Bishop Mark gives Strategy Update at Synod

His focus was on spiritual renewal, tackling challenges, and setting a clearer strategy for the Diocese with three main priorities. He explained that “Growing Disciples” is our main purpose—the heart of what we do.

To support this, we will concentrate on three areas: Growing Leaders, Growing Connections, and Growing Communities. These will help us strengthen our core mission.

Bishop Mark also described three levels of change:

• Local – new ideas led by parishes.

• Translocal – working together across the wider area and networks.

• Diocesan – leadership and support from the central team.

These were defined as:

• Local: Parish-led innovation.

• Translocal: Collaboration within parish and beyond.

• Diocesan: Centralised leadership and support.

Our revised strategic objectives will be clearly defined as

1. Establishing New Christian Communities

   • Defined by being new, Christian, and community-focused.

   • Not limited to church planting—could include chaplaincies, school groups, or creative outreach.

     
     

2. Translocal Partnerships

   • Encourages collaboration across deaneries and regions.

   • Example: Merseyside partnerships that transcend traditional boundaries.

     
     

3. Leadership Development

   • A diocesan-wide initiative to nurture leaders of all ages and backgrounds.

   • Aims to equip laity and ordained leaders for both church and wider society

The three initiatives will be guided by six values or ‘strategic filters’. These are the things we discerned in our vision as being important:

• Younger

• Bolder (in our mission)

• Greener

• Fairer

• Broader (more diverse)

• Safer

  
  

Looking Ahead

Bishop Mark urged the Synod to embrace the strategy not as a top-down directive but as a Spirit-led journey. “God is already doing this among us,” he said. “Let’s turn up—because Christ turns up.”

Quiet Hunger, Not Revival

Amid reports of a quiet revival, Bishop Mark used the phrase a growing “quiet hunger” across the diocese, with up to 80% of churches reporting unexpected newcomers.

“People are coming as if from nowhere,” he said, noting that this movement is less about traditional revival and more about a deep spiritual seeking. Rather than confirmation services being quietly cancelled, eight additional confirmation services were booked in this year—an unprecedented increase.

Encouragement and Loss

He acknowledged the tension between encouragement and grief. While celebrating new appointments—including Diocesan Secretary Jane and incoming Chancellor John Murray—he also mourned the loss of beloved clergy such as Father Mark Turner and Father Michael Burgess.

“We notice those times of painfulness,” he said, “and yet at the same time, extraordinary appointments.”

LLF and the Call for Unity

Addressing the divisive Living in Love and Faith (LLF) debate, Bishop Mark expressed sorrow over leaks from the House of Bishops and clarified that no doctrinal changes have been made. “Good process is kindness,” he said, urging the Synod to engage in honest dialogue rather than reacting to worst-case scenarios. “How can we sit around the kitchen table, inhabiting different realities, and still stay together as family?”

Watch Bishop Mark's speech here: