The Church of England Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board has awarded £14.95 million to the Barking Episcopal Area to support missional work with deaneries and parishes, with £6.45 million for the first phase of work and a further £8.5 million in principle subject to the Archbishops’ Council’s and Church Commissioners’ decisions about the future availability of Diocesasn Investment Programme funding, and the Strategic Mission and Ministry Board’s approval of detailed plans for the second phase.*
The funding has been awarded through the Diocesan Investment Programme to ‘Believing in Barking’, a missional plan developed over the past two years in partnership with local church leaders and volunteers across more than sixty parishes and church communities in the East London boroughs that are part of the Diocese of Chelmsford.
In keeping with the Diocese of Chelmsford’s approach and values articulated in Travelling Well Together, the Believing in Barking plan has been developed by working with those who serve and lead in local church communities to ensure that the investment meets locally discerned needs and missional opportunities. Believing in Barking will focus on supporting churches in four key areas:
- Working to encourage greater attendance and participation of children, young people and families in our church communities
- Supporting and developing intentional discipleship; growing, supporting and developing volunteers and leaders in our churches and increasing leadership diversity
- Supporting churches and church leaders in their work to help transform the communities they serve
- Developing sustainable structures to support local parish mission and ministry
The investment will support missional work in the many parishes that have contributed to the development of the plan as well as others in the Barking Area.
The Barking Episcopal Area is the first in Chelmsford Diocese to be awarded investment from the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB). Investment applications are currently being prepared with local church leaders and volunteers in the Bradwell and Colchester Episcopal Areas.
Believing in Barking is one part of a wider approach to supporting local parish mission and ministry that continues across Chelmsford Diocese, and seeks to resource and support all parishes whether they are direct beneficiaries of SMMIB funding or not.
Welcoming the investment, the Bishop of Barking, the Rt Rev’d Lynne Cullens said:
“I’m very grateful to the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board for this investment in the Barking Episcopal Area. Our parish churches serve some of the fastest growing, diverse and most societally and economically disadvantaged communities in the country. We have enormous opportunities for mission and service whilst at the same time facing considerable challenges.”
“Believing in Barking has been developed in partnership with leaders and volunteers who serve in our parish churches and are best placed to discern missional needs and opportunities in their many different contexts. I thank them for their support in developing this plan and for their ongoing service to our churches and communities. I also want to thank the Church of England Vision and Strategy Team, who have worked closely with us on this bid, as well as Archdeacon Chris Burke, Barking Programme Manager Rev’d Becs Challis and indeed all members of our diocesan team, who have worked closely with the steering group and people in our church communities, over many months, to develop Believing in Barking.”
The Rev’d Bill Donoghue, Vicar of Cornerstone Church in Leyton, who was involved in work to develop the Believing in Barking application said:
“Throughout the process I have been really encouraged by how the investment is going to enhance our ministry to children, young people and families.”
“We now have more opportunity to create connections and discipleship pathways that allow young people and their families to start to know, and continue to know Jesus in a way that is relevant to them.”
“Sharing resources and expertise with partner churches in the Barking Area opens up a new way of working and options for more creativity and resilience in ministry.”
The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev’d Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani said:
“I thank the Church of England Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board for this considerable investment in missional work in the Barking Episcopal Area.”
“I’m also very grateful to Bishop Lynne and all those who have been involved in the preparation of this funding application and in the development of Believing in Barking.”
“Believing in Barking reflects our commitment to participative change; enabling and empowering local parishes, deaneries and worshipping communities to discern how they are to be God’s people in their own very different contexts and as part of one diocesan family. It is an approach that will be at the heart of our proposals to the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board for the Colchester and Bradwell Areas and is part of our overall approach to resourcing and supporting mission in all parishes across our diocese.
“I thank the leaders and volunteers in our local parishes who have been involved so far. As this work moves forward, please join me in praying for all those who faithfully serve God and the diverse communities of the Barking Episcopal Area in their stewardship of this important missional resource.”
In the weeks and months ahead we’ll be sharing more information about Believing in Barking and the applications for funding from the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board from the Bradwell and Colchester Episcopal Areas.
*In-principle awards are subject to the Diocese bringing back updated proposals for consideration and decision by the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board