Notes from the Rural Mission Task Group meeting in November 2026.
We held this meeting to catch up on RML activity and progress the Rural Conference
- Opened with prayer and a round table discussion of Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the poor”.
- I spoke about my plans to visit Deanery Synods to speak about mission in rural contexts, and to make connections with lay and ordained leaders in rural parishes. The next one of these will be Hartlepool Deanery.
- I shared that I have been invited to the North-East Archdeacons’ Conference on Mission in Rural and Ex-Mining Villages. This will be happening next week.
- A reflection on the excellent Clergy Study Day. There was a good emphasis on mission and we felt that +Rick’s vision and prayers for the Diocese of Durham to become a church of missionary disciples was very helpful and that our approach to Holy Spirit led mission in rural contexts was very much in keeping with +Rick’s vision for the Diocese. I had been a little frustrated that no one at the conference had thought to introduce the Rural Mission Lead and give space to say what we are doing for mission in rural spaces. RMTG discussed that this wasn’t intentional, but that the conference coordinators were under a lot of pressure with a very short time scale.
- We have been given funding for the Rural Mission Conference on 23rd September 2027 at Brancepeth Castle. I had sought ~£700 for food and venue, and was asked if we wanted to be a bit more ambitious with our budget request. We also have confirmed +Rick and Archdeacon Stephen to attend the conference and Q&A.
- We are considering a feeder event for the main Conference in September 2027, by having a purely social event earlier in the year. We felt that a social BBQ for rural ‘lay and ordained’ church leaders would be fun, and perhaps to hold it in Sedgefield which is a good central location on a good road network – therefore accessible but still rural. Contact with the Vicar of Sedgefield to be made.
- We prayed together and closed our meeting with the Grace.