Circuit Mission, Values & Priorities Statement

Celebrating and Sharing God's Love

The Southampton Methodist Circuit exists to support and enable the work of the churches in the Circuit, for themselves and others, to:

• seek to become, increasingly, followers of Jesus Christ
• increase awareness of God's presence and celebrate God's love
• help people to grow and learn as Christians, through mutual support and care
• be good neighbours to people in need and challenge injustice
• make more followers of Jesus Christ

The core values by which the Circuit lives out this purpose are to:

• underpin everything we do with God-centred worship and prayer
• nurture a culture in the Church which is mission-oriented, people-centred and flexible
• affirm the importance of wise, proper, innovative and courageous use of our resources of people, property and finance
• recognise those fragile pieces of work that need to be sustained as a mission priority
• give attention to areas where new work should be begun
• celebrate that the Safeguarding of others is at the heart of all we say and do
• acknowledge that compliance with legislation is an essential part of our looking over each other in love

The priorities of the Circuit are to (not ranked in order of priority):

• encourage fresh ways of being Church
• support and affirm the value of existing work which focuses on mission
• encourage and support mission orientated work in churches which lack financial or other resources
• develop confidence in evangelism and in the capacity to speak of God and faith in ways that make sense to all involved
• support community development and action for justice, especially among the most deprived and poor – in Britain and worldwide
• encourage churches to review their life and their use of resources
• foster a climate of learning and development
• build partnerships with other churches, faith groups and organisations with whom we share common values
• act in ways that contribute to the care of the earth
• encourage cooperation between churches
• explore spirituality and nurture spirituality in others

(Adopted 28 June 2022)