During the last ten years, the Scottish Episcopal Church has made a major effort to develop the life of our congregations through Mission 21.  The majority of our churches have undertaken a MYCMI [Making your Church more inviting] programme - looking at how we can become attractive and welcoming congregations.

In the Diocesan Review, we have a Working Group on Congregational Life led by Rev Dom Ind.  The group is attempting to develop a curriculum or programme for congregational life around which we can shape their life.  We expect that this will involve a pattern of regular strategic planning in the life of each congregation.

The Working Group on Congregational Life is one of four Clergy/Lay Working Groups which are working on Action Plans for delivery at the end of 2007.  The other Working Groups are:

Charges and Groupings and Deployment of Clergy

Children and Young People

Clergy/Lay Relationships in Ministry

We have also run a Sources of Growth Workshop which involved 75 people and attempted to identify groups of people and places where we might look for growth for our congregations.  We used the Workshop to share current good practice among our congregations which have already been taking growth-orientated initiatives.  The results of the Workshop are to be used as a resource by each of the Working Groups.