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A Way Ahead

Churches across the Diocese of York are working on "A Way Ahead", designed to be a spiritual movement to enhance our mission at parish level by liberating the gifts of the thousands of people in our congregations.

It began early in 2009 with "Refreshing Worship", a 12-part pack enabling congregations to examine their patterns of worship asking pertinent questions like, "How did we really meet with God last Sunday and how did we leave different as a result?", "Who are we really aiming to include?", and "What would be the most helpful style of services, where should we meet, on which day, and how often?" Many are already reporting this has really helped to move things along.

In February 2010 the Diocesan Lent Course "It's All About Love!" concentrates on helping us grasp the difference between being simply a religious organisation and being a truly spiritual organism, the Body of Christ where everyone's gifts and ministries are just waiting to be unleashed.

For clergy, May 2010 will see the start of a new pilot course entitled "The York Leadership Programme: Leading in Mission". It will explore a range of issues from matters of personal discipleship through to team building, truly collaborative ministry, and managing change and conflict. Ultimately, all clergy will be invited to participate in what will be a journey of discovering the right tools for leadership in today's church.

At the end of 2010 all congregations will be offered a resource pack designed to help ask pertinent questions about our church buildings: "What sort of God do they actually suggest, and what can we do to make them our servants in mission rather than our masters in maintenance?"

During 2011 help will be offered to congregations in developing lay ministry in ways that are stress-free and keep everyone within their own comfort zone, and then finally there will be simple and straightforward resources to link all this with a Christian approach to giving and stewardship.

In every century the Church of Jesus Christ has evolved and adapted to rise to the challenges and opportunities of the day. "A Way Ahead" is a set of resources to help us do that in ways that are true to both our Biblical and Anglican heritage, and also true to the obvious movement of God's Holy Spirit today.

We hope you enjoy using the material offered – it is light, easy to adapt, and offers an exciting vision for the future. Examples of the material produced so far are available from Bishop Martin at bishselby@clara.net.