Dean

Our Details

Revd Jan Brookshaw revjanbrookshaw@btinternet.com

Date Adopted by PCC: 14 03 2012
Date presented to APCM:
Date sent to Bishop: 15 03 2012
Date review date: 16 09 2012

Parish: Dean
Benefice: Stodden Churches, The
Deanery: Sharnbrook
Archdeaconry: Bedford

Our Looking

Three things we have seen about our parish and our world

1. A number of families with children, but insufficient to form a core group - sports etc. mean no teenagers attend church services
2. A lack of understanding of the church's finance despite much communication.
3. A very small civic population of about 1200 people, 6 Churches (Stodden) that are Grade 1 Listed, no facilities. 5 halls.

Three things we have seen about our church

1. An increasing reluctance to attend worship outside the village of residence or join in fundraising socials.
2. A good level of planned givers (45 = 4% civic population), but only raising 70% parish share.
3. We attract worshippers from the nearby towns.

Our Discerning

How we want to be described in five years’ time.

Stodden Churches: A Christian community that looks like an image of faith rather than a church building. We will be seen as a welcoming community, encompassing all ages with an active lay leadership working with their priest/spiritual leader to provide both traditional and new forms of worship and church-goers who are involved in their community setting examples of Christian love in action.

Our three key priorities for the next five years.

1. Improve our public worship so that it is more attractive to more people.
2. Consult with all PCCs about the structure of Stodden on Jan's retirement and flagging the financial challenges.
3. Plan for benefice ministry after Jan retires.

Our five key SMART goals for the next year or more.

1. Use modern technology and social media to improve communications.
2. By 2012 to increase planned giving both in terms of number of planned givers and total amount pledged.
3. Improve the 10.30am service through more effective Bible reading, intercessions, hymns, with wider lay participation.
4. Improve our worship, offering to families in a more informal setting with introduction of Cafe Sunday.
5. Consult with all PCCs about the structure of Stodden on Jan's retirement and flag the financial challenges.