Growing Faith was a paper received by General Synod in February 2019. Growing Faith brings together work in Education, Evangelism and Discipleship, Ministry, Renewal and Reform and Setting God’s People Free (SGPF) and seeks ‘to enable the people of God of all ages to live out their faith confidently in homes and schools’. Growing Faith identifies three areas of focus – the church, the school and the household.
Growing Faith identifies three areas of focus – the church, the school and the household – and affirmed that, ‘there is national commitment to achieve a significant culture change within the church so that every aspect of mission and ministry is seen through the lens of what it means for ministry with children, young people and households’.
In the Diocese of York, we are striving together to be a people who are ‘Living Christ’s Story’. We are developing and delivering strategic programmes focused on our goals: Becoming more like Christ; Reaching those we currently don’t; Growing churches of missionary disciples; and Transforming our finances and structures. We want to be a simpler, bolder, humbler church, which in its diversity reflects the communities it serves.
There is an explicit desire to grow younger within ‘Living Christ’s Story’. To that end, ‘Growing Younger’ is a specific workstream within the Living Christ’s Story strategic development plan and this role would be a lead person in supporting this workstream.
Support for Parishes and Clergy
The Education team is available to provide advice and support to all Clergy and Lay People whether they are Church schools, community schools or independent schools.
For more information and help for churches working with their local school, please contact Olivia Seymour or Angela Brymer.
Commissioning Services
A commissioning service is a great opportunity for parish, governors, staff, parents and pupils to welcome and affirm a new Headteacher as they begin their new role. A commissioning service welcomes the new Headteacher into the school, the parish and into the diocesan family of schools.
Arranging a commissioning service is also a great opportunity for the incumbent to meet with the new Headteacher and governing body to plan such an event.
To encourage and help you to do this we have provided some thoughts and an outline of an order of service (found below). We recognise that the service will be personal to the school and parish and we would encourage you to adapt what is provided to best support you in being able to involve the school and parish community in this celebratory occasion.
Churches and Schools in Partnership in the Diocese of York
Schools have a major place in the life of a community and a church working with a school can make a big difference. Partnership working isn’t wholly about increasing numbers within our churches (although that would be a desirable outcome in itself) but rather it is about building a partnership based on mutual trust, being there for each other and developing a relationship of service to one another.
The Education team have produced a booklet which gives ideas on how to develop the relationship a church can have with its local school so that the children and young people of the parish flourish. A copy can be found below. The Education team are here to help, along with colleagues in the Children and Youth team, so we would encourage parishes to be in touch with any questions or examples of good practice from within a parish context that we can learn from and share with others.
Churches and Schools in partnership
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