Where are we going?
The purpose of the Diocese of Coventry remains unchanged. We are called to worship God, make new disciples and transform communities. That is why we exist - why we have always existed.
However, our shared vision will steadily evolve in response to our changing world. It puts the flesh on the bones of our shared purpose. It paints a picture of what our diocese could look like in five years’ time. It answers the question, “Where are we going?”
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Bishop Christopher says:
"For some time now, I’ve been captivated by one word: ‘Life’. And that’s my overarching vision for the Diocese of Coventry, that we will be – together – bearers of life.
Therefore, as we worship God, make new disciples and transform communities, we are bearers of life, bringers of life, agents of God’s life in the world.
So let me paint a picture of what that might look like over the next five years."
Restored health
Bishop Christopher says:
"First, I hope and pray for restored health.
Life is why we talk about health so much in the diocese. We’ve seen the power of death in our world, in our nation, in our communities over the last many months. We’re still doing battle through the long Covid months, against the bearer of death that has caused such disruption and damage to millions of people. We look to God to heal our world, to bring us back into life.
Covid has taken its toll on the life of the Church. Everything that makes for healthy church life has been disrupted – every essential quality. We have been deprived of many things.
It will take us some time to heal. We’ll need to allow God time to restore our health and regrow our life."
New growth
Bishop Christopher says:
"Second, I hope and pray for new growth.
Life is why we trust God to grow the life of the church ...through all the gifts of life that have been at work in the Church from its beginnings: bible-reading, preaching, baptism, healing, common life, fellowship, prayer, the apostles’ teaching and the breaking of bread, great adventures of discipleship.
And now, I believe God is calling us to grow something new. My hope is that, by 2030, every parish or benefice will have grown from its own life a new worshipping community that will be reaching out to people who are missing at the moment. Some of those will be small, some of them will be bigger. Most of them will be new congregations of some sort. Some – not many but some – will be whole new churches, perhaps in areas of new housing."
Renewed relationships
Bishop Christopher says:
"Third, I hope and pray for renewed relationships.
God’s love has come to us in the shape of the cross – up, across, and down. God’s amazing grace is here:
- To reconcile us to God - to put us right with God
- To reconcile us with each other - to put us right with each other
- To reconcile us to the earth - to put us right with the earth that we have damaged for so long
I long for the day when the whole diocese seeks life-giving growth for everyone: for every person whatever their colour and ethnic background, whatever the life chances they’ve had, poor and rich, however they define their identity, gender and sexuality, wherever they live, city scape or countryside, whatever their age, young or old, whatever their politics, preferences and perspectives, whatever their education and whatever their successes and failures in life.
And all of this will mean hunting out our biases, especially when we’re not aware of them, and bringing them into the light of the deep and true and abiding identity of the Church ‘where there is no longer Jew or Greek, no longer slave or free person, no longer male or female, for all of us are one in Jesus Christ’."
Summary
The purpose of the Diocese of Coventry hasn’t changed. We’re here to worship God, make new disciples and transform communities.
Bishop Christopher's vision is that, as we do this together, we will rejoice in being bearers of life, bringers of life, agents of life with:
- Restored health
- New growth
- Renewed relationships
That we would be a family of parishes and church communities, some ancient some more recent, schools, chaplaincies, charities and Cathedral that are life-bearing, life-bringing, agents of God’s purposes of life in the world. Partners-together, reaching every part of society, with the good news of the God’s energising, empowering, life-giving love.