Putting mission on the MAP

Every parish across the Diocese of Southwark is being asked by the bishop to produce a Mission Action Plan.

The MAP process has been used in a number of dioceses already; it  has been commended by the General Synod, and our own Bishop Christopher has said 'the time is now right for the Diocese of Southwark to give priority to Mission Action Planning as an expression of our desire to grow the church.'

Accordingly parishes from across the Woolwich Area were invited to send 3-4 people for a MAP training morning held yesterday at St Barnabas Dulwich - and each parish was presented with a copy of Mike Chew and Mark Ireland's book (left).

So  what is a MAP?

Here is Chew & Ireland's definition: 'A Mission Action Plan is a document which outlines the mission activities that a local church is going to do in the coming months and years. It is built on a clear sense of God's 'vision' for the church - what God is calling the church to be and to do.'

Here at St James & St Anne's we've already been doing quite a bit of thinking about our mission to Bermondsey and I sense that the MAP process may help to crystallise that thinkiing for us into what we actually need - a definite plan for action.