1. Mission Action Planning
NB – This presentation is for use in local churches, with church councils, leadership teams etc. It outlines what MAP is and how it is meant to be used.

2. Mission
Action
Planning

3. Mission “You are the light of the world.”
For clarity and to avoid confusion, we need to be clear what we mean by the word ‘Mission’ in this context.
This is because it is a words that is used by Christians in a variety of ways.
Some use the word to mean ‘evangelism’ or ‘sending people abroad’ or ‘work with people beyond church’. It contains an idea that it is about spreading the gospel so that more people will come to faith and churches will grow. That is one use of the word ‘mission’.
In the context of MAP, we include all the above, but also everything the church does as a response to God’s calling.
The Latin root of the word, ‘Missio’ means ‘being sent’. So the scope of MAP is everything we are sent to do.
This makes MAP a very significant thing for a church as it touches upon how mission affects the whole of church life and activity.
[Click]
It is helpful to think of mission as a spectrum of activity.
“You are the light
of the world.”

4. 5 Marks of mission Proclaim the good news Teach, welcome and baptise
Serve the needy in love
Build a just society
Care for the created order
One attempt at summarising the breadth come our of the work of the Anglican Consultative Council which in 1984 produced ‘5 Marks of Mission’.
Here it is paraphrased.
(Bonds of Affection-1984 ACC-6 p49, Mission in a Broken World-1990 ACC-8 p101) - See more at:
Enough then on what we mean about mission in this context.

5. MAP – what is it? Process of development 3 year-cycle 4 phases
So what is MAP? – Its main features
It is a process aimed at shaping the future development of church in mission….
... around a 3 year cycle which can be repeated.
It has 4 distinct elements or phases

6. If we set out to get somewhere we need to have some idea of the route
If we set out to get somewhere we need to have some idea of the route. A map or a plan of some kind would be helpful,

7. whether that’s on paper or using the latest gadget.

8. The same is true if we are making something, baking, writing, building, gardening. Its not all that different if we are a church beginning to think about our future. Doing any of these things, we may ask ourselves:
OK, where are we starting from?
What would we like to have achieved when we’ve finished?
Can we shape up a plan to help us?

9. Mission Action Planning
Even churches need a MAP. Many churches have used a process called mission action planning and have found this has helped them to be clear about these questions and then move forward in their local mission.
We think of mission action planning, or ‘MAP’ as a cycle of development.
Mission Action Planning

10. The MAP cycle Act Review Plan Choose
Here is the MAP cycle. It has 4 phases.
[Click through the 4 phases]
Churches who have used MAP have found that a three year cycle works well.
Slow enough to spend enough time reviewing, discerning and learning, but with time left to get things done.
Quick enough to be encouraged by the results we might see and begin a new cycle with enthusiasm.
The MAP cycle

11. MAP can be deeply spiritual
Before we look at these 4 stages in more detail, we should say that everything about mission action planning needs to be and exploration with God.
Mission action planning can be a deeply spiritual, prayerful and practical experience for a church.
MAP can be deeply spiritual

12. Mission Action Planning
Review
First, Review.
This is a period of time we set aside reflect upon and pray about our current situation – The kinds of question we may ask ourselves as the cycle begins are;
Where are we now?
What is our story?
What are we like?
Mission Action Planning

13. Where are we now?
The first question “where are we now?” helps us to create snapshots of our church and local community.

14. Where are we now? Church For our church we may ask:
how many people do we connect with and in what ways?
What are we good at and where are we weaker?
How are our finances, our buildings and most importantly how are our people?

15. Where are we now? Community
For the local community we want to think about the people who live near to church and their lives and experiences. Also about the agencies, charities, businesses, churches, schools and what each of these do in our community.

16. What is our story?
Asking the second question: “what is our story?” takes us back into our history. We explore what experiences have shaped our church and community. These may explain a little what is happening for us at the moment – our story today.

17. What are we like?
Then thirdly by asking ourselves the question ‘what are we like’ we will think very hard about our values, our local culture and the culture of our church. Our church tradition will be very significant here.

18. There are many ways to review and make an honest assessment of our situation and this can be very revealing! We are not planning anything yet – we are reflecting, praying, talking, consulting, counting, researching, sharing and even repenting as we begin this cycle of mission action planning.

19. Mission Action Planning
Review
Choose
Next at the second stage in the cycle we choose – that means we form ‘vision’ and decide our main goals.
Mission Action Planning

20. Form a Vision
If review is taking a snapshot of church and community now, then to form vision is to imagine a picture of the future. What could our church and our community look like in 10 or 20 years? Where are we heading? Vision is about dreaming but its more than wishful thinking. This vision could inspire, energise and motivate people. Vision needs to be clearly understood and accepted widely. Members of the whole church, all ages and kinds and members of the wider community will be encouraged to contribute to the vision.
Mission action planning is vision-centred. We pray that God gives us vision and we look to God for such a picture of the future.

21. Agree Priorities Agree Priorities
Then we ask: Of all the things we could do to move us forward and toward that picture of the future,
what key things will help us the most.
We are not thinking yet about the details, but painting with broad-brushstrokes.
The diocese of Manchester is working under three priorities. Remember them?
Growing congregations
Increased giving
Serving communities
But what do these mean for us locally?
What do they say that we should be doing?
Would we have other priorities?

22. Set Goals
Set goals
When we set goals, we become more specific and generate a list of things we will aim to have achieved by the end of these 3 years.
They might be ‘SMART’ goals having these elements on screen.

23. Mission Action Planning
Review
Plan
Choose
And now we get down to business - planning.
This is the very practical stage when looking forward to our picture of the future, we then set down plans that will help us to develop our mission. Naturally, this will be different in every context and is a detailed agreement about what actions will be taken by whom, when and the resources that will be needed.
Mission Action Planning

24. To Do How? So How are we gong to go about reaching those goals?
Now we say – “we will reach that goals WHEN …” and then think what will need to have happened for us to be successful?
So we continue to break down this amazing, inspiring vision, now into bite-size chunks.

25. To Do Actions “and Action” And this time, its personal!
One church created a long list of tasks from the vicar’s role description and turned it into a list of possible mission activity for the church!
They then cut it up into about 50 strips of paper.
Then, as a PCC, they looked at each item and put them into 3 piles.
We already do this well
This is not a priority for us
This is something we could work on
They turned this third pile into a list of tasks, found people to take responsibility for doing them and set deadlines.
A large chart was created and put up at the back of church so everybody knew what everybody was doing!

26. Communicate
To Do
As ever, projects can succeed and fail on how well everything is communicated.
Of course it will help if the whole church has been involved in this process from the start.

27. Mission Action Planning
Review
Plan
Choose
Then finally, action!
When everybody has agreed what they’re going to attempt and everybody is clear who will be doing what, then we get to work!
We get busy with the plans we have made and the tasks that have emerged from our prayers and discussion.
Mission Action Planning

28. Act

29. Check
It is a good idea if we can form a small team of people who can guide the MAP process and check on progress – a small MAP guiding team we might call it. They can spot and hopefully deal with any hiccups and snags, checking and reporting on progress along the way.

30. Party! “We should have fewer committees and more parties!”
Bp Graham Dow
A helpful thing for us to do towards the end of the cycle is acknowledge our successes and difficulties. So why not hold a celebration of what God has been doing in church and community.
Did I say celebration? – an almighty party will go down very well indeed!
It will help us to “spur one another on towards love and good deeds” and help us prepare the church to begin a second MAP cycle.

31. Mission action planning will be good for your church.
The wheels turn and the bike moves forward. MAP works in the same way.
Not only will it create a plan to move the church forward, it will encourage people that change can be for the better.
Moving makes us healthier.
MAP can even change the culture of church and bring hope where it is lacking.

32. MAP book by Mike Chew and Mark Ireland

33. Mission
Action
Planning
[ENDS HERE]

34. ?
Additional slides

35. ?

36. ?

37. ?