This email has been sent to clergy and others in Luton and Watford deaneries, and the Bishop’s Hatfield Team; and to members of Bishop’s Council, the DBF, the Board for Mission & Ministry, the Growing Younger and More Diverse Board, and to the Diocesan Board for Education.
Thank you again for the prayerful time and care you gave during the consultation phase of our SMMIB bid. The Board met on 11 December, and the decision was confirmed by letter dated 17 December. We have since been working with the national church to align our communications.
As you will remember, our bid was shaped through extensive grassroots consultation with clergy and lay leaders—discerning where God is already at work in parishes and towns, and how these resources could strengthen mission across the diocese, aligned with our strategic priority of growing younger and more diverse. It focused on three areas:
- revitalising strategic churches and planting new congregations,
- reaching younger and more diverse disciples, and
- developing leadership capacity.
I am pleased to say that the Board responded positively to our proposals—particularly the clarity of direction and the focus on three particular geographical areas, with specific mention of Luton, and our shared desire to strengthen mission and ministry in parishes and deaneries. As is often the case with SMMIB funding, our £3.5 million request has not been committed in full at this stage. The different elements of our bid fall into three categories:
1. Awarded in full (no further work required) – Leadership, Education and Capacity,totalling £1.14 million. This will expand The Alban Way (young adult leadership formation; transitions at 11, 14 and 18), strengthen mission in schools (collective worship, and pupil leaders of worship) across the diocese, and provide for continuing programme support to enable mission and ministry in local contexts.
2. Awarded subject to further clarification – church planting and revitalisation in Hatfield, Luton, and Watford, totalling £1.13 million. Further work is required on each church’s missional design and delivery plans to clarify the pathway from interventions to anticipated outcomes and confirm the sufficiency of resourcing. We expect, working with the Vision and Strategy Team, that agreement could be reached outside a Board meeting to release these funds.
3. Agreed in principle to consider a further award – £1.23 million for the remaining elements of our bid, primarily children and young people’s workers across Hatfield, Luton, and Watford, subject to updated proposals being brought back to the Board, for approval, clarifying how planned activity will lead to the anticipated outcomes and how wider change will be achieved across the towns.
The headline is that nothing in our £3.5 million bid has been ruled out, though further work is required. We are moving forward from a strong and constructive position and are confident that we can provide the clarifications needed to unlock the remaining resources. National Church Communications have announced today a formal award of £2.3 million (the first two categories above, rounded).
Longer‑term, in addition to our £3.5 million bid, we had also asked for in principle funding of c. £1 million for 2029–31, primarily for further children and young people’s workers. The Board agreed in principle to consider this award for 2029-31, subject to updated proposals being brought back to the Board for approval, and a review of the outcomes and impact of the programme to that date.
We have previously been advised that our diocesan maximum funding benchmark for awards to be considered from the start of 2029 is £5 million, so it could be viewed that the Board has agreed to consider c. £1 million of this £5 million for the extension of our phase‑one work.
What happens next
Our immediate next steps will run in parallel:
Engage with the national church Vision and Strategy Team to clarify the Board’s expectations (i.e., the evidence and documentation required to satisfy each condition) and agree a clear approval route and timetable for the release of funds. We are meeting colleagues from the national church team on 29 January and will then host briefing Zoom calls in February for affected deanery leaders to set out what is needed and answer questions. Diocesan board members will be briefed at their next board meetings. We know you may have questions, but please bear with us as we clarify the position and prepare to share fuller details in February.
For the church planting and revitalisation elements, we anticipate this will involve strengthening the missional design and delivery plans – clarifying dependencies and resourcing, and describing more clearly how activity will lead to the intended outcomes through discipleship pathways and enhanced missional design. We can start work on this with the relevant churches in the interim, taking account of local capacity and readiness.
For the wider Hatfield, Luton, and Watford elements, we anticipate this will also involve strengthening practical delivery plans, clarifying how activity will lead to intended outcomes through discipleship pathways, and developing a coherent town-wide missional plan. We can begin early scoping conversations with Rural/Area Deans and, subject to clarification from the national church, run workshops with local leaders to develop our plans.
Continue the growth trajectory of The Alban Way by initiating the leadership and education elements of the bid.
This note has been shared with diocesan board members, and with clergy and lay chairs in the Bishop’s Hatfield team, and Luton and Watford deaneries. We will provide a fuller update once we have clarity on the agreed route, requirements, and practical implications.
Thank you again for your partnership, prayer, and practical support. Please continue to pray for wisdom as we build on this encouraging outcome and seek God’s missional purposes for our diocese together.
With thanks and prayers,
+Jane
Bishop of Hertford