We are struggling with the change we know we have to make but we are also learning and growing as we keep taking small steps forward. We keep on with the three key works of refreshing our current Worship Communities, planting fresh new ones and restructuring our deanery to better serve the renewed mission and ministry strategy.
Both the ‘refresh’ and ‘fresh’ plans aim to engage and equip all of us in the transformational journey. Every Worship Community is developing a stronger lay team foundation of local missional leadership to form a growth plan for the future of their worship, fellowship and outreach. We are using a tool developed by the project, called the ‘Pyramid Review’, to help all our communities set their plans, and we have a successful nurture programme for leaders and teams called ‘Cultivate’ which provides training, mentoring, and support going forward.
Every Hub is developing a planting plan – looking to plant 5 new Worship Communities each year – that is developed by the Hub Leadership Team and supported by the Pioneer and Planting network leader. Our strategy prioritises the areas of high deprivation*, children and young people, and chaplaincy.
We have several ‘pan-Wigan’ initiatives in the middle of the strategy. We use ‘The Alpha Course’ as our resource for helping people to begin their journey of discipleship as well as renewing the faith of those who have found themselves a bit lost along the way. We partner with ‘Safe Families for Children’ developing a network of support and care by Church Wigan for families in need in Wigan. We partner with ‘Compassion’ to support a whole village community in Ghana – as Church Wigan, we aim to support 400 children over the next five years. We are exploring with the Eden Network how to plant 50% of our new Worshipping Communities in areas of high deprivation.
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