National Prayer for the ‘Nones’
God, the One who loves all people
and longs for them to know you,
the One who amazes and inspires us;
draw to yourself all those who find themselves
dismissing, doubting or disbelieving you.
Delight them with your love,
astound them with your power,
heal them with your touch
and show us how,
in partnership with you,
we can be ambassadors of the gospel
and agents of reconciliation
for Jesus' sake.
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We'd also love to hear your ideas. Do email us your thoughts - you can use the contact form on the home page, or email info@reachingthenones.org. Thanks.
Ways Forward
Five ways to help the Church of England reach the 'Nones'​
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1. Bishops
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We encourage our Bishops to consider together
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what levers they might have to respond to this
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how this might impact their work aligning to the national Vision & Strategy
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how their dioceses can create a culture which prioritises the majority ‘nones’ in their mission and resourcing conversations.
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whether a meeting of all Bishops or a small group of Bishops to discuss this together, learning from good practice, might help
2. Anglican Mission Agencies
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We encourage all mission agencies to help us become a Church of missionary disciples intentionally reaching out to this demographic and to partner with dioceses and others (e.g. the Bible Society) to help address this huge opportunity in a coherent way. This might be both through ongoing research and sharing of good practices. This will enable the production of resources to equip churches and individuals to reach the nones, many of whom are ‘younger and more diverse’
3. Dioceses and projects funded by the Church Commissioners
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We urge all dioceses embarking on Strategic Development Fund (SDF) or Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment (SMMI) projects to prioritise evangelism to the ‘nones’ as part of their work and to ask every existing SDF project in its annual review how it is contributing to the evangelisation of the ‘nones’.
4. Diocesan Senior Staff & Mission & Ministry teams
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We encourage dioceses to provide specific training using resources from Mission Agencies for clergy and lay leaders (including evangelists and youth workers) on reaching those who are initially not interested in or dismissive of faith.
5. Parish Clergy and Lay Leaders
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We recommend that parish clergy and lay leaders
a) interact with the Bible Society’s very helpful ‘Lumino’ platform to discover more about the state of faith in their area
b) ensure that reaching the ‘nones’ is part of any Mission Action Plan (or equivalent).
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