In April this year we began a journey together to renew our vision for serving Jesus Christ in this great World City over the coming years. This will become our Capital Vision 2020. We have sought to listen to what the Spirit is saying to us in the life of London, to reflect on where we focus effort and resources at the moment, and to ask in what ways we need to rethink and act differently for the future.
Over 1,500 people across the Diocese have been involved in discussions on these three questions. Using resources from www.capitalvision2020.com, being challenged by the ‘vox pops’ on what London is saying to the church, and reflecting on London trends, these discussions have taken place over cream teas, Chinese takeaways, drinks parties, in Deanery Synods, Chapters and Area Councils, with chaplains, 2012 Ambassadors, childrens’ and youth workers, in PCC away days, staff meetings and in churches. Others responded via the online survey, tweeted during the Clergy Study Summit, sent a letter, an email, or simply telephoned.
Hats off to everyone who has contributed in so many different ways to this consultation. I am particularly grateful to the Area Deans who have invigorated participation in each deanery. A number of you have commented that simply being involved in this consultation and answering the questions has been both encouraging and challenging. The overall quality and spirit of the responses, the discussions I have had personally, have all been hugely inspiring.
I have sensed that above and beyond our diversity there has been a new spirit of purposefulness and urgency in working together for the sake of Jesus Christ in London.
All the contributions are being collated and a number of broad themes are emerging. They are:
Through further discussion and listening, we will seek to discern a small number of priorities. These will be the areas where we as a Diocese must be sharper, more purposeful and more imaginative. My hope and prayer is that they will be ‘owned’ by the whole Diocese.
Over the coming months, in addition, we will look to identify a number of projects that will help us to move forward together on our priorities between now and 2020.
Of course our projects will represent only a fraction of our day to day mission and ministry. We will flag up the core activities and continuities to which we remain committed and which constitute the context in which the projects will be undertaken.
This distillation process will continue until Capital Vision 2020 is presented to the Diocesan Synod in March, and launched at a great assembly in St Paul’s Cathedral on 6th June 2013.
There is still much to do and I hope you will join me in praying that the outcome of this consultation will not merely be words on pages, but lives and communities transformed by the love of Jesus Christ who is to be everywhere worshipped and adored.
