CAPTION:
The Parish Church is Good News Says New Mission Community Development Minister
The Rev’d Greg Bakker has been appointed as the Diocese of Exeter’s first Mission Community Development Minister.
The grant-funded role is a key part of the diocese’s Pray Grow Serve 2035 ten-year plan to help churches in Devon flourish and grow and make new disciples.
Greg, who will be one of three Mission Community Development Ministers, will be working across Totnes Archdeaconry covering South and Mid Devon.
His role is to support mission communities (groups of churches) in their planning for mission and ministry—helping them develop their potential for making new disciples; launching new worshipping communities; encouraging faith among children, young people and families; and generally sharing the love of Christ in their communities in a variety of ways.
Greg is the co-author of the new Into All the Parish book
Greg said “I believe in the vital role of the parish church in being good news for local communities. My longing is for people in every place to have access to Christian communities of diverse shapes and sizes, where there an openness, and generosity nurtures credible and safe spaces for the exploration and discovery of faith in Jesus.
“My role, which is funded by the Church of England nationally, is to support mission communities in Totnes Archdeaconry through points of transition, reflection, and renewal.
“This is a natural vocational step for me. For the past four years I’ve been involved in delivering practical training and coaching for curates, new incumbents, and lay leaders in eight dioceses around the country.
“I liken this role to the work of an electrician, who rewires a beloved home. I was once talking to an electrician who was rewiring a church building. She explained that electrical rewiring was more than making energy safe. It was about developing a framework which allows for new possibilities.
Greg believes parish churches have an important role to play in God’s mission
“I see what I do as helping congregations to rewire the way they perceive and approach what they do while simultaneously strengthening what is loved and appreciated.”
Greg, who is originally from the United States, has been a church minister in four Church of England dioceses, as well as working as a theological teacher in East Africa. More recently as a team vicar and an incumbent, he led the development of pioneering approaches to ministry in parishes, later working as a mission priest and Dean of Pioneer Ministry in Portsmouth diocese before moving to the Church Mission Society as co-leader of its Pioneering Parishes programme.
He has delivered ministerial training in a number of dioceses together with missional accompaniment for churches and clergy. He co-authored the recently published book, Into all the Parish: Pioneering Practices for Every Local Church.
The Archdeacon of Totnes, the Ven. Douglas Dettmer, said “As Mission Community Development Minister, Greg will support parishes across all five deaneries in Totnes Archdeaconry over the six years of his appointment, working in the first instance with mission communities in times of transition and change. We are exceptionally blessed we are in this archdeaconry to have a priest of Greg’s experience and calibre ready to offer such timely, relevant support to our parishes and mission communities in an area of our work which lies at the heart of the PGS2035 programme.”
Greg said that he was looking forward to hearing from mission communities keen to work with him.
“I believe that local church congregations have a significant role in God’s mission. I am persuaded that when congregations of all shapes and sizes have a shared sense of aspiration and begin to make decisions based on those aspirations, grace upon grace is unlocked in ways that renews faith and enriches the quality of life within our communities,” he said.
You can read more about the Pray Grow Serve 2035 ten-year plan here.
