Mission strategy is a multi-year program of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts for congregations growing in mission. Some of our mission work is a response to the Millenium Development Goals.

Statement of Mission

As members of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts we believe God in Christ is working everywhere in the world to heal, to reconcile, to love every person and all of creation into wholeness. Through the life, cross and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the power of sin and death has been broken; life and hope is the new reality. It is our mission to join in God’s transforming mission. We will form our children, our young people and our adult members, through prayer, worship and Scripture, to become followers of Christ, that we might discern where God is carrying out this mission in our world. And we will send our people to serve with Christ, inviting everyone and all of creation to share in the just reign of God.

Prayer for Mission

O gracious and loving God, you work everywhere reconciling, loving and healing your people and creation. In your Son and through the power of your Holy Spirit, you invite each of us to join you in your work. We, young and old, lay and ordained, ask you to form us more and more in your image and likeness, through our prayer and worship of you and through the study of your Scripture, that our eyes will be fully opened to your mission in the world. Then, God, into our communities, our nation and the world, send us to serve with Christ, taking risks to give life and hope to all people and all of your creation. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Vision

Inviting: We will bear witness to God’s reconciling love across boundaries of race and class, generation and language.

Forming: We will work, study, pray and give for our lifelong conversion in Christ.

Sending: We will send one another in the power of the Spirit into the ministries of our daily lives.

Serving: We will show forth the just reign of God in advocacy and action.

Implementation Goals

By 2013 we will:

• Plant new worshiping communities.
• Send new assistants to urban congregations.
• Create a program to fund parish capital campaigns, enabling congregations to develop leadership and skills.
• Launch new campus and young adult ministries.
• Engage in mission through parish-based partnerships—local, domestic and global.
• Address issues of social and economic justice through the exercise of corporate and individual advocacy in the public realm, doing this as individuals, congregations and diocese, in partnership with Episcopal City Mission.
• Work as a diocese for AIDS prevention, education and awareness in Africa.
• Provide practical resources and training opportunities for congregations in evangelism, stewardship and congregational development and Christian formation.