

a. Worship services designed for youth or children YES NO

b. Youth programmes YES NO

c. Camps and retreats YES NO

d. Do we have a dedicated paid or voluntary youth/children’s worker? YES NO

2. Do we have things in place each year for children and teenagers in the three stages of the Discipleship Cycle:

a. SOWING: Putting on events and activities to reach the children in our community YES NO

b. NURTURE: Opportunities for children and young people to explore the Christian faith leading to baptism and confirmation

YES NO

c. DEEPENING: Growing, maturing and deepening in the faith YES NO

3. Have you considered using the Child Friendly Church Award to think through how your church can become more child friendly 14 YES NO

4. If we don’t have children in our church are we trying to attract young families to church by…

a. Having all-age / family services, perhaps once a month? YES NO

b. Holding special child-focused services to attract families who wouldn’t normally come to church? (e.g. Messy Church)

YES NO

c. Making children and families feel welcome in the main service? (e.g. children’s corner/play bags) YES NO

5. Are we making the most of our baptism connections? YES NO

6. Are we building good links with our local schools which connect children and families with church? YES NO

14 The Child Friendly Church Award (CFCA) is a diocesan scheme run by the Parish Support Team to help you think through how to make your church more child and youth friendly. Visit www.cfcashe�eld.com

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Action

What is the one thing we could do over the next 12 months to improve the way we engage with children and teenagers?

Has our discussion suggested a need for a more wide-ranging review of the way in which we engage with children and teenagers? YES NO

Having discussed this area, do we need to revise our Starter for 10 score? YES NO


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MAP SUMMARY FORM

Contact Person:

Parish Name:

Deanery:

Statement Score

1. We give a really warm welcome to our church and people want to come back.

2. The worship in our church is attractive, inspiring and inclusive.

3. Our church is a place where everyone grows and matures as a disciple of Jesus.

4. Our church is well led, enabling people to identify and grow their God-given gifts and talents.

5. Our church is a place where people grow their gifts and flourish and vocations are nurtured.

6. Our church is committed to growth.

7. Our church makes a di�erence to our local community and at least one other community beyond.

8. Our church is good at making children and young families feel welcome.

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Key Actions

Please copy down here the key actions you identified under the di�erent sections in the Mission Action Planning Tool. You will probably have one action per section. You may have one or two in some and none in others. We strongly suggest, however, that you do not have more than eight in all and that if you have put down an area for wider review then you treat that as one of your key actions.

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

Areas for Wider Review

Please copy down here any areas for wider review you identified under the di�erent headings in the Mission Action Planning Tool.

1.

2.

Please send a copy of the Summary Return Form by 31st March 2015 to: Trish Sta�ord, Diocesan Church House, 95 – 99 E�ngham Street, Rotherham, S65 1BL or email it to: trish.sta�ord@she�eld.anglican.org. Or you may prefer to complete the online Summary Form found at: www.she�eld.anglican.org/MAPTool

Your notes...

This booklet is available to download at:www.she eld.anglican.org/MAPTool

For help and advice in completing your MAP Tool, contact us on01709 309147 or trish.staord@she eld.anglican.org

From Anecdote to Evidence is also available to download from:www.she eld.anglican.org/MAPTool

The Parish Support Team is:

Mark CockayneDirector of Parish

Support Team

Mark WigglesworthMission Development Advisor - Doncaster

John HibberdMission Development Advisor - Roth & She

Mike NorthChildren & YoungPeople’s Advisor

Trish Sta�ordTeam Administrator

Grant NaylorMission Development

Advisor (Part time)

Documents

Mission Action Planning Tool - Diocese of Sheffield · 2018-09-16 · They should have your PCC/DCC’s blessing and authority. Second: hold a meeting to work through the eight sections