MAP stands for Mission Action Planning. The main purpose of MAP is to listen and discern the will of God for your church and its community. It is about looking at what is happening in your parish and as a church community considering the direction that you think your church should be heading. Once you have established a vision for your church you then set yourselves priorities for you church for each of the following 3 years and then plan the specific steps you need to take to deliver these goals. At the end of each year we will ask you to review your action so that you can adjust your plan accordingly.
The MAP process gives every parish an opportunity to take time out to reflect and discern on what God’s mission is for their church and their community. It also gives an opportunity to celebrate what has been achieved and consider what needs to be done in the coming year. It is also an opportunity for you as a community to dream some dreams and consider what God wants you to be both individually and as the family of God.
MAPs are intended to be done at a local parish level. The reason we want to do this together as a Diocese is so that Bishop Alastair and other senior staff can see what your plans are and be able to pray for you. It also gives us an opportunity to consider what resources we need to provide for you all to deliver your plans. We would prefer to describe that MAPs become part of the life of each churches annual cycle rather than an initiative.
During the pilot we are looking at how the process works across a wide range of churches both in size and churchmanship. The process has been designed to ensure that you can use it in the most appropriate way for your particular situation.
We are also testing a simpler process for our small rural churches to see if this is more appropriate for them.
The purpose of MAP is that we are all encouraged to plan on an annual basis and it is great that some of you are doing this already
If you already have a system of annual planning and review then all we would ask is that you fill in the MAP summary form so that we know what you are doing. You might want to look at the materials we are using to see if there are any ideas that you can use.
MAP launch events are currently being planned for May 2011 and we will be asking that churches have sent in their completed MAP summary forms to Bishop Alastair by Advent Sunday 2011.
We really want mission action planning to become a way of life for all of us in the Diocese. It should become part of our annual cycle in each parish so that we have an opportunity to review what has gone well and to refine any activities that haven’t been quite so successful.
Jesus’ ministry routinely included people with disabilities. People of all abilities can learn, play, and study the Bible together.
So consider…how inclusive is your space? What can you do to make sure everyone feels welcome? We asked Charla Holst, occupational therapist and founder of Overcomer Ministries, how churches can best modify spaces to include people of all abilities.
Take this simple evaluation (by clicking this link) to help your children’s ministry space be more disability friendly.
For more information, contact the Growing Younger Team at GrowingYounger@derby.anglican.org
On the National Day of Prayer for Schools we encourage christians across the UK to set aside time to pray for their local schools. This year, join us in praying for the education system in our country, and for children, young people, teachers, non-teaching staff, visiting organisations, and Christians who support in the schools and colleges within your community on Friday 26th September 2025.
Our colleagues at the Bath and Wells and Bristol Diocese have produced some excellent downloadable confirmation resources. If you have a young person or a group of young people you are preparing for confirmation and would like to use this resource, then click here to have a look and download your own version.
A fantastic resource for any Christian working with young people, the youthscape podcast has several years-worth of episodes covering a range of areas so there will be plenty for your context to learn. Find on any major podcast platform or here https://www.youthscape.co.uk/podcast
Various fantastic organisations exist to support churches in running activities for young people with varying levels of faith involvement. Some of our recommendations include:-
Youthscape – originally working Luton, YS now has a national focus and is leading the way in research and innovation for Christian youthwork - https://www.youthscape.co.uk/
Scripture Union – in addition to their decades of church based youth and children’s resources, they are focussing most of their work resourcing churches to reach the 95% of children and young people nationally who have no connection with church - https://content.scriptureunion.org.uk/resources-activities
The RSCM – for more traditional contexts church choirs can provide a way of engaging with young people, including developing them as young leaders. https://www.rscm.org.uk/learn-with-us/
Urban Saints Energize - Thousands of engaging and adaptable biblical sessions, training articles and support resources - https://www.urbansaints.org/what-we-do/online-resources
Our colleagues in Birmingham diocese have created a series of short films to help young people think through issues of sexuality, gender, relationships, and justice based on the six pastoral principles which are:
They come in two versions a 30 min and 60 min versions, they can be used all together or as stand-alone sessions. To download your free copy click here.
Valley Cids - an independent Christian charity based in Derbyshire, committed to serving children, young people and families through out-reach work in schools and the wider community. https://www.valleycids.co.uk/
The Peak Centre – A Christian-run activity centre in the Peak district that gives preference to young people - https://www.peakcentre.org.uk/
As a diocese we seek to facilitate training of youth leaders, both paid and volunteer. We are keen to invest in potential youth leaders. For training opportunities and events click here
Alternatively, members of the diocesan staff are ordained/licensed lay readers and can come preach/speak to churches/PCCs about the place of youth ministry in the church. If you would like to do a training day with your volunteer team(s) or to discuss options, then contact growingyounger@derby.anglican.org
Across the diocese we are setting up or supporting regional networks of paid/volunteer youth workers. If this would interest you then email growingyounger@derby.anglican.org
We also work with Missional Church Youth Network – an organisation seeking to enable local schools, churches and community projects to work together to reimagine church with young people. They facilitate a Learning Community in order that youth leaders and volunteers can come together for training, encouragement, prayer and support as they build for the future. https://www.mycn.org.uk/
Strenthen your understanding of the many issues that impace children. The e-learning course is funded by both local authorities and FREE to complete for all.
Follow this link to get registerd and booked onto a webinar.
Delivered by Ridley Hall, free and fully funded by the Church of England, Catalyst is a dynamic training course which aims to equip and connect those who work with children and young people in the local church. It’s for anyone, whether you are experienced or new to working with children and young people.
Starting this October, you will gain new knowledge and skills, connect with others, and also have the option to complete an assignment and gain 20 credits at level 4 qualification if you would like to.
Find out more, and sign-up on their website here.
Our Diocesan Vision is that the Kingdom of God is good news for all, and that fundamentally includes Children, Young People and Families. A key priority of our Parish Support Team strategy is to support and enable parishes to Grow Active Young Disciples. The Growing Younger team has been put together around this priority and a lot of our work is based around the national Church of England movement that is Growing Faith.
Growing Faith is the movement that exists to change the culture of the Church of England, so that everyone instinctively puts children, young people and families at the heart of all the ministry and mission of the Church.
Growing Faith involves churches, schools and households working together to help children, young people and families have life in all its fullness.
As a diocese we are adopting Growing Faith as the basis for our strategic plans to grow younger.
Jesus (Matt.19:14) and the early church (1. Tim 4:12) placed immense value on the place and role of children and young people in the kingdom of God.
Children, young people and families are vitally important to the church, not merely for our survival into future generations, but because a church that cares about children and young people is indicative of a healthy church.
In this report from the House of Bishops in 2019, there is recognition that ‘it is not always clear that the church is sufficiently focused on the engagement in ministry with children and young people.’
This is despite it being well acknowledged that the vast majority of Christians today have come to faith before the age of 18.
As a church and as a diocese, we have to confess that historically and at present children and young people have not always been intrinsically part of our ministry and mission.
There needs to be a cultural shift.
Growing Faith envisions children, young people and households coming to faith, growing in discipleship and contributing confidently to the Kingdom of God through the community of faith.
It is about how, as members of the whole people of God, children and young people are encouraged and how the whole Church is equipped to think intergenerationally. (A useful summary can be found here )
Growing Faith provides a helpful lens for assessing our current practices and potential opportunities.
As we, as churches and as a diocese, seek to give children, young people and families a chance to explore and deepen their faith, it is helpful to look for the meeting places between churches, schools and households.
Alongside our diocesan vision, "The Kingdom of God – good news for all" we are inviting church communities to ask themselves what it would look like to be good news for young people in churches, schools and households.
Three principles are shaping our approach to Growing Faith:
Connected Communities - looking for the meaningful connected community of faith in the intersection between church, school and households.
Spiritual Encounters - engaging in conversations about and expressing faith as people encounter God as individuals and together.
Imaginative Practices - searching for 'a new way of being church' and creating new thinking and new doing in relation to children, young people and households.
Messy Church
You never know how far reaching your ministry can be… it is amazing how God uses what we do to reach way beyond our expectations.
Messy Church is just such a ministry, we realise that our ministry goes beyond just the families that come along to our Messy events… who know who the children will speak to about what they got up to at Messy Church and how those stories can be a wonderful vehicle for God’s message of hope.
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Follow this link to hear them on the Mission Matters Podcast.
Click on their logo to go to their introduction page.
The new easyfundraising Impact Fund is now open with 20 unrestricted grants of £500 for UK not-for-profit organisations to help them continue or enhance their work. The grant is unrestricted, so it can be used wherever the money is needed most to support your work.
When to apply: 23 February – 5 April
Who can apply:
The fund is open to UK based:
How it’s awarded: The application form is straightforward. Grants will be awarded to organisations that best explain how they would use the £500. The grants will be awarded across a mix of categories and locations, and the fund is open to organisations of all sizes and structures. Apply here: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/impact-fund
Note: Many of these funders flow in and out of funding so it will be necessary to check directly to see if they are currently open to applications.
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