The Partnership for Missional Church Steering Team had their first PMC cluster meeting on July 11th., 2015

this was led by

Bishop Andrew, the Bishop of Reading.

Update November 2016 

Following the first year of PMC when we have been dwelling in the word from Luke ch10, listening to our congregation through questionnaires, timelines, the discernment day in June and recently the away day at Boyne Hill Cricket Club we have arrived at the following Missional adaptive challenge (MAC) - referred to below as "Theme"

‘All Saints church recognises the need to develop/change/grow our heart and relationship with young families to welcome and nurture them. We seek to discover what is needed for Spirit-filled encounters with God, as we share the journey together to enrich all our lives at All Saints Church.’

 Please do read "Phase Two :- Experimenting" which is detailed below and which outlines the PMC process as we move into year 2.

The Steering Team have also produced a PMC informational board in the back of the Church with more details.

The team thanks everyone who came to the morning extended PCC meeting on Saturday Oct 10th 2015 where the PMC journey of All Saints was presented and discussed and led to the developments during the year and helped to set the plans for year two.

The PMC/PCC/Congregational "Away Day" at Boyne Hill Cricket Club on Saturday 1st. October (9:30am to 4:30pm) was an important day where we were assisted by Church Innovations to help us to decide on one theme/concept which we, collectively, believe God is leading us to at All Saints.

Now that the theme has been agreed this will be taken forward, led by the All Saints Missional Innovation Team, into year two of our PMC journey. The theme can be seen at the top of this page - this will be refined and progess will be regularly communicated to All Saints Congregation.

Year two will focus upon experimenting with the Theme which has come from feedback, involvement, questionnaires and from the stated desires of our congregation.

Many thanks to everyone who was are able to join us for this day which followed on from the congregational discovery/spiritual discernment event on Saturday morning on the 25th June, in the Parish Centre - the PMC Flyer (which can be found here) gives a summary of the process, with full details being found on the Congregational Discovery page, which can be found here.

Visit the PMC website for information covering an overview of the process  here - or see the short summary below (courtesy of Church Innovations):-

Partnership for Missional Church is a three year journey (with an optional fourth year) that engages denominational systems and congregations in practices that help them discern what God is up to in their place, what we refer to as God’s preferred and promised future. We work with judicatory staff (Executive Presbyters, Bishops, District Superintendents), pastors and many levels of lay leadership to guide and assess the process. The partners we develop at all levels enter into a journey that begins with conversations that will ultimately bring together clusters of 6-12 congregations in a three year journey, with a possibility of a 4th year of learning and reinforcing the change. The PMC cluster meets for three times per year for three years, called Phases.

Phase One: Discovery

Congregations meet together to use tools, learn processes and share what they are learning about themselves and the ways they act as a community. The primary tools, developed by Church Innovations, include Church FutureFinder and the Congregational Discovery process. The congregations are lead to learn about themselves and their community context. They are called to discern how they function, how they might look to the surrounding community and how they might want to respond to all that they have learned with a new understanding of what God has in mind.

Phase Two: Experimenting

The discoveries of the first year’s work are translated into experiments. Missional Innovation Teams (MIT) take on the task of identifying and addressing the needs, challenges and desires identified in the Discovery Phase. They then experiment with how they might shape and change how the congregation responds to the preferred and promised future God has in mind for them. The teams are invited to use their imagination, try new things, and enjoy both successes and failures. These are short term experiments that allow for learning and responsiveness. Sometimes the chosen experiments create a whole new energy; sometimes they help the congregations discern a way to refine their dreams. It is an exciting time, a time of tension, as systems adjust to change. It is always a time of fruitful learning/action engagement.

Phase Three: Visioning for Embodiment

Having learned much in the first two years, Phase Three turns to the development of four documents that will help shape and guide the congregation into its future. The congregation will carefully take up the planning and implementation through developing their own:

• Statement for Missional Vocation.
• Vision for Embodiment
• Strategic Plan
• Smart Plans of Action

Phase Four: Learning and Growing (Optional)

All through the three year process pastors have been involved in developing spiritual disciplines and recognize ways to grow leadership within their congregations. Many congregations realize at the end of Phase Three that they were just at the beginning of significant and long lasting change. There are many ways for them to move forward and continue the journey of learning, experimenting, planning and effectively executing their plans. Some clusters elect to continue using Church Innovation services for a fourth year of learning and growing and reinforcing the changes and the new practices of spiritual discernment.