Our Mission Statement

Our calling

Lowestoft and East Suffolk Circuit Mission Policy

The Lowestoft and East Suffolk Methodist Circuit finds its place and focus within the calling of the Methodist Church.

The calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission. The contemporary understanding of "Our Calling" was defined by the Conference of 1996 and most recently reaffirmed by the Conference of 2018. It has four dimensions:

• Worship, to increase awareness of God's presence and to celebrate God's love
• Learning and Caring, to help people to learn and grow as Christians through mutual support and care
• Service, to be a good neighbour to people in need and to challenge injustice
• Evangelism, to make more followers of Jesus Christ

As a Circuit we will

• Commission, challenge and support our churches to grow in faith and understanding of God and God's purposes and to make new disciples of Jesus Christ
• Work for growth in spirituality, participation, resources and numbers, rooted in local communities
• Excel in local and global engagement, awareness and outreach
• Develop and celebrate ecumenical partnerships
• Enable everyone, members and staff alike, to realise, use and stretch their God given abilities across the Circuit
• Draw our churches closer together as a Circuit family, so that we can give true support and encouragement to each other

We will focus on growth through

• Deepening our own discipleship
• Responding to the needs of our local communities
• Invitation and welcome to accessible worship and events
• Intentional evangelism in daily life
• A focus on generous living and stewardship of resources
• Seeking to maximise the use of our buildings by our communities

Facing the future faithfully

We will face the future faithfully and realistically, to live within our means, with the rich gifts God has given us. We will do this by:

• Working out how best to use worship leaders, preachers and Ministers in providing worship, including the sacraments, across the Circuit, so that weekly Sunday morning services are not the only, or even the standard, pattern at every church
• Continually monitoring our mutual financial resources and obligation and prioritising resources for mission opportunities
• Encouraging local churches to examine their own mission in relation to their finances, their buildings and the vitality of their congregation, to develop partnerships with other churches and, where necessary, creating good endings if they discern that their church's mission is fulfilled
• Using the available resources of the Model Trust Fund, where possibilities for growth are evident, prioritising ministry which engages with people beyond our current congregations