New Deaney Briefing: 7:30
Wednesday 22 September

For many Deaneries and Parishes, the pandemic has meant getting to grips with all things digital and online.

• Just what makes a successful online presence?
• How to add a digital presence to enhance our mission and ministry?
• How do we make use of the available resources and maintain the momentum?

That’s something the Church of England Digital Team have become quite good at. Last year alone one of the prime sites – A Church Near You – received 77 million page views, and the Christmas campaign was one of the most successful co-ordinated digial and print campaigns.

In this Deanery Briefing Rachel Roberts, Senior Digital Communications Manager and Liz Morgan, Church Digital Champion will look at some of the achievements from last year and introduce the 2021 Christmas Campaign and show how deaneries and parishes can make the most of the digital resources this Christmas and how the national team can support your local digital output through the Digital Labs sessions.

New Deaney Briefing: 7:30
Wednesday 21 July

In the last 5 years, the number of churches and parishes with 25 or more under 16s has decreased by 28% and the overall attendance of under 16s has decreased by 20%.

Generation Z (those 18 and under) are the first ever generation in England to be non-churched rather than unchurched.

They do not have the same cultural understanding and baggage in relation to church and what it means to be a Christian.

While this offers a huge missional opportunity, this same generation is exploring faith in new ways within a post Christian culture. We need more innovative and imaginative ways to reach young people.#

In this Deanery Briefing Jimmy Dale delve into how do we engage with todays young people and what works and what doesn't work?

Whether ordained or lay at some time or other it is likely that we will encounter someone who has recently been bereaved. But how prepared and equipped are we to support and minister to them at a time when someone needs it most.

It is at times of bereavement that support is needed and the church has a vital role in providing that support and ministry.

In this Deanery Briefing Yvonne Tulloch will explore the problems of bereavement support, and opportunities and ideas for the Church to provide spiritual, emotional and practical support.

Currently there are around 8000 stipendiary clergy - that is less than 40% of all ordained ministers. In addition, a third of those who are ordained are in non-stipendiary or self-supporting roles and a similar number of clergy, whose average age is 75, have permission or are licenced to officiate.

As we emerge from the pandemic, we will rely even more on an army of over 100,000 lay people involved in supporting our clergy in publicly recognised ministry and roles, as well as the tens of thousands more who are active in serving their communities.

• How do we build on this solid foundation?
• How do we inspire, recognise and support the ministries of this much needed growing body of Lay Ministers?
• What is our vision for Lay Ministry?

Carrie Myers, the Lay Ministries Officer for the Church of England will lead this Deanery Briefing to explore how we in Deanery Leadership and similar roles can take a lead in developing and influencing this vision, enabling lay ministries to abound and flourish.