The 2009 Ministry Plan is quite a bit different than those of the past few years.
Building on the spirit of mission work that began with a group called Church Innovations after an exciting Clergy Conference in May, Diocesan Council intentionally worked at crafting a Ministry Plan that captures the desire in the Diocese to learn from the wisdom of the Church – past, present and future.
The development of the new Ministry Plan flowed directly from the Clergy Conference and the excitement that was created there, and the effort behind it was truly a community one developed with contributions from the members of Diocesan Council, the bishop and members of the executive team.
The new Ministry Plan speaks to ways in which Council hopes congregations can learn from one another and hopes that congregations will connect with one another – even beyond the Diocese.
Language in the plan is not suggestive of a “Top Down” organizational structure for the Diocese. Instead, the plan empowers new, creative ideas that come from congregations and regions.
The new Ministry Plan summarizes all that we are about as a Diocese – partnering with congregations to help them claim their own mission-focused identities and helping each one learn from one another and from others beyond our Diocese. It says we are a Diocese that is striving to learn and grow from the church – past, present and future.
The hope is that with a new Ministry Plan, people across the Diocese will get excited about the ways in which congregations can grow into God’s preferred and promised future. Says Treasurer Bruce Rockwell, “I pray that people will start asking questions about that phrase: ‘What do we mean by God’s preferred and promised future?’ ”
Bruce says the new Ministry Plan offers a reminder of the Diocesan intention that congregations become healthy and mission-focused, and, “It states that we believe we can learn from the wisdom of those who have gone before us, from others in and beyond our Diocese, from our ecumenical partners and from others in The Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion.
“It says we are committed to growth, to service to others and to change that will lead to greater degrees of health,” Bruce adds.
Canon Sarah Shofstall says, “Congregational leaders have long understood that the best ideas that they get from the annual Wardens, Vestry and Leaders Gathering are usually the ideas that come from other congregational leaders. This plan acknowledges that and focuses resources on grassroots initiatives.”
Draft 2009 Ministry Plan - Approved Diocesan Council June 26, 2008
Claim our identity as a healthy, mission-focused Diocese that values the wisdom of the Church through the ages and risks following the Holy Spirit into fresh expressions of Christ’s church.
Partner with congregations to build their creative capacity to discern and live into God’s preferred and promised future.
Create opportunities for congregations to learn from one another and provide an environment in which regional and other initiatives can emerge and flourish.
Connect our congregations to other dioceses of the Episcopal Church, to other members of the Anglican Communion, and to ecumenical partners locally and globally.
Mission Statement: The purpose of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts is to carry on Christ’s ministry of transformation and reconciliation. We work and pray together to develop healthy, mission-focused Christians and congregations who live the fullness of the baptismal covenant wherever God places us.
Vision: That we are becoming evermore recognizable as the Body of Christ. That we are learning and growing together as a community of miraculous expectation, utterly dependent on God, fully gifted by the Holy Spirit, joyously living Christ’s Great Commandments and Great Commission in Western Massachusetts and the world.