developing your involvement
The following points may be useful in helping a parish to develop their vision for world mission. Have a look through them and select a few that might be used in the parish over six months.
Explore the reasons why we need to be involved in mission
Christians belong together and the starting point for world mission is our calling to be part of God's world-wide fellowship of believers in Jesus. We learn from each other, we support each other, we rely on each other. Together, we are the church, and so together we are called to engage in extending God's kingdom, at home in our communities and in the world.
Our calling is to communicate the Gospel message and see people's lives transformed by the power of the Lord Jesus. Our strength is the Holy Spirit who equips us with gifts from God.
Our hope is that great hope of the New Testament of when all knees will bow to Christ as Lord.
And so we are not engaged in mission because we chose to, rather, it is God who sends every believer to work with him.
"As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Says Jesus ( John 20.21)
The Church in Wales belongs to the Anglican denomination which has a presence in over 165 different countries. This means that there is much in common and much diversity between the different provinces, bringing joys and tensions. Being part of this fellowship provides many opportunities for communication and sharing between us and Christians overseas, and this can bring a close co-operation in mission projects. This is an important New Testament principle of what it means for us to be the Church. The Diocese of Llandaff cannot say to the Diocese of Jerusalem I do not need you... "God has combined the members of the body so that all its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it." (1 Corinthians 12.24-26)
So it is important to think, study, pray and plan about how a parish is to be involved in mission.
"'Partners in Mission' is a vital reality, not an empty phrase. We would be foolish indeed not to seek the help of others more experienced than we are in this global village, to help in the missionary endeavour of understanding our culture."
Building Missionary Congregations - Robert Warren
Begin where you are
Look around your congregation for people who already have overseas links. For example, someone whose grandson is working overseas as a volunteer, or an Indian family who live in the parish, people often go abroad on holidays so see if they've been aware of a Christian presence, or church issues abroad. You could ask members of the congregation to mark the connection they have with different countries on a world map (try using coloured "stick on" labels). Think about these connections and see if they might be useful in considering the next step ahead.
Experience the overseas church for yourself
Many church and mission organisations encourage people to go overseas for short term trips to experience something different in Christian culture. It is not simply for young people, students and 'wealthy' people; more and more parishioners are investigating how going abroad with an organisation can bring a new dynamic zeal to their Christian faith as well as informing them of a global faith. Opportunities are there for people of varied ages to go overseas on short and long term service, so make enquiries and listen to God's calling.
Clergy Interchange programme
The Church in Wales Interchange Scheme is set up to enable clerics to experience for the first time ministry in another part of the world church. Their stipend continues to be paid while they spend from 3 to 6 months
working for another province.
The Church in Wales will pay return airfare while working expenses should be reimbursed by the host province. Some openings are listed on the Church in Wales World Mission website, or, with agreement, a different visit could be arranged by the cleric themselves. The scheme can support one cleric overseas at a time, and the Church in Wales welcomes enquiries.
Mission Organisations are there to help
Mission agencies are a vital part of church life, and although there is a huge variety of them, evidence shows that rather than working in competition with each other, their vision is to co-operate to enable parishes to engage effectively in mission at home and abroad. Use the links on this site to see what some of these organisations can do for you and to sample their own particular perspective and approach. Many parishes set up links with a few agencies and foster a special relationship with some of their missionaries (more often called mission partners today). This can be a valuable "way in" to understanding the hopes and concerns of Christians in other parts of the world giving parishioners people and projects to focus on in their support.
Invite overseas people to visit you
Meeting Christians from other cultures can have a big impact on a parish because parishioners are able to interact with people and share with them. Look out for opportunities to host overseas Christians who are visiting the area, or make your own arrangements. Theological training colleges such as St Michael's College, Cardiff often are looking for parishes to host their students during long vacations, and mission organisations can provide information on foreigners studying here in the UK. Offering hospitality like this is an extremely effective way of encouraging both a congregation and the students themselves, who often are very keen to experience British church life also. There could well be overseas Christians living in your own parish, especially so in hospitals and places of further education. Look out for opportunities to make contact.
Our Diocese can help develop a link for you…
Since March 2006, Llandaff Diocese has developed a link with Uppsala diocese in the Lutheran-based Church of Sweden. It has an Episcopal structure with bishops, priests, deacons and on the surface, Sunday worship has many similarities with the Church in Wales. However, there many distinct differences in the way that the church is recognised by the wider society and the roles given to lay people and their training in the life of the church and community. We have had several exchanges between clergy and diocesan staff, and now a number of our own parishes are making informal visits to churches in Uppsala diocese. See the web page on Uppsala for more details.
Money matters
Is your parish making a budget for the yearly finances? There are often various emergency appeals throughout the year, and often we give money to various agencies in mission. Ask if you are making the most of this support, and focus in on a project to find out the issues and people behind the money and to see how you might make closer links and so develop financial donations into a sense of partnership and commitment.
Prayer and Preaching
Consider the opportunities for teaching and sharing about issues of world mission, and plan to support work through committed prayer. Look at our section on resources to have an idea of what is available to help you develop this. And when there are chances to attend a special meeting concerning the world church or to listen to an overseas Christian, make an effort to be part of what is going on.
Make it part of the P.C.C.'s agenda
It takes time for ideas to become cemented into people's expectations, and it would be lovely if parishioners would all be excited about being involved in mission. Help those with responsibility within the church to nurture God's calling upon us to share his good news for the world by building issues into the on-going agendas of the PCC which promote our shared call in the world.
There are a number of leaflets produced by the Partnership for World Mission (PWM) which you may find helpful in this; please contact:
Partnership House,
157 Waterloo Road,
London,
SE1 8XA
(tel. 02079288681)