Together we are Listening

Together We Are Listening’ is a time to pray, to reflect, and to listen together to God and one another, as we begin to refresh our diocesan vision and strategy.

Bishop Joanne says "Since arriving in Suffolk, I’ve been struck by how deeply the Growing in God vision is embedded across our Diocese. As your Bishop, I have a valuable opportunity to pause, to listen afresh to you, and to hear with you what God is saying, and to be attentive to what is happening in the life of our communities. I warmly invite you to take part and to respond to some key questions so that we can better understand where we are as a Church now - our gifts, our resources, our challenges, and the opportunities ahead.”

This refreshed strategy will be rooted in Growing in God whilst recognising that some things may have changed and new opportunities may have emerged.

Together We Are Listening is an invitation to everyone in the diocese to engage in a rhythm of prayer throughout the process of listening and discernment that will shape our future strategy. To take part please follow the links and have a look at our resources:

Surveys

A massive thank you! Our four surveys have closed and over the last six weeks we have received 892 survey responses:

Congregation public survey 591
Clergy survey 89
PCC survey 101
Ministers survey 111

We have begun the exciting next stage of the process by reviewing the data and identifying the key themes emerging from your feedback.

Four discussion groups have already met to explore these themes in more detail, leading to some really insightful and engaging conversations.

On Monday 1 September, Bishop Joanne met with the diocesan team to begin a period of discernment and reflection that will help shape our strategic priorities in the coming months. This marks the start of a wider conversation, and we look forward to sharing progress with you over the coming months, starting with a presentation at Synod in October.

These insights will shape the next stage of refreshing our diocesan vision and strategy as we discern what God is calling us to prioritise.