Category: News

Latest news from the Network and stories from deaneries acrossthe UK

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!

2024/2025 Deanery Briefings Programme

After a break the National Deaneries Network is back with a new programme of the popular Deanery Briefings.

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The NDN Briefings have become a popular and established series of online briefings, focusing on the key issues of our time, for those with an interest on deaneries.

Looking forward there is once again a varied programme tackling issues based on feedback from the Network.

23 October 2024

The Bereavement Journey – a programme of films and discussion that addresses the range of issues we encounter in bereavement. This Briefing will focus on why and how Deaneries should engage with the programme.
Speaker: Revd Nicky Grey from AtaLoss; providers of the UK's bereavement signposting website.

More details on the Briefing here and to book it's here.

20 November 2024

What’s the point of the Deanery – Where the deanery fits and how it can be effective in the scheme of things.
Speakers: Tug Wilson and Bex Chapman from the NDN

January/February 2025

Supporting and engaging with Mental Health Initiatives – the Deanery’s pivotal role.
Speaker: Rt Revd Jane Steen *

14 May 2025

It’s all about church buildings – from maintenance and funding to exciting alterations and incorporating new uses.
Speakers: TBC from National Church Trust and Churches Conservation Trust *

18 June 2025

Pioneering Parishes - tools for Deaneries to help parishes become more outward looking, engaging with and extending their mission and ministry across the deanery.
Speaker: Revd Greg Bakker *

* Subject to availability of speakers

NDN Situations Vacant

Opportunities with the National Deaneries Network

Due to retirements and job changes the NDN Steering Group are looking for people to join the group.

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We are currently looking to fill these roles:
  • Web content coordinator/writer/contributor
  • Social media manager and content producer
  • NDN subscriber network development and management
  • Event organisation and development
  • Secretary to the group

These are voluntary roles with help with out-of-pocket expenses. Ideally you should have expertise and practical experience of these roles together with a good knowledge and experience of deanery workings and the wider structures of the Church of England.

About the NDN

The NDN is an open network of people interested in and supporting the work of Deaneries.  Although not part of the formal structures of the Church of England the NDN has established it’s self as a key authoritative player working alongside the National Church.

Our members include Lay Chairs, Treasurers, Secretaries, Area/Rural Deans, Archdeacons and the odd Bishop. Currently there are around 1200 active subscribers to the Network, however, our reach is much beyond the subscribers. Our Deanery Briefings have attracted over 2000 delegates.

Membership of the NDN is free and gives access to our library of resources, including videos from previous conferences and briefings.  We are keen to resource Dioceses and the National Church in their work with Deaneries – and give Deaneries a voice on the national stage.

Could you take on one of these roles?

  • Have you a heart for the mission and ministry of the Deanery?
  • Could you make a difference to the influence of the NDN?
  • Could you help continue to embed the NDN in supporting our Deaneries in their mission and ministry?

To find out more about the work of the NDN, the roles, and the time commitment involved call Tug Wilson on 07785 334077 or email him at charity.services@btclick.com to arrange an informal discussion.

September Deanery Briefing: Booking opens

New opportunities to reach the missing younger generations

Growing the faith of our children and young people

With Lucy Moore, Head of the Growing Faith Foundation and Stephen Beamond, Programmes Lead in the Growing Faith Foundation

Ask any member of the church what we should be focusing on in our mission and you would hope to get a response that includes, “We want our children and young people to have faith in Jesus, to grow in that faith and help shape the Church.’

Over the years we have probably researched this aspect of our ministry to the point that what we don’t know is not worth knowing. We have had Children in the Way (1988); All God’s Children (1991) Youth Apart (1996) Growing for Growth (2010) and Rooted in the Church (2016) in addition to the Education Division setting out ten marks of a high performing Diocesan Board of Education. Church members often claim that all the resources are skewed towards the under-16s at the expense of older people.

  • So where are the children and young people?
  • Why do so many parishes not seem to mind that they have few or no younger church members?
  • And how can the church truly become a community for believers of all ages?

In this Deanery Briefing Lucy Moore and Stephen Beamond from the Growing Faith Foundation will outline the work of the Foundation and will suggest practical ways to help the Deanery play its part in supporting and equipping the missional work of the parish with children and young people.

July Deanery Briefing booking opens

Mental Health & wellbeing: resourcing churches, restoring communities

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At a time when mental health and our wellbeing affects so many - whether ordained or lay -  the July Deanery Briefing will throw the spotlight on mental health and wellbeing.

Mental Health and wellbeing concerns

Are you concerned or do you worry about:

  • Rising rates of mental health disorders (especially amongst young people)
  • The lack of mental health support available
  • The Church’s ability to respond?

Chris Cooke and Michèle Hampson,  two priests and former psychiatrists, will present a Christian perspective of mental health and wellbeing and then Ruth Rice and Corin Pilling will inspire you with ways you and your church might respond.

More Details: Mental health & wellbeing: resourcing churches, restoring communities

 

Ruth Rice and Wellbeng Cafes

Ruth Rice

Corin Pilling and Sanctuary Ministries

Corin Pilling