The Diocese of Carlisle has been awarded £6.8 million to create almost 90 new Christian communities in the county over the next five years.
It has been awarded the funding by the Church of England in a bid to help Cumbrian churches grow missional, younger and more diverse faith communities.
There will be a particular focus on helping local established churches plant new Christian congregations in Barrow, Carlisle and in rural Derwent Deanery and there will be investment to help train over 200 new leaders.
Collaborative working and extra support will also be offered to young Christians – from babies to 25-year-olds – to help them spiritually flourish, grow in faith and become adult disciples.
It follows a successful bid made to the national church’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board which distributes and monitors funds made available by the Church Commissioners and the Archbishops’ Council to help churches reach more people.
Acting Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev Rob Saner-Haigh, said: “I am delighted that our bid has been successful, and I want to thank the board for its very generous support for our mission and ministry here in Cumbria.
“This award will fund frontline ministry, particularly in Barrow, Carlisle and Derwent Deanery, adding to the fantastic, faithful work which our local churches, clergy and other ministers do each and every day across the county.
“I also want to thank our brilliant colleagues across the diocese who have worked so hard and skilfully over a long period of time to make this bid a success.”
The multi-million-pound award will further support the county’s vision and strategy, helping the growth and flourishing of 34 mission communities – local groups of mutually supportive and collaborative churches with mission at their heart.
A three-year pilot will support parish growth and leadership development in three designated deeply rural mission communities with further dedicated assistance also being offered to all mission community leaders to help support them in leading the collaborative planning and delivery of mission, sharing the love of God and bringing new people to faith through new and traditional ways.
Rachel Head, Diocesan director of mission and ministry, support and innovation, led the work with Kerry Roughton, head of programme management, to submit the bid.
Rachel said: “We have spent nearly two years developing and honing our vision for this bid – The Cumbria Way – and for many months colleagues have worked intensively with local leaders and churches across the county to develop the detail of our locally owned plans for mission and growth. Excitingly, it’s now time to put these plans into action.
“It is our intention to share both what goes well and what we learn along the way, as together we strive to reach new people in a breadth of different ways.”
