Every parish is encouraged to think about how it goes about its future planning.
This planning could be installing new facilities into a church or reaching a group of people who currently are not involved in the life of the Sunday congregation.
The Resource Manual has a section to help PCCs think about all that has been good in the past and start thinking about what more can be done. This approach is called Appreciative Inquiry, and a number of parishes have found it very helpful as they undertake a review of the churches activities and facilities.
Meanwhile, some parishes prefer different tools such as the classic SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats). Whatever method or approach the PCC prefers, we recommend that every parish has a Development Action Plan (some call this a Mission Action Plan).
The Diocese recognises that our future will be as a mixed ecology, and we hope to see a 50/50 blend. This means that for every current Sunday service we hope to see another complementary expression of Church.
Development Action Plans (DAPs) do not need to be complicated, but they do need to be thought about. We suggest the following questions should be addressed.
- Given what we know has been appreciated in the past, what is God calling us to now?
- What resources do we have, both in terms of people and finances?
- Do we need to stop something in order to start something new? Or do we have the resources to start something almost immediately?
- How does the PCC budget fit into this. Do we need to raise funds in order to resource it properly?
- Who is actually going to lead on this and who has responsibility?
In other words. we are asking PCCs to have a vison for the future and plan their journey so that they get there.
A Development Action Plan is written down, shared with others, prayed about and then acted upon so that it becomes a reality and not just a dream.