Diocesan Mission Action Plan
Missional planning is at the heart of who we are as a diocese. It’s an ongoing, dynamic process that we undertake together as a diocese and in our local parish and mission contexts. It is a collaborative journey, rooted in the belief that discerning God’s will is a shared endeavor. Together, we seek not only to discern what God is calling us to do but also who we are becoming as a diocese as we follow God’s lead into the future.
Our MAP journey began in 2019 when we initiated the first diocesan Mission Action Plan (MAP) process, resulting in a plan that guided our ministry initiatives for almost five years. In 2024, we launched MAP 2.0, building on this foundation to boldly reimagine how we can deepen faith, join God’s mission, and care for God’s world.
75% of parishes across the Diocese of Niagara have completed at least one mission action planning process. Many parishes are now undertaking MAP 2.0 using the facilitator’s guide that was released in June 2024.
Our diocesan MAP is rooted in the following three priorities:
- Christ-Centered: Our top priority is to keep our eyes firmly fixed on Christ. By maintaining our focus on Jesus and his irresistible love for us, we can be confident that we are following God's path and fulfilling God’s mission. This Christ-centered approach will guide us in all we do, helping us to bring hope, healing, and transformation to our communities.
- Hope-Filled: We are committed to making the diocese a place where hope is embodied, cultivated, and shared. In these challenging times, marked by disillusionment and hopelessness, our MAP reflects our deep commitment to being a place where the hope we have in Christ and the inbreaking of God’s kingdom are woven into the fabric of our identity.
- Missionally-Focused: Our future as a diocese relies on both strengthening existing parishes and developing new, contextual missions and missional initiatives that emerge from the gifts, needs, dreams, and desires of the wider community. Our MAP focuses on supporting our current parishes to be missionally engaged with their neighbours while also building new contextual missions that partner with and serve those who have left church or have never belonged to a church.
If you have any questions about the diocesan Mission Action Plan or would like support in leading a MAP process in your parish or mission, please contact our Parish Development Missioner, Dr. Emily Hill.
Parish Mission Action Plan resources can be found here.
Mission Action Plan Prayer
Beloved God, we are your people
called to walk a renewed path with Jesus.
Be with us, your whole church,
as we seek to rekindle and enliven our faith.
Keep us firm in our commitment
to reshape our culture and structures for mission
and invigorate our social justice engagement,
most especially the nurture and protection of your creation.
Let the whole world see us living
and lifting up the fullness of your love.
Make new those things that have grown old;
and bring wholeness to that which cries out for restoration.
All this we ask through the Spirit of the Living God
and in the name of the Christ who came among us,
is among us and will come among us.
Amen.