Some Future Priorities for the National Church

My mind often ruminates on matters of home mission or what we now call evangelisation. Recently I have thought that the Church of England needs to change its focus. I appreciate that some of this is happening with the Mission Shaped Church agenda and Fresh Expressions. However, I wonder if all of this still too congregational its philosophy. I suspect that we need to move 90% of our energies into discipleship rather than congregational life. I would foresee three priorities for growth.

(1) Families. Here I propose we need to create a national network of Christian families. What I am about to say may sound rather exclusive but the these families are to be standard bearers. At the heart is the idea that the first church we experience is not a building or even the congregation but a Christian family. This little church - or domus is KEY to the formation of future generations. At present the Church of England does not recognise formally the family as a church. I propose that the fulness of a 'little church' is a family of two practising parents who pray daily together. To join the national network families would have to register go through a period of formation or noviate.

(2) Work. We now need urgently a recognised order for Christians in work or higher education. Members would be excluded from involvement in parish life to prevent burn out. They would follow a rule of life which must involve daily prayer. These people would be visibly Christian. I'm not sure how this is done but the order must quickly be recognised as wearing a Christian symbol. This must be accepted as valid as anyone's else religious atire, eg headscarf, turban, etc. We need so R&D which can come up with something as powerful as the prayer mat. Adoption of a five-fold daily prayer office for example would mean that employees would have to give us time to pray at work. (I have called this 'work' but in reality it could include anyone, employed, unemployed, retired, etc.)

(3) School. These are our biggest resources and we must further their Christian formation. I suggest that primary schools are formally invited to create a network of schools who admit children to holy communion. We need the Eucharist to be celebrated regularly within our primary schools.

For all three networks I suggest that three bishops are ordained to have special jurisdiction over each network. In other words each network is a Anglican equivalent of a personal prelature which operates at a provincial level. These bishops would not have diocese as we understand it but be the Ordinary for these groups. If we can have pioneer priests why not pioneer bishops?