Pray, Grow, Serve 2035 – What This Means for Our Benefice
The Diocese of Exeter has launched a ten-year vision called Pray, Grow, Serve 2035. It is a long-term commitment to help churches across Devon deepen their faith, reach new people, and serve their communities well into the future.
As a benefice, we want to be clear about what this means for our parish churches, our communities, and the way we live out our faith locally.
A Vision Rooted in Prayer, Growth, and Service
At its heart, Pray, Grow, Serve 2035 builds on a simple calling:
- Pray – to grow deeper in our relationship with God
- Grow – to help people of all ages encounter Jesus and grow as disciples
- Serve – to love and serve our local communities with joy and compassion
The Diocese recognises that many people in Devon have little or no connection with church, and that parish churches are facing real challenges. This vision is about supporting churches, not replacing them.
What Pray, Grow, Serve 2035 Is (and Isn’t)
It is:
A long-term investment in people, leadership, and mission
A commitment to supporting parish churches alongside new ways of being church
An encouragement to prayerfully reflect on how we connect with our communities
It is not:
A plan to close parish churches
A replacement for Sunday worship, pastoral care, or life-events ministry
A substitute for local generosity or the Common Fund
National funding linked to Pray, Grow, Serve 2035 is ring-fenced for mission and growth. It cannot be used for everyday parish running costs or building repairs, which continue to be supported through local giving and the Common Fund.
The Five Priorities – In Simple Terms
The vision is shaped around five priorities that help churches flourish in different contexts:
Missional Leadership
Supporting clergy and lay leaders to lead prayerfully, sustainably, and confidently in changing times.
Missional DNA
Helping churches keep mission, welcome, and invitation at the heart of everything they do.
Vocations
Encouraging and supporting people of all ages to explore how God may be calling them to serve – ordained or lay.
Children, Young People, and Families
Placing the next generation at the centre of church life, recognising both the challenge and the opportunity this brings.
Mixed Ecology
Valuing both traditional parish worship and new forms of church (such as café church, forest church, or mid-week gatherings), side by side.
What This Means for Our Benefice
For us, Pray, Grow, Serve 2035 is an opportunity, not a prescription.
It invites us to:
- Reflect prayerfully on how our churches serve their communities today
- Build on what is already life-giving and faithful
- Explore gentle, realistic ways of connecting with people who may never come to a Sunday service
- Encourage and equip lay people to use their gifts confidently
- Keep children, families, and future generations firmly in view
Not every benefice or parish will receive the same resources or funded roles, but every benefice is included in the vision and supported through training, encouragement, and partnership.
Our Parish Churches Still Matter
Our parish churches remain central places of:
- Worship and prayer
- Pastoral care
- Baptisms, weddings, and funerals
- Community presence and hospitality
Pray, Grow, Serve 2035 does not diminish this role. Instead, it recognises parish churches as the heart and anchor of local mission, while encouraging us to think creatively about how we serve a changing world.
Walking Forward Together
As a benefice, we will continue to:
- Pray for wisdom and discernment
- Listen to our communities
- Value tradition while remaining open to new possibilities
- Work together across parishes, supporting one another
This is a long journey, taken step by step, rooted in trust that God is already at work in our villages and communities.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.” (Psalm 127)
We look ahead with hope, faith, and a shared commitment to serve the people entrusted to us. If you have ideas or have been discerning the will of God then please do share this.
Pray for Five.
MORNING PRAYER – 10:00am