Vision 2012

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The Fall Convention of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe held on 18-21 October unanimously accepted the following document. You can find the original in PDF here .

Vision 2012 for the
Convocation of the Episcopal Church Europe

Our Statement of Mission: The Episcopal Church Europe is a welcoming community that knows God loves all people – no exceptions. We celebrate our diversity of languages, cultures and nations. We rejoice in reaching out to the world and becoming One in Christ.

Our life in the Anglican/Episcopal way of following Jesus has a cycle with four recurring phases —a cycle that we are called to continuously renew, as Christians and in the life of our church. Our Vision for the next five years is to focus on each one and all four together, so as to become more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, and a stronger, more effective community of faith that proclaims his Good News.

I. COMMUNITY AND IDENTITY

Who I am/ who we are: called to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

Each of us has an ongoing and changing relationship with Jesus Christ, “by grace through faith,” unique for every person. At the same time, we share the one Faith and live that Faith in community. We are individually a facet of the image of Christ, together we make up his image. (Ephesians 2: 4-10, 19-22)

Three concrete visible signs of Who We Are will be:

1.  Fostering greater awareness and understanding of the organic wholeness of the Episcopal Church Europe as Wzour congregations, individually and together, become One in Christ
2.  Increasing empowerment of the laity
3.  Planting new mission congregations based on a strategic plan and nurturing existing ones

II. LIFELONG FORMATION, LIFELONG TRANSFORMATION

All our life is learning to appropriate the transforming event that is Baptism.

We are not only to love God with all our hearts and souls, but also with our minds (cf. Matt. 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-28). Formation makes for transformation — growing in love for God, others and self through prayer, study and action.

Three concrete visible signs of Lifelong Formation will be:

1.  Every church and mission has a plan for Lifelong Christian Formation, including a designated trainer
2.  More and more people identify with the Episcopal Church Europe as we live out our Baptismal Covenant together
3.  Develop a written explanation of the role of the Book of Common Prayer in our churches, in English, Spanish, Italian, French and German:  How is the Prayer Book central to our life and worship as Anglicans/Episcopalians?

III. BEYOND OUR DOORS: SHARING THE TRANSFORMATION POWER (Outreach)

“The church is the only society on earth that exists to serve those not its members.” (Archbishop William Temple) Therefore, we must go beyond our selves and church walls into our neighborhoods, communities, and “away to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This grows out of God’s endeavor in our lives, recruiting us to serve the divine mission in Creation.

Three concrete visible signs of God’s mission with us will be:

1.  Sharing of ideas, resources and existing programs throughout the Convocation
2.  Going beyond the borders of our cities and nations
3.  Reaching out to other Faith Communities

IV. MANAGING GOD’S ASSETS: PEOPLE AND RESOURCES (Stewardship)

Of all the resources God gives us, the gift of people is the most important. Proclaiming the Faith, being formed in the Faith, reaching out in love; all these require people, planning, tools for mission, and money (cf. Luke 14:28).

Thus stewardship is the business of all the baptized, all year round, and it concerns all of God’s assets.

Three concrete visible signs of stewardship will be:

1.  Gracious giving — “beyond stingy” in sharing our gifts
2.  Learning how to use our people’s time and talents effectively
3.  Growing toward financial independence.

May God, who has called us in Jesus to this work, richly bless us in the doing of it by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

BACKGROUND

Vision 2012 is the Convocation’s third strategic mission initiative since 1999 (Mission 2000), which called for among other things, the election of our Bishop in charge, the formation of EICS, publishing four bilingual prayer books, and growth in youth ministry. The second strategic plan, Mission 2006, worked to develop the structures of the Convocation so that we could become self-governing, in the manner of an Episcopal diocese. Vision 2012 will guide the work of the Convocation during the next five years.

Developing Vision 2012 has been a year-long process, guided by the Holy Spirit, and involving all parishes and congregations of the Convocation. Delegates to the 2011 Convention of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe (October 20-23) launched Vision 2012: Incarnation and Mission in Europe. The Strategic Visioning Committee worked throughout the year to prepare us for the Vision 2012 Consultation at Schloss Fürstenried (June 8-10, 2012). There, 57 deputies from around Europe talked and dreamed together, coming up with 29 possible initiatives. Next, the Council of Advice discerned over the summer, and at its September meeting, Council members crafted: 1) a Statement of Mission, and 2) a framework that puts into focus all the work done during the year of consultation. Now as we gather in Clermont-Ferrand for the 2012 Convention, the Council is facilitating discussions with delegates about each of the identified priorities, so that we can reflect more deeply into what they mean for us and how we will go about achieving them together.

We base our Mission and our Vision on the Five Marks of Mission:

To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
To teach, baptize and nurture new believers
To respond to human need by loving service
To seek to transform unjust structures of society
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

(Anglican Communion; endorsed by The Episcopal Church)

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