The Diocese of Edinburgh has engaged in many mission initiatives over the years, the most recent being Mission 21 and Continuing Congregational Development. The impetus for Mission 21 came from the former Bishop and Primus Richard Holloway’s invitation to Alice Mann (from the Alban Institute) to visit Scotland and to help us re-vision our response to Christ’s call to mission. M21 is the ‘umbrella’ term for a wide range of mission programmes and activities, many of which are still in use today: for example Making Your Church More Inviting. (MYCMI)

Growing out of MYCMI is CCD: Continuing Congregational Development. As its name implies CCD seeks to help a congregation put is goals and hopes into practice. It encourages the continual refocusing and reviewing of mission aims and objectives and is entirely unique to each congregation engaging with it – for CCD is a process not a programme. A programme which draws upon a wide range of resources and people skills to enable a congregation to keep a “sharp” edge to its outreach and mission.

CCD has also encouraged some congregations to explore new patterns of ministry, especially in congregations where there is no full-time stipendiary priest. With the additional resources of LCM (Local Collaborative Ministry) these congregations are well supported and challenged to explore not only how they engage in God’s mission but how they share in Christ’s ministry.

Stewardship

Stewardship is also seen as being part of mission. Stewardship is not just a matter of raising more money to keep ‘the show on the road’ it is about how we can best use the gifts we have been given by God in the service of God’s people.

Charis

Charis – a missionary approach to stewardship is a resource that seeks to enable a congregation to see stewardship as integral to its congregational life, mission and ministry.

Charis consists of three separate parts that stand alone or can be used in any combination as discerned to be suitable or useful. There is a Contextual Bible Study section exploring the scriptural call to stewardship; a Daily Prayer section encouraging the individual to pray about their response to God’s call to be generous, and an increased giving campaign for those congregations needing to explore financial generosity. [* There is also a mail shot version of an Increased Giving Campaign called ‘Charis Generosity’ based on the annual stewardship campaign used by the Cathedral].

In exploring the generosity or stewardship of Time and Talents the resources of CCD and LCM are available.

For more information on any mission and/or stewardship or help with questions you might have please contact:

The Diocesan Mission Advisor at mission21@edinburgh.anglican.org.