Hello to you all...
This page is a rather important focus for us all, as we face our Annual Church Review. So that you get an idea of what has been happening, etc, please see the link below for an updated 2020 PCIW 2020 Annual Review.
Click Here for the 2020 Prestatyn Church In Wales Annual Review (updated)
This document has been published in order to perform a Mission Area Review, so that we as a Mission Area can see where we need to improve and / or change what we do, how we do things and why.
We encourage you to read through this article and if at all possible, give any feedback as to what you feel could be changed, improved upon, or added. if so, please Contact Us...
The following documents are available to download...
The documents have been translated so they can be read also by visually impaired and blind people alike through accessible technologies...
Theological Framework:
Reflecting on Gods call and our responseContext:
The Church in Wales was disestablished 100 years ago and, during that
time, the world has changed beyond all recognition. We have become a
single world family as never before, as communications and transport allow us to move across continents and to interact with all. This means that people are less rooted than they were before, social and familial ties are looser. Diversity of views and comparative material wealth mean that people question inherited beliefs, and modern media give them countless channels of engagement. The Church is therefore called to bear witness to the Gospel in a world where people are less inclined to listen and accept inherited accounts and understandings. They are swayed, not by tradition, but by experience and active engagement.
Calling:
As the Church, we are called to be agents of the Kingdom of God in our ever-changing cultural context: to be Christ’s Body in the world, to live a life in all its fullness, to draw near to God in worship and to be strengthened for life by his Spirit, and to bear witness to his love to the world that all may be drawn to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus.
The vision for the Teulu Asaph is therefore for a people who belong to God, who are blessed in worship and discipleship to experience transformative love, who create a united community in which every member works for the good of all, and which draws those who are not part of the Church into a life- giving pattern of being.
Challenge: Ecclesia Semper Reformanda...
Theological Questions:
The church changes as a result of prayerful theological reflection. We might consider, for example, the Holy Trinity and recognise that relationships and community are part of the essence of God. This raises questions about our own relationships both within and outside of the church. We might also consider how the Holy Trinity epitomises generosity, outreach and movement, because we would not know God if the Father had not sent the Son and the Holy Spirit. This raises questions about our own attitudes to these areas.
This Latin saying, coined by Karl Barth, who drew on the theology of St Augustine, means “The Church must always be reforming itself.” Since we are a collection of less than perfect individuals, who are always facing new and challenging circumstances in the world in which we live, the followers of Jesus must always be striving to live into the vision of the Church set out above. There was no golden age when it was achieved. As the world changes, so the shape of the Church has to change in order to fulfil its vocation to be God’s people who share light, hope and peace in the world.
Our reflections are often based on passages of Scripture which inspire debate, nurture passion, and lead to change. We might ask, for example:
If God is love, how can we demonstrate love?
If God is holy, how can we become holy?
If God is welcoming, how can we become welcoming?
If God is creative, how can we express our creativity?
If God transforms, how can we become agents of transformation? If God leads, how can we follow?
Priorities:
This form of prayerful reflection never ends, because each generation has fresh challenges to face. Between 2013 and 2017 the Diocese of St Asaph set out its prayerful aspirations in this way:
- Deepening our Discipleship
Since then, a new set of priorities have been developed to facilitate adaptation and change in other areas. These include:
These aspirations reflect a number of common threads, which might be summarised as follows:
- Moving away from being Church goers, to being more fully followers of Jesus.
As we are all aware, the Coronavirus lockdown has recently introduced an unanticipated discontinuity in the life of the Church, with serious implications for the Church in Wales, the Diocese of St Asaph, our Mission Areas and churches. That discontinuity requires a fresh period of reflection, which will be especially challenging because it touches on some sensitive areas:
- On seeking God’s will, which may not be what we want or expect personally.
The process for engaging with these questions is provided as follows...
The Process for Implementing Change…
- Increasing Participation
- Identify and develop our future Leadership
- Extending God’s Welcome
- Growth: Building the Life of God’s Kingdom.
- Service: Ministry in the Name of Christ.
- Service: Ministry in the Name of Christ.
- Youth: Sharing good news with young people.
- Enablement: discerning the breadth of God’s work.
- Mission Areas: focussing on God’s Kingdom.
- Moving away from being Church goers, to being more fully followers of Jesus.
- Moving away from being loyal to a Church, to being ambitious for The Church.
- Moving away from guarding our patch, to enabling new life in others.
- Moving away from being led, to sharing in leadership.
- Moving away from looking inwards to active outreach and service. Coronavirus
As we are all aware, the Coronavirus lockdown has recently introduced an unanticipated discontinuity in the life of the Church, with serious implications for the Church in Wales, the Diocese of St Asaph, our Mission Areas and churches. That discontinuity requires a fresh period of reflection, which will be especially challenging because it touches on some sensitive areas:
- On seeking God’s will, which may not be what we want or expect personally.
- On people and relationships, not buildings.
- On resourcing and not protecting.
- On working together and not apart.
The Process for Implementing Change…
1: A letter is sent to all Mission Area Leaders (copied to all clergy and treasurers) that outlines the nature of the commitment to change that is stated in the conditions of the financial assistance package offered to Mission Areas.
2: The appropriate archdeacon will have an initial conversation with the Mission Area Leader, Mission Area Chair and Wardens, to talk about progress so far, and to indicate when the next steps are likely to be taken.
(Not all Mission Areas can be reviewed at the same time, and the Bishop’s Staff will be working to develop a schedule by which all twenty Mission Areas may be reviewed in sequence over the next eighteen months)
3: The commitment to change involves a three-stage process:
- An initial review.
- A developmental plan based upon the review.
- The implementation of the developmental plan within an agreed period.
- The implementation of the developmental plan within an agreed period.
4: The initial review involves three things:
Part One - Information Gathering: -
This will be supported by diocesan staff and will consider:
- The MA Vision Statement and Mission Action Planning documentation.Part One - Information Gathering: -
This will be supported by diocesan staff and will consider:
- How the shared ministry team is currently working.
- how churches are engaging with the Mission Area.
- The physical condition and location of each church and ancillary building.
In The Mission Area:
- The financial position of each church and the Mission Area.
- The Sunday attendance and mid-week activities of each church over a ten year period.
Part Two - Contextual Analysis:
This will be supported by demographic and socio-economic material that will be available on the diocesan website from mid-June. Using that material. the Mission Area Conference, or a sub-group of the Mission Area Conference, will look at:
- Which parts of the community are currently attracted - or not - by the services and activities offered by the churches.
- What forms of ministry and service are likely to be the most effective in the communities that we serve.
- Which parts of the community are more likely to respond positively to existing or new ministries developed by the Mission Area or individual churches.
Part three - Managing Resources:
This will be supported by the Archdeacon and will ask:
- How effective is the Mission Area in managing the financial and physical resources that are available?
- How effective is the Mission Area in engaging, encouraging, nurturing and supporting the human resources that are available?
- How effective is the Mission Area in using its resources to engage the people within its communities?
- how churches are engaging with the Mission Area.
- The physical condition and location of each church and ancillary building.
In The Mission Area:
- The financial position of each church and the Mission Area.
- The Sunday attendance and mid-week activities of each church over a ten year period.
Part Two - Contextual Analysis:
This will be supported by demographic and socio-economic material that will be available on the diocesan website from mid-June. Using that material. the Mission Area Conference, or a sub-group of the Mission Area Conference, will look at:
- Which parts of the community are currently attracted - or not - by the services and activities offered by the churches.
- What forms of ministry and service are likely to be the most effective in the communities that we serve.
- Which parts of the community are more likely to respond positively to existing or new ministries developed by the Mission Area or individual churches.
Part three - Managing Resources:
This will be supported by the Archdeacon and will ask:
- How effective is the Mission Area in managing the financial and physical resources that are available?
- How effective is the Mission Area in engaging, encouraging, nurturing and supporting the human resources that are available?
- How effective is the Mission Area in using its resources to engage the people within its communities?
5: The developmental plan will take into account the information and insights gathered in the initial review process. It will identify realistic changes that will enhance the mission and ministry of the Mission Area over a three-year period. The developmental plan will consider the following areas:
- Your priorities for mission and ministry. These should be presented with reference to the priorities in the Theological Framework, and when assessing Growth priorities, using the headings provided by Leading Your Church into Growth: Prayer, Presence, Proclamation and Persuasion. A bilingual workbook will be available to assist these discussions.
- The buildings you need to support your objectives.
- The financial resources you will require to achieve your goals.
- The people you will need to develop and implement your aspirations.
Under each heading, the developmental plan will identify:
- The outcome that is envisaged in each area.
- The time scale involved.
- The estimated cost.
- The person or group that will lead the initiative.
6: The Mission Area Conference will meet with the Archdeacon twice each year to review progress in implementing the developmental plan.
- Your priorities for mission and ministry. These should be presented with reference to the priorities in the Theological Framework, and when assessing Growth priorities, using the headings provided by Leading Your Church into Growth: Prayer, Presence, Proclamation and Persuasion. A bilingual workbook will be available to assist these discussions.
- The buildings you need to support your objectives.
- The financial resources you will require to achieve your goals.
- The people you will need to develop and implement your aspirations.
Under each heading, the developmental plan will identify:
- The outcome that is envisaged in each area.
- The time scale involved.
- The estimated cost.
- The person or group that will lead the initiative.
6: The Mission Area Conference will meet with the Archdeacon twice each year to review progress in implementing the developmental plan.