Church of Ireland sets sights on 21st century vision

Twenty-five parishes in various dioceses are all seeking to build up local church communities in ways relevant to the 21st century as part of the Church 21 programme.

From 11 to 13 September 2009, Church 21 is running a conference at St Patrick’s College, Dublin, on the theme of ‘Vision: What It Is, How To Get It, Share It And Implement It’. The keynote speaker will be the Rev Ian Coffey, Director of Leadership Training at Moorlands College in Dorset.

Mr Coffey, a previously well received contributor to Church 21 events, says that he will ask churches to consider "where they are on their church life-cycle", challenge any “survival mentality” and offer advice on managing change, setting priorities, anticipating hurdles and "inspiring others to see a vision for churches through to completion".

The conference will also include a series of workshops for participants, looking at themes such as: ‘A Church for All Ages?’, ‘Doing Church Differently’, ‘Growing Closer: Growing Deeper’ and ‘Strategic Outreach’.

This is the second such Church 21 conference, the first having received support from participants for its dynamism, educational value and opportunity to share ideas and offer support across Church of Ireland parish communities.