by Glenn Davies

It is encouraging to see in many of the churches of the Northern Region the words of the Diocesan Mission displayed prominently in the foyer or on the notice board:
‘To glorify God by proclaiming our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ in prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit, so that everyone will hear his call to repent, trust and serve Christ in love, and be established in the fellowship of his disciples while they await his return.’
However, most people that I meet tend to summarise the Mission by its initial goal of seeing 10 per cent of the population in Bible based churches by 2012.
A number of people are also aware that the Fundamental Aim of the Mission is ‘to multiply Bible-based Christian fellowships, congregations and churches which equip and nurture their members and expand themselves, both in the Diocese and in “all the world”’.
Yet fewer people seem to be aware that there are four policies that have been adopted by the Synod to achieve this fundamental aim.  These policies may be briefly described as (One) spiritual renewal, (Two) multiplication of congregations and fellowships, (Three) multiplication of trained workers and (Four) reform.  Without attention to these four policies the goal of our mission will not be reached.
Recently I heard a minister indicate that his church was a Policy One parish.  By that he was indicating that the mission was really beyond the resources of his parish church but that they could at least pray and were committed to doing so.  This might sound at first like a ‘cop out’, but upon reflection it is an important start.  Not all parishes are equally resourced.  Some reflect the wealth of the demographics of their area, while others struggle to make ends meet.

This is not to suggest that the commitment of the former is greater than that of the latter.  Rather, it recognises we all have different gifts and different parts to play. Our Mission is diocesan wide, whereas our contribution to the Mission will vary from parish to parish.
Nonetheless, I believe we can all be Policy One and Four parishes. Every parish should be able to commit itself to prayer, to seek the Lord’s blessing upon our desires to glorify his name. Every parish should be able to commit itself to reform.
The local expression of the Diocese is the parish church, so diocesan reform begins with us in our local church.  What present structures inhibit our mission, what could we do better than we are currently doing? What reforms could be initiated at the local level?
When we give ourselves to these two policy areas, we should be able to grow in the remaining policy areas of multiplication of congregations and workers.  Without prayer our planning is powerless; without planning our prayers are sterile.
What plans do we have for multiplying congregations?  Where might a new fellowship be formed which will reach out to people not currently involved in the normal Sunday services? What plans do we have to seek out able men and women who might give themselves to ministry, whether voluntary or paid?  How might we mentor young persons and give them opportunities to test their gifts?
The mission involves a fourfold policy, yet we can begin with Policy One, add Policy Four and plan to implement Policies Two and Three. Start with prayer, add reform, and then plan for growth.  God may well surprise us with the desires of our heart, as we delight ourselves in him. (Ps 37:4).