Barnabas: Encouraging Confidence
The Diocese of Leeds is committed to building confident Christians who are part of growing churches and helping to transform communities.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to share the Good News, serve others and make a positive difference in our communities. To help us do this, we need to be confident in our faith, in our churches and in the future.
Over the next 10 years, we are focusing on four key areas:
- Confidence in our Mission – Helping churches understand their purpose and make the best use of their buildings, time, and resources.
- Confidence in our Future – Ensuring the diocese remains sustainable, effective, and well-prepared for the years ahead.
- Confidence in our Leadership – Supporting and equipping everyone who serves in our churches.
- Confidence in our Witness – Encouraging and empowering people to share the Good News of Jesus, especially with children and young people.
These four pillars will guide everything we do from Church House, helping us work together and support the diocese more effectively.
What is Barnabas: Encouraging Confidence?
Barnabas: Encouraging Confidence is a strategy designed to support churches in their mission.
Diocesan teams (and we hope churches across the diocese) are focused on ensuring their work supports increasing confidence in the four areas of mission, future, leadership and witness.
It goes even further through seeking and using additional funding from the national church to provide resources and targeted initiatives which can help churches to grow, adapt, and thrive. A dedicated Barnabas Programme Team will oversee this, working with wider diocesan teams to ensure we get alongside parishes, offering guidance and practical support.
More on the suppport from this team can be found here.
The name Barnabas is inspired by the early church leader who encouraged and strengthened others in their faith. In the same way, this strategy aims to build up and equip churches so they can move forward with confidence.
As we step forward, we do so with a shared commitment to seeing our churches and communities flourish.