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 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.

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

• We will proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ—as individuals, as congregations, as local communities of faith and as a diocese—to those who are far off and to those who are near.
• We will share our witness with boldness as to Christ, humility as to ourselves and respect as to others.
• We will be delivered from our cultural captivity and transformed into the new people of God.
• We will risk leaving behind what is comfortable and known so that we might be transformed by encountering Christ in the other, and extend to all God’s invitation to “come and see.”

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

• We will share our journeys of faith with one another in small groups and other venues.
• As individuals, as congregations and as a diocese we will exercise wise stewardship marked by a generous sharing of our human and material resources.
• We will renew a spirit of joyous creativity in our common worship.
• We will especially embrace our continuing formation in anti-racism, multiculturalism and spiritual development.

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

• We will engage in prayerful discernment and mutual support of one another’s vocation.
• We will call forth and empower gifted leaders to help us meet the challenge of growth in numbers, strength and diversity.
• We will be accountable to one another in the conduct of our ministries as individuals, as congregations and as a diocese.
• We will cross boundaries in a changing Commonwealth and a global community in witness to God’s mission of love and reconciliation.

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

• We will proclaim by word and deed the merciful, compassionate and just reign of God in our global and local communities.
• We will find Christ among the rich and poor, the afflicted, the friend and the stranger, and build coalitions of shared power.
• We will advocate publicly and powerfully as individuals, as congregations and as a diocese—for just peace, the healing of creation and economic development that respects the diversities and seeks the health of global cultures, communities and ecosystems.
• We will be formed by service into the likeness of Christ.

Mission Goals

Lay and clergy members of our diocese have resolved to embrace these goals “in a spirit of love” as individuals, as parishes and as a diocese.

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. (Visit www.missiongoal.org for resources to assist churches in their response to the mission partnerships goal.)
• 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.

How do we begin?

How do we begin to join God in God’s work of reconciling love?

To encourage and support every congregation growing in mission, every congregation growing in the power of the Spirit, we begin with deep evangelism and stewardship for parishes of all kinds.

For these first years, we will be stressing stewardship and evangelism and will be providing training and formation opportunities for congregational leaders in these areas. To support every congregation growing in mission, we will also be sharing with you a vehicle to help identify and engage resources for healthy and vital congregations.

Our mission strategy for the next 10 years is about faithful living in Christian community. It is about responding in gratitude because we have been given the gift of Jesus Christ.

If we are faithful to our vision and goals, by 2013 we imagine that we will see:

• 50 percent growth in Sunday attendance in the Diocese as others are drawn to know the life-saving reality of Jesus Christ
• 15 percent growth in stewardship each year in every parish with 85 percent of parishioners participating

We trust the Holy Spirit will guide us as we respond in faith and gratitude. Let us join God’s mission to reconcile the world in love.

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