Introduction

Overview

This section gives an overview of MAP for Derby Diocese - the core principles and elements that go to make it up.

If you are thinking of using MAP for Derby Diocese, you will need to download the following resources that give more details and information that are required to use MAP for Derby Diocese well. The Introductory leafet can be used in congregations and PCCs, and gives a single-page summary of the process.

Three Core Principles

You can download a separate resource that gives more information about the about the Core Principles:

MAP for Derby Diocese Core Principles

In brief, here are the three core principles of MAP for Derby Diocese.

Principle one: leader commitment

Our experience with MAP shows that the commitment of the church leadership is crucial to the effectiveness of its use. We find this time and time again in churches; the visible, ongoing commitment of the church leadership is vital for the success of its mission and ministry.

Therefore, it is equally vital that the leadership of any church shows a visible, consistent, real and ongoing commitment to the use of MAP for Derby Diocese in the church, if they choose to use it.

Principle two: prayerfulness

MAP for Derby Diocese is concerned with God's Church and His call to it. We recognise that, without God's wisdom and resources, our response to that call will always fail.

For MAP for Derby Diocese to bear fruit in any context, it must always be surrounded by prayer.

Principle three: integration

MAP for Derby Diocese works best when it is integral to every part of the church's life. That means that every aspect of the mission and ministry of the church is included in the MAP process.

Integration means that, as far as possible, everyone in the church needs to be involved at each stage. This ensures everyone feels included and the voices of a wider range of people are heard.

Three Core Elements

In brief, here are the three core elements of MAP for Derby Diocese.

Element one: the stages

You can see an overview of the stages of MAP for Derby Diocese in the leader's guide and introductory leaflet, downloaded from the top of this page.

Sometimes there is a temptation, when using a process like MAP for Derby Diocese, to skip over some parts of that process if the church believes that they are too difficult, unnecessary or needlessly time consuming.

To get the best out of MAP for Derby Diocese, it is essential that the church completes each stage carefully and in the right order.

The stages of MAP for Derby Diocese are:

Explore the purpose and character of the church God is calling you to be
Reflect in your journey toward God's calling so far
Discern the areas in which God is now calling you to grow and change to meet His call
Prepare how you will make the changes God requires of you
Journey toward making the changes God requires of you

Each Stage contains a simple set of questions that help the church engage with the issues that are important for that stage.

Element two: the characteristics

You can download a separate resource that gives more information about the about the MAP for Derby Diocese characteristics, including theological reflections and questions to help churches, groups and individuals reflect on them:

MAP for Derby Diocese Characteristics

The MAP for Derby Diocese process is designed to help the church become the healthy, flourising church that God intends them to be. The process isn't focussed on doing more things, but rather being God's church.

To do that, we need to understand what that church looks like. In other words, we need to understand its characteristics.

MAP for Derby Diocese is therefore based around a set of eight characteristics of God's church. Those characteristics are:

Christ-centred in life and worship
focused on God's mission and purpose
loving, servant-hearted and generous
welcoming, open and inclusive
willing to adapt for God's purposes
encouraging in Christian vocation and service
Christ-like in leadership
valuing children, young people and families

The characteristics have been carefully developed, starting from the work of several different research projects and bringing them to Scripture to ensure that they represent a complete picture of the church God calls us to be.

Element three: the church health check

If you would like to use the MAP for Derby Diocese Church Health Check in your church, you can download all the resources here:

The MAP for Derby Diocese Church Health Check is the only essential tool in the MAP for Derby Diocese process. It works alongside the characteristics and is threaded through the first four stages of the process, as follows:

Explore the character of the church od is calling them to be by explaining each of the characteristics in a theological reflection.
Reflect on the church's journey toward God's calling so far by helping them to examine honestly the evidence we should expect to see in churches exhibiting His desired character.
Discern the areas in which God is now calling them to grow and change to meet His call by helping the church to see in which characteristic(s) the church most needs to develop.
Prepare how they will make the changes God requires of them by showing in which areas of each characteristic the church will specifically need to develop and grow.