Following a discernment morning in January, members of Diocesan Synod, Diocesan Trustees, Bishop’s Children and Youth Council, Bishop’s Council, Area Deans, Lay Chairs and the Bishop’s Leadership Team met on Wednesday 19 June to review the draft diocesan strategy, in advance of it coming to Diocesan Synod in September. 
At the previous gathering, attendees were given a workbook seeking their input on important questions about how various aspects of diocesan life should look going forwards. The feedback from those workbooks and the discussions on the day, together with the findings from the diocese-wide consultations of recent years, have been carefully analysed and brought together to develop this ten-year strategy.
The draft strategy continues to emphasise our vision – the Kingdom of God; the Three Key Questions; and our five Strategic Priorities – Intercultural Communities, Eco-Communities, Reconciling Communities, New Communities and Intergenerational Communities. But it lays out more clearly how we will work towards these priorities and respond to societal shifts, our financial deficit and the assorted challenges which our worshipping communities face. This involves outlining plans for vocations and leadership, safeguarding, finance, church buildings, diocesan support and governance, and Minster Communities, as these form the foundations for our mission and ministry.
Inspired by our Intergenerational and Intercultural strategic priorities, Wednesday’s event began with worship led by Leicester Cathedral’s junior boys’ and girls’ choir and a reflection by Bishop Saju on Sundar Singh (who is commemorated in the Anglican Church on 19 June), followed by an address from Bishop Martyn.
Bishop Martyn’s address took inspiration from the missiology of Roland Allen, in his work first published in 1912, Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours? and highlighted two main points: recognising in our planning our dependence on God’s Holy Spirit (which is why the development of the strategy has been rooted in much prayerful discernment); and our need to empower local communities, both in encouraging their generosity and raising up leaders from the local communities in which they are serving.
Reflecting on Roland Allen’s question, why is it that “we can more easily believe in God’s work in us and through us, than we can believe in God’s work in and through our converts?”, Bishop Martyn argued “keeping discipleship at the heart of our mission is absolutely essential. As is the need to grow our own indigenous ministers – some will be ordained, some will be lay, some will be stipendiary, some will be non-stipendiary or self-supporting, some may be recent retirees, some may be children or young people – but they will be raised up from the local communities in which they are serving.”
Bishop Martyn also touched on Allen’s critical observations on how Western mission agencies dictated how money could be used in local contexts served to disempower local churches and disincentivise them from being generous. Wanting us not to fall into that same trap, being dependent on large grants from the national church, Bishop Martyn reminded those present that Minster Communities will need to support the costs of their own ministry, and that this is, at the same time, “the only way we can address our financial deficit while also continuing with a bold and audacious plan to work with God in growing the church”, and an important means of incentivising generosity and empowering local people.
Finally, Bishop Martyn drew particular attention to the importance of our intergenerational communities priority. “This is such a moment of opportunity”, he observed “23,000 children and young people in our schools – and almost every one of those schools asking us to do more with them to help teach the Christian faith and Christian values. For so long, we’ve acted as if faith development only happens in churches. Now is the moment to recognise the crucial link between church, school and household.”
Bishop Martyn’s address was followed by three presentations covering the Three Key Questions and Five Strategic Priorities; our Foundations, People Plan and Financial Plan; and the Diocesan Investment Proposal process, through which we can apply for investment from the national church for areas of our strategy which align with that of the Church of England. Those present were invited to share their feedback on each aspect of the draft strategy and what else might need to be considered.
Diocesan Synod will then discuss and vote on the strategy (which will be made available on our website) when it meets on 3 September.