On October 1 the second phase of the Weddings Project began. The Project team is rolling out the story, the system and the stance of the Project (which aims to help the church focus its mission in late Christendom and reaches well beyond weddings) to participating dioceses across the country.
Paul Bayes is seconded to the Project for three and a half days a week, and - great news - we have been able to increase Rachel Jordan's time at the national desk to three and a half days a week too. Laura Caddell and her colleagues at NJC continue to resource and support us administratively.
The first two objectives of the Archbishops' Council are:
To enhance the Church's mission by:
- promoting spiritual and numerical growth
- enabling and supporting the worshipping Church and encouraging and promoting new ways of being Church
The Mission and Evangelism desk works to these objectives.
So Rachel is leading on our liaison with Fresh Expressions and on the synodical follow-up work to "Mission-shaped church", and on the Youth Evangelism Fund. Also (in partnership with Bishop John Went and the planning group) Rachel is the focus person for the 2010 Missioners Conference. Rachel is involved in theological and ecumenical explorations of the mixed economy, the ecclesiology of Fresh Expressions, and ecumenical liaison on church planting work.
Alongside the Weddings Project roll-out Paul continues to lead on communicating and helping to shape the legal and financial framework for the mixed economy church. He focuses our work on the outputs and outcomes of our national research on English culture, spiritual seriousness and its impact on clergy selection and formation. He also continues to liaise ecumenically through the Group for Evangelisation, and to serve the College of Evangelists as a council member and the Back To Church Sunday initiative as a member of the leadership team.
Whenever possible one of us aims to be with diocesan missioners at their regional meetings. And both Paul and Rachel are available to diocesan mission staff for advice, conversation, prayer, coffee and Danish whenever we can be helpful...
