Category: News

Latest news from the Network and stories from deaneries acrossthe UK

September Deanery Briefing Video and Presenttion Slides now available

With the UK popoulation now comprising more people ove 60 than under the age of 18, for the first time ever; what is the church saying about old age, both positively and negatively?

How can we as Christians serve older people through the provision of good spiritual care, whilst combatting ageism and exclusion, and honouring the contribution of older people in our churches and communities? That was the focus of the September Deanery Briefing.

Click to Catch up or watch the Briefing again!

The video and presentation slide for the September Deanery Briefing - Anna Chaplaincy : Aging Well - how the Church responds to an aging population, is now available here: Deanery Briefing: Anna Chaplaincy: Ageing well: How the Church responds to an ageing population https://www.nationaldeaneries.net/?page_id=10355

September Deanery Briefing Details Released

7:30pm September 17 2025: Anna Chaplaincy: Ageing well: How the Church responds to an ageing population

With the UK population now comprising more people over the age of 60 than under the age of 18, for the first time ever; what is the church saying about old age, both positively and negatively?

Anna Chaplancy Logo

How can we as Christians serve older people through the provision of good spiritual care, whilst combatting ageism and exclusion, and honouring the contribution of older people in our churches and communities?

More Details on the briefing here: Deanery Briefing: Anna Chaplaincy: Ageing well: How the Church responds to an ageing population

Book Here: Deanery Briefing: Anna Chaplaincy: Ageing Well

June Deanery Briefing: Pioneering Parishes – Extending the Church’s Reach into Communities

Booking Now Open

Shifting energy from the church into your communities

With Revd Greg Bakker
Co-founder of Pioneering Parishes

7:30pm Wednesday
18 June 2025

The growth of the Pioneering Parish programme underscores the significance of social responsibility within faith.

In this Deanery Briefing the co-founder of Pioneering Parishes, Rev Greg Bakker, will introduce the organisation and outline why churches across the country are finding new energy, joy and abundance.

More Details: Deanery Briefing: Pioneering Parishes: Extending the Church’s Reach into Communities

May Deanery Briefing : Social Media for the Deanery in an age of Trump and Musk

Booking now open

Help or Hinderance ….. Blessing or curse – is there a place for Social Media in the Mission Action Plan

7:30pm Wednesday 28 May 2025
Social media has revolutionized the way we connect, offering platforms that transcend geographic and cultural boundaries.

It enhances communication by enabling instant access to friends, family, and professional and social networks worldwide.

So is it an essential tool in the Mission and Ministry kit bag?

This Briefing will delve into the manifold benefits of social media, such as fostering global connectivity juxtaposed with its drawbacks, including privacy risks and mental health concerns.

More about the Briefing

Book Here for the Briefing

March Deanery Briefing: Circuits & Deaneries – The Dream Team

Communion

Booking Now Open

Working collaboratively and combining resources creates a powerful Christian presence in the community.

The Church of England and the Methodist Church have just celebrated the 21st Anniversary of “An Anglican Methodist Covenant”.   We have a lot in common, but sometimes find it difficult to work together.  When we do, it can be amazing, but our differences can keep us apart.

In this Deanery Briefing we will hear from a Circuit Superintendent and a Deanery Lay Chair who will tell us how these bodies work. It will give us the opportunity to learn from each other and think about ways to harness the energy of the Circuit/Deanery partnership.

The Briefing willbe led by Steven Cooper and Tim Norwood – the respective Methodist and Church of England National Ecumenical Officers.

There will be opportunities for questions and discussion.  It promises to be an interesting, informative and creative session!

This meeting is open to anyone involved in both Deaneries and Circuits.  We hope that Methodists and Anglicans will learn from each other in this very ecumenical event.

More Details

Book Here

January Deanery Briefing: Singleness in the UK Church

Booking Now Available

40% of adults are single

40% of UK adults are single …. And it is increasing in every age group ….

40% of UK adults are single - that’s those who have never married, along with the divorced, separated and widowed and who are not cohabiting - but research shows they don’t always feel welcome in church.
          • Are singles under-represented in your church?
          • Does your church embrace singles?

At a time where singleness is increasing in every age group, single people are disproportionately missing from our churches. Research from 3,000 single Christians showed that many feel invisible and isolated in church.

In this Deanery Briefing the Single Friendly Church Network will share how welcoming in single people can grow and enrich your whole church community.

- Why should churches care about becoming Single Friendly?

- What’s stopping single people from feeling fully part of their churches?

- What practical things can churches do to make them feel welcome and valued?

More Details Here

Book Here

November Deanery Briefing: What’s the point of the Deanery?

Whenever there is a whisper or hint that changes for the deanery are a foot, something stirs across the dioceses in the deanery community. There is a surge of objection and protest that leads to a rethink and the Deanery survives.
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NDN Leaflets

25 years on from the Bridge Report (that proposed doing away with the Deanery!) in some areas the Deanery has become the powerhouse driving the Church’s mission and ministry however, in others it has not faired so well.  …. But how and why in some areas the Deanery has flourished and in others that’s not the case?

So …..

  • What’s the point of the Deanery?
  • What is it that causes such an outcry when the Deanery is threatened?
  • What are the characteristics of a good deanery?
The Deanery Today

In this Deanery Briefing we look at what has shaped the Deanery since the Bridge Report, how to use the synodical structure to influence national policy and support the mission and ministry in the deanery locality.

More Details Here

Book Here

October Deanery Briefing: The grief phenomenon …..

How bereavement support is preventing mental ill-health, growing churches and transforming lives.
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Bereaved Couple

Bereavement, when it happens often comes when least expected. When we lose a loved one, our intense emotions trigger a massive stress response with wide-ranging repercussions on our mental, emotional but also physical wellbeing.

Working across deaneries we can respond and provide spiritual, emotional and practical support as part of our Christian care for someone who has been bereaved …. we can make a difference.The Bereavement Journey Card

In this webinar Revd Nicky Grey will explain how bereavement impacts and its relationship to mental ill-health and other societal issues, and why The Bereavement Journey® programme is growing so fast with such extraordinary results.

More details and to book.

News of the National Deaneries Conference

National Deaneries Conference

The bi-annual National Deaneries Conferences have been running for almost 50 years. We know from the feedback that they are highly valued. However, we are also aware that, following the lockdowns, the landscape has changed and finances are tighter.

This means we need to take a fresh look and develop an approach to maintain the National Conference’s high standards with the knowledgeable and expert speakers and enable folk to come together to share experiences, in a way that is affordable.
We are working hard and will be unveiling the plans for 2025 in the very near future.

So watch this space!