Ministry Area Brochure
The Placeholder Next Steps Forming Ministry Areas Diocese of Swansea and Brecon Summer 2014 From Bishop John … Dear Friends, In this booklet you’ll find the pattern of Ministry Areas by means of which, as they come into being, the Diocese will renew and develop its ministry. This marks the end of a lengthy period of prayerful consultation to which everybody in the Diocese had opportunities to contribute. Ministry Areas, adopted by the whole Church in Wales as the pattern for the future, offer us a fresh and exciting opportunity to renew the ways in which to minister in the communities where we are set. They offer a way of collaborative working, commended by the New Testament, with communities of disciples, lay and ordained, sharing ministry, growing in faith and into the image of Christ, witnessing to those around, and working to create new disciples. Whatever our present way of doing things might be, doing what we’ve always done is not an option however familiar or comfortable that might be. We will commit to a 'group practice' model for collaborative ministry and mission, with local churches working together in partnerships across familiar boundaries to enrich relationships and to share talents, gifts and resources. Instead of offering just one form and style across an area, we will offer a variety of worship and other opportunities, with a common aim of building a stronger, sustainable and more effective church which looks not only down the aisle but also out there into the community. It is intended that the current eleven Area Deaneries are revised to four with the designated Ministry Areas grouped into one of the new Deaneries.
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