Pruning for Growth
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15.1)
Pruning for Growth is a diocesan strategy that seeks to make a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of every church in the Diocese of St Davids.
The strategy was unveiled at an Extraordinary Diocesan Conference held on Saturday July 6th. 2024
The strategy consists of four phases. The first, now completed, was a fact-finding exercise to establish an up-to-date snapshot of each church, based on an eight-point matrix that will identify churches that are flourishing, growing, declining or dying.
The matrix covers community engagement, education, stewardship, children youth & family provision, governance, buildings, attendance and ministry. An additional Miscellaneous category covers anything that does not fall into any of these but which are deemed relevant.
Scoring Criteria
This document details the different aspects of church life and activity covered in each section
Findings
The first interim report on the findings in Stage One is now available
Phase Two
The second phase involves conversations with key individuals based on the findings gathered in Phase One to drill down into the detail. Then, Phase Three will draw up recommendations ahead of the final phase, when decisions will be made about implementation.
An interim report on progress was made to the Diocesan Conference in October 2024, with a further update scheduled for the 2025 Conference.
Each of the key presentations is available to view or to download here:
- Introduction by Archdeacon Paul Mackness [Video] [PDF]
- Methodology - how will the strategy work? [Video] [PDF]
- Next Steps
- Examples - fictitious (and occasionally humorous) case studies. Which one fits your church?
- Questions and Answers from the conference floor
- Presidential Address - Bishop Dorrien on why Pruning for Growth matters