The London Challenge 2002-2006

London Challenge 2012 was launched on 8 February 2007 as the mission plan for the Diocese of London to 2012.

FEELING CHALLENGED?

Pronounced dead many times, the Church in London is experiencing many challenges but is also seeing signs of a 21st century resurrection. You would never believe it, however, if you fell for some modern-day popular myths.

Myth number one

"The Church is in terminal decline"

Fact

Membership of the Church in London has grown from 45,000 in 1990 to more than 64,000 today

Myth number two

"The Church of England doesn't know what it believes"

Fact

The basics of the Christian faith are being taught and Church members expressing God's love for all the people of London in 410 parishes and over 100 higher education, hospital and prison chaplaincies

Myth number three

"The Church of England is rolling in money and is subsidised by the State"

Fact

We receive nothing from the State and rely on people in our parishes to finance the Church in London

Most people know what's going on in their own parish but it's harder to get an idea of what the Church is doing on a broader scale. It's important to have this perspective as we seek to present Jesus Christ in London. Why? Because there are some things we can do only if we resolve to continue to work together. Indeed, the Church in London will only survive and grow if we do pray, act and work together. That is the London Challenge - to work together for the Kingdom of God, with everything we do being rooted in prayer.

THE COMMITMENTS

We are committed, as the Church in London, to five main themes in our life together:

(1) We are committed to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in 21st Century London

• by developing a programme in the spirit of Alpha and Emmaus in every parish and chaplaincy to help people find faith and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ
• by experimenting with new ways of being Church, in addition to the parish system. For example:

* youth churches * community based churches * cell churches * network churches

(2) We are committed to equipping servants of Jesus Christ

• by helping people to pray. For example:

* the London Centre for Spirituality * by helping people to minister as evangelists and lay pastors * by helping Christians to see their work in vocational terms * by encouraging more vocations to the priesthood, especially among minority ethnic Anglicans

(3) We are committed to telling the story of Jesus Christ "afresh" for this generation and especially for the young

• by strengthening children's work in the parishes
• by expanding secondary school provision while striving to make our existing schools places of faith and excellence
• by developing youth worship, youth networks, youth events and youth congregations
• by supporting the work of our Chaplains in Higher Education

(4) We are committed to serving London and all its people

• by staying present in every community, with a priority commitment to the poor and disadvantaged
• by undertaking a feasibility study for a budget of opportunity to support social responsibility work in London
• by continuing to work ecumenically in action and witness within the structures of our city

(5) We are committed to serving God's Love in a world city

• by growing in partnerships with the world church - Angola, Mozambique and Berlin - Brandenburg
• by encouraging and developing dialogue with members of other faith communities
• by continuing to work for justice for poor and indebted nations.

These five main themes are not intended an 'add-on' to the normal daily worship and witness of our parishes. They put into context the work that is being done now in the name of Jesus Christ in London and they highlight those activities we can only achieve together as we work in humility and excitement, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The Church in London has received many gifts and is growing. The response demanded from every member by this challenge of opportunity is to work imaginatively for the future of Jesus Christ in London. As the Gospel says, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" (Luke 12:48). In order to monitor our progess we have set ourselves some targets for the next five years (2002-2007) which, by God's grace, we aim to fulfil:

THE CHALLENGES

• Encourage the development of a course in the spirit of Alpha and Emmaus in every parish by 2004
• Encourage growth in Electoral Rolls to 70,000 by 2005
• Achieve financial self support by 2003
• Plan for a non-deficit budget by 2005
• Request every eucharistic community to carry out a training audit on an Area basis by the end of 2004
• Develop Ministry Leadership teams in 50% of our parishes by 2006
• Establish the St Ethelburga Centre by 2003, the tenth anniversary of the IRA bomb in Bishopsgate
• Establish a vocations centre for minority ethnic Anglicans by 2003
• Plan for two new Church secondary schools by 2006
• Develop a fully interactive London web site and e-mail network by 2003
• Retain at least 480 clergy, men and women, in parish and specialist ministry. Seek out inventive ways to fund additional clergy and provide ongoing training for them all

THE COST

The way the Church is funded has recently undergone a revolution. Crucial to the success or failure of our plans is the need for us together to meet the resource challenge. If we fail, we shall have to reduce our share of the Christian presence in some of Britain's poorest boroughs, the very places where the church has most often been renewed.

In the past, the Church in London received a share of a £92 million a year subsidy from historic assets managed by the Church Commissioners towards the payment of clergy stipends and pensions. We now receive nothing. Quite properly, these assets have been converted into a clergy pension fund while the remainder is used to support the church in less prosperous parts of the country. This means we ourselves need to generate considerable additional money to fund, primarily, clergy stipends, housing and pensions in both rich and poor parishes.

We have looked creatively at the way the Church in London is managed and pared administrative costs to 4%, while also raising the income generated from property we own.

Other areas where we can work together to meet the resource challenge include imaginative fund-raising from outside the Church for special projects, encouraging legacies (have you left a percentage of your estate to the Church in your will?) and the promotion of public trusts for the maintenance of historic Church buildings.

We must also sustain our regular giving. The Church in London recommends that parishioners contribute 5% of their take-home pay to the church and 5% to other good causes. A portion of that 5% will pay for the Church of England in London, maintaining a Christian presence in every parish, whether or not the local congregation can afford to fund it.

THE DIOCESE OF LONDON

The Diocese covers 277 square miles and 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the Thames, from Staines in the west to the Isle of Dogs in the east and as far north as Enfield.

• 3.5 million people
• 480 churches
• 191 parishes classified as 'deprived' Urban Priority Areas
• 98 people in training for the priesthood
• 64,000 adults listed as members on Church electoral rolls
• 151 Church Schools
• 45,000 pupils
• 150 social responsibility projects incorporating work with:
• children and young people
• refugees
• asylum seekers
• the homeless
• people with mental and physical disabilities
• families
• the elderly
• countless community-based activities such as:

* mother and toddler groups * youth clubs * Brownies and Scouts