This week, we challenged the BLOGFORCE to answer the Second of three questions about the different levels of the church:

1.
2. What is the mission of the Diocese?  How should it be structured to serve its mission?
3. What is the mission of the (Domestic and Foreign) Mission Society (of the Protestant Episcopal Church of America) or whatever you currently insist on calling it? How should it be structured to serve its mission?

Chris Arnold blogged, “”

Why the diocese? Can’t really imagine an Episcopal Church without dioceses or bishops. Two reasons, though: they rescue us from isolationism and tribalism, and they share out the harvest work in the vineyard.

Steve Pankey blogged, “”

To me, the mission of the diocese is quite simply, to equip us for our ministries.  Certainly there a few ministries that are best done at the diocesan level, but to my mind that list is very, very small.  As the hub from which congregations radiate from, the diocese should serve to facilitate the ministries of each member congregation.  It should serve as a hub of communication, of best practices sharing, of training, and of support.

Amy Real Coultas blogged, “”

A few days from now the diocese will preach a sermon that insists, despite all messages to the contrary from both the church and the world, that everyone listening (and those not listening!) are the very creation of God, and beloved of God, and that they are not alone, ever, and that in Jesus, their whole lives are loved and turned upside down, and made new, and that they have a whole bunch of brothers and sisters. The diocese will say: there is hope. The diocese will say: there is something more true, and more powerful, than wealth, fashion, debt, fear, technology, divorce, betrayal, racism, sin. There is even something more true than death: life. Your life, God’s life, your neighbor’s life. And Love. Love is more powerful than all those things combined.

Holli Powell blogged, “”

Last week’s Acts 8 Moment BLOGFORCE prompt was number two of three in a series. The first question was: “what is the mission of the congregation? How should it be structured to serve its mission?” The second: “What is the mission of the diocese? How should it be structured to serve its mission?” And the final question, which you may have guessed, will be: “What is the mission of the denominational office? How should it be structured to serve its mission?” I didn’t get a chance to respond to the first question (February 2015 was NOT MY FRIEND), and apparently I’m too late to be included in the roundup for question two, but I have some thoughts, so I’m going to share them anyway. This may turn into a treatise on all three questions, so … you’ve been warned. #churchnerdalert

Brendan O’Sullivan-Hale blogged, “?”

The fact of the matter is that many of the big things that have happened in our diocese over the last few years have been ideas originating from lay and clergy folks from around central and southern Indiana latching onto an idea and making it happen, with the diocese signing on to many of these ideas to help them achieve liftoff. Examples have included a multi-parish operation to build and provide sustainable funding for a school in Haiti, and providing a home and technical resources for , which originates in Lafayette, Indiana and has helped thousands of people around the world exercise the habits of prayer to develop a closer relationship with God.

David Simmons
Acts8 BLOGFORCE Wing Commander

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