Through our Diocesan Investment Plan, we are launching a new Children and Young People (CYP) focused initiative, as part of our suite of interventions to achieve our Vision of becoming a younger and more diverse Diocese.
We are seeking experienced volunteer or paid children, family and youth ministers from across the Diocese to come alongside a local church’s existing and new volunteers and be a catalyst for mission to help them grow their children, young people and family (CYPF) ministries.
Known as Missional Practitioners, they will provide missional guidance and practical support in growing the faith of children and young people, especially at key transition phases in their lives. They will support and advise parishes to build volunteer capacity by modelling CYP ministry in action, enabling volunteers to take the lead and grow in confidence in delivering effective ministry with children, young people and families.
Each Mission Practitioner will commit up to one day a week, either in a paid or volunteer capacity, working with parishes using an “I do – we do – you do” model.
In return, Mission Practitioners will be part of a CYP Leader progression pathway, receiving support and training from within our Diocese to ensure they have what they need to thrive in their role. Parishes partnering with a Mission Practitioner are encouraged to provide a welcoming and supportive environment and understanding that the success of their partnership lies in the hands of the local church, supported by the Diocesan team.
We are seeking to identify our existing successful practitioners in this vital area of work, to celebrate them and to encourage learning and development between parishes. If you know somebody who would be attracted to this programme please encourage them to explore it. Age and educational qualifications are no barrier to participation. We are looking for those who are successful already and interested in learning and contributing more.
If you are a parish that has the potential to share a Missional Practitioner, please be assured that you won’t lose them, as they will still be working with you. This programme means that they would also need to be released to share their skills with at least one other parish and to have an opportunity for formal development, in line with our Vision for the Diocese, encouraging growth and diversity.
Our Mission Practitioner initiative is all about equipping and enabling parishes to grow and invest in the future of our Church, helping parishes to become more diverse, vibrant, and reflective of the communities they serve.
If you feel that your parish would benefit from support to further develop your CYP Ministry and you have volunteers who would benefit from working with a Missional Practitioner, then please get in touch.
We want to reflect the diversity of the community our churches serve. Therefore, while of course, we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups
Please contact Imani McEwen for further information and queries [email protected].
People wishing to become a Mission Practitioner
Apply to become a Mission Practitioner here.
Next Steps
Once your form has been reviewed there are two possible outcomes:
A. A member of the MP Team will invite you to interview
or
b. The CYP team will be in touch to offer training to develop you as a CYP minister.
Parishes wishing to partner with a Mission Practitioner
Complete the Stage 1 Expression of Interest form for parishes here.
Please note: The online form must be completed in one sitting and cannot be saved partway through. To support you in preparing your responses, a PDF version of the form can be found here for reference only – this will allow you to review the questions in advance before submitting your answers online.
Next Steps
Once your form has been reviewed there are two possible outcomes:
A. A member of the MP Team will invite you to complete the second stage expression of interest form.
or
B. The CYP team will be in touch to offer support to develop the parish’s CYPF ministry further.
