Our Mission Action Plan

‘Church at the heart of Enfield’

 

In a world of change, the Church must change too. What people want from their church is shifting – and, at St. Andrew’s, we want to engage with the local community – and the wider world – in a way that is useful for them. We want to be a spiritual resource for people as they find their way on the Journey of Life.

This Mission Action Plan (MAP) is the blueprint for what we believe God wants St. Andrew’s to become by 2030.

 

The detail of our MAP is below. But if you want to see what we achieved in 2020 – and what our priorities are for 2021 – then please watch this short video.

Rev Dr Steve presented this at the APCM in October 2020.

A Worshipping Community

The primary focus for any Church is to be a community of worship. As Christians, we believe that each human being was created to worship God.

As we look Towards 2030, we want to do all we can to make our worship accessible, user-friendly, relevant and inclusive, whilst at the same time holding fast to, and celebrating, the historic traditions of the Anglican Church. In order to achieve that, we will have the following priorities:

  • Seek ways to increase the quality of our worship offering
  • Ensure that our worship is inspiring and able to sustain people through their week
  • Prioritize the link between our worship and what is happening in the wider community
  • Encourage the participation of young people in leading worship
  • Broaden our use of the Arts in worship
  • Be proactive in developing worship opportunities that are attractive to men as well as women
  • Develop our range of music in worship, incorporating both the traditional and the modern
  • Develop Fresh Expressions of worship and new congregations
  • Develop midweek opportunities for people to be still and centred before God
A Welcoming Community

Hospitality should be the DNA of any Church because it reflects the very nature of God. He has been hospitable through his act of creation and, most especially, through the salvation that is ours through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Hospitality is what God does. Hospitality is what God is.

When people come to St. Andrew’s, we want them to experience a warm welcome and for them to easily find a home in the church family. To improve our hospitality, we will focus on the following priorities:

  • Develop and train a team of Welcomers for our Sunday services
  • Create a Welcome Area in the church
  • Develop better leaflets and information packs
  • Improve our signage
  • Install WiFi in the church and Parish Centre
  • Improve our refreshments after the Sunday services
  • Train Tour Guides so that visitors can engage with our heritage
  • Provide better opportunities for feedback from visitors and newcomers
A Discipleship Community

Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he said to his followers, ‘Go to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you’ (Matthew 28:19-20).

To disciple people is our mandate from God, and must be at the heart of everything that we want to achieve as a church. In order to strengthen this, we will:

  • Develop a network of Home Groups and Bible Study Groups
  • Run regular Short Courses on aspects of Faith & Life
  • Develop a weekly Prayer Meeting
  • Create opportunities to explore and practise the Spiritual Disciplines e.g. Prayer, Fasting etc.
  • Create a ‘Path of Discipleship’ to facilitate deeper spiritual experience
  • Ensure that sermons are relevant to everyday life
  • Encourage people to see financial giving as part of their spiritual disciplines
  • Encourage volunteering at St. Andrew’s as part of discipleship living
  • Provide good training for people to develop their own ministries
  • Strengthen our Transitions Ministry
  • Review our Baptism Policy to better disciple those coming to this Sacrament
A Caring Community

During his ministry on earth, Jesus devoted himself to caring for others; the vulnerable, the sick, the dying, the hurt, the lonely, and those on the margins of society. We want to emulate that pattern of living as a church family at St. Andrew’s.

We recognize that the needs are very great in our community and that we cannot possibly meet every one of them. However, we will do our best to become a community where everyone feels loved and accepted for who they are, and a community that will try to meet one another’s needs. In order to achieve that, we will:

  • Support parents through Courses and 1-to-1 relationships
  • Encourage inter-generational relationships
  • Train a team of Home Visitors
  • Establish and train a team of Bereavement Visitors
  • Establish and train a team of Baptism-mentors
  • Establish and train a team of ‘listeners’
  • Develop Home Communion Teams
  • Develop drop-in opportunities for the lonely
  • Strengthen our links with North Enfield Foodbank
  • Systematically increase our financial support for other charities
A Located Community

At St. Andrew’s, we are blessed by the buildings we have.

It is a privilege to worship in a historic Grade-II* Listed Building, with so much heritage attached to it. With the Parish Centre, we have a wonderful space to develop mission and ministry opportunities for the local community. The Haven is an integral space for us to develop spirituality and discipleship opportunities. As we look Towards 2030, we must consider the importance of our buildings for our developing strategy as a mission-shaped Church.

We recognize that our buildings need significant repairs – running into the millions of pounds – and that significant time and energy must be put into addressing this over the coming decade. The road ahead is daunting in this regard. However, in order to maximize the buildings that we have for our mission and ministry we will, in faith, prioritize the following:

  • Make good the church in line with our 5-yearly Architects Inspections
  • Make good the Parish Centre in line with our 5-yearly Architects Inspections
  • Create a History Zone in the church to celebrate our heritage
  • Improve disabled access into our buildings
  • Progress a renovation and restoration program for the church
  • Install a new heating system in the church
  • Introduce a new PA and AV System in the church
  • Beautify the church with new hangings and notice boards
  • Replace the lighting in the church
  • Install PA systems in the Parish Centre
  • Create a dance/fitness studio in the Parish Centre
  • Progress a renovation and restoration program for the Parish Centre
  • Beautify the Parish Centre with new hangings and notice boards
  • Re-tarmac the Car Park
An Interactive Community

We live in a media-driven world and, as a church, we must engage creatively if we are to proclaim the Gospel clearly and effectively. Technology develops so quickly, and trends move so fast, that this aspect of mission will be constantly evolving; we will never be able to tick the box and say that we have “done our social media presence”.

Whilst we do not know what new technologies will evolve over the coming decade, we can make some tentative plans at this stage as a commitment to improving our marketing and social media presence:

  • Improve our website navigation for first-time visitors
  • Create an Activity Gallery on our website
  • Utilize more photos on our website
  • Provide better opportunities for feedback through the website
  • Create an online education portal
  • Create a FAQ page on our website
  • Develop our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter presence
  • Introduce Text Giving to St. Andrew’s
  • Maximize usage of our e-zine

Jesus said, ‘I am the vine and you are the branches.

Whoever remains in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit’.”

– John 15:5