Welcoming
Improving our welcome
Back to Church Sunday
Using buildings creatively
Church websites
Mission Shaped Church
Emerging Church

A tailored presentation is available for PCC's, Ministry Teams or Deanery Groups exploring what it might mean for a local Church to be 'Mission Shaped Church', and what steps might be needed to get there.
For more information about the presentation click here.

The Mission Support Team offer local support for mission and evangelism.


A fresh wave of creativity is being seen around the country. Several innovative projects are developing into fresh expressions of church. For details of the fresh expressions movement, see the Fresh Expressions website.

In the Methodist Church new initiatives are springing up in all sorts of places across the Methodist East Anglia District, as disciples are discovering alternative ways of sharing faith in Christ Jesus. All such initiatives are an encouraging sign of the Spirit at work. Most of them have small beginnings and have yet to reach their full potential. Some of the new initiatives across the Methodist District, with brief contact information, can be viewed here: as a sharing of ideas to help inspire further innovation.
 
For further information about Fresh Expressions in the Methodist Church, contact Matt Finch. Currently serving as Methodist Minister in Downham Market, Matt is the Fresh Expressions Associate Missioner for this area.

Occasional training events are on offer across the District. They cover a range of topics. Though prepared by various personnel (Anglican, Methodist, Baptist and URC), they reflect a shared commitment to the mission of God, and are accessible for all. For further information click here.


Mission Shaped Ministy Course
is a nationwide one year part-time course which aims to equip you to begin and to develop Fresh Expressions of Church.  Click here for more information about the course and dates for the next course in the Diocese of Norwich.

Back to Church Sunday
Recent research by TEAR Fund shows that 3 million people (6% of UK adults) who have stopped going to church or who have never been in their lives would consider attending given the right invitation.  Back to Church Sunday is an ideal opportunity for us to invite people we know who haven't been to church for a while and want to come back to church but are reluctant to come alone.

Find out more about Back to Church Sunday.

The Diocese is committed where possible and appropriate to working in partnership with other organizations.  So much more can be achieved by working with others and there are many local and national partnerships that we can take part in. Partnership working helps with the sharing of skills and resources as well as enabling us to maximize the amount of finance that can be made available to support both Diocesan and Parish projects. The Diocesan Funding and Partnerships Officer is able to advise and assist parishes who want to develop projects in partnership with other community organizations.

Grove Books have a number of booklets on evangelism.  Visit www.grovebooks.co.uk

Jesus' People: What the Church should do next, the latest book from Steven Croft

The Church of England's newest diocesan bishop has issued a call for churches to refocus on Jesus as the compass to navigate the changing terrain of the world, in Jesus' People: What the Church should do next, released by Church House Publishing today.

Steven Croft, who spent the last five years leading the development of ‘fresh expressions’ of church alongside traditional ones and is now Bishop of Sheffield, sets out a simple manifesto for a fresh vision for the Church that crosses the divide between different traditions and approaches. The short book has been described by Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the British Methodist Church, as “a passionately sane piece of prophecy to be ignored at our peril.”

Taking his cue from Jesus’ teaching about assessing the ‘fruits’ of endeavours (Matthew 7.20), Steven argues that “the source and the secret of lasting fruitfulness for any Christian community is not technique or good planning or the latest ideas. It does not rest primarily in great leadership or wealth or natural human ability. The source and secret of lasting fruitfulness is whether or not we are connected to and abiding in the vine: it depends on our connection to Jesus.”

Having encouraged Christians to focus on the person and teaching of Jesus as their compass to navigate change, Steven Croft moves on to look at the Beatitudes, Jesus’ teaching at the Sermon on the Mount. He considers the need not only to build the Church but also to change the world, and offers thoughts on finding the strength for change though Bible study, worship, fellowship and prayer. Each chapter ends with suggestions for reflection and discussion individually or in groups.

“Jesus’ People will challenge the reader to rethink both the role of Jesus in the Church and that of the Church in today’s society and culture,” comments Steven.

Jesus’ People: What the Church should do next, by Steven Croft, priced £7.99 (ISBN 978-07151-4187-8), is available from Christian bookshops.