An online forum is being launched today (March 21) for people to discuss radical changes taking place in their churches.
People are being invited to post comments, ideas or questions about the changes which are happening in churches across the country as part of the Church in Wales’ strategy for growth.
Called 2020 Vision, the strategy follows a wide-scale review of the Church in Wales which was commissioned to see how the Church could best serve Wales by the time it celebrates its centenary in 2020. At its core are the creation of “Ministry Areas” led by teams of clergy and lay people, replacing the traditional pattern of smaller parishes led by one cleric.
The discussion forum will be hosted on the Church in Wales website and aims to provide a platform for people to share ideas, inspire each other, find help and advice, and raise questions or issues. The forum will be moderated so that discussions can be fielded to experts for advice and help.
The Bishop of Bangor, Andy John, who is on the 2020 Vision strategy group, said the online forum was a chance for people to engage directly with each other, as well as have their say about the changes taking place.
He said, “This is a very exciting time for the Church in Wales as we approach our centenary and we want everyone to be part of it. We have taken a serious look at how we can improve our ministry and make the most of the rich resources we have and, as a result, quite radical changes are now underway which will affect most of our churches in time.
“We hope this new discussion forum will be an easy way for people to share ideas with each other, raise issues and voice their concerns and hopefully then be inspired, informed, reassured and feel part of the process.”
People can log onto the 2020 Vision discussion forum at http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/review/2020-discussion-forum/
