Believing in Barking will continue to be shaped by participation from those ministering directly with our communities. Addressing local missional challenges with local contextual plans is at the heart of how we aim to steward the resource awarded to us through the Diocesan Investment Programme.
What’s happening now
More Support for Estates Ministry
The Revd Dan Scott welcomed into a new role as Estates Churches Mission Advisor
We are delighted to share Dan is stepping into this new part time role as the Estates Churches Mission Advisor for the Barking area. We believe this will make a real and lasting difference to Estates ministry. Dan brings a wealth of experience in estates ministry and currently serves as Lead Minister at Christchurch Three Mills, an estate church near Stratford in East London. Over the past five years, Dan and his family have helped grow this work into a flourishing local church at the heart of its community.
Dan also plays a key role within the Chelmsford Diocese Estates Churches Network (CDECN) and is deeply committed to reaching every community, with a particular passion for supporting those from lower‑income backgrounds.
Our missional commitment to Estates communities focuses on strengthening what already exists and building for the future. This work will centre on growing capacity and confidence across the Diocesan Estates Churches Network, ensuring those serving on Estates are supported, heard and resourced. Investment will be shaped through Estates ministry learning communities and shared good practice.
Find our more about Estates Ministry
More Clergy in our Communities
Revd Lisa Bewick has been appointed to All Saints Church Ardleigh Green.
In a remarkably short time, Revd Lisa is already shaping a hopeful and outward‑looking future for All Saints and its wider community. She has begun listening deeply to local voices, building relationships across Ardleigh Green, and gathering insight that will help shape a shared vision for the months ahead.
With a strong commitment to working alongside neighbouring churches, Revd Lisa is laying the foundations for renewed mission and collaboration across the area. Early signs of this momentum are already visible, with an exceptional response to her Lent course — a sign of the appetite for faith, connection and growth within the community.
This new appointment marks an exciting season of renewal, as All Saints Church looks ahead with confidence, imagination and faith.
The Revd Sade Barnes has been appointed to St Patrick’s Church in Barking
Revd Sade’s appointment to St Patrick’s is supported in part through DIP investment. This additional capacity will help Sade and the congregation of St Patrick’s to develop mission together. There are exciting opportunities among the significant number of overseas students resident within the parish. St Patrick’s is now better prepared to recognise and respond to this, and in time may explore the possibility of services in other languages.
Working with Dan, Estates Churches Mission Advisor, there are opportunities to pioneer models of parish-based estates ministry. This may offer learning around sustainable changes that transform the local community. A focus on growing local leaders will be key to this.
Sade has strong links with other churches in the deanery and a commitment to working alongside neighbouring churches, sharing learning and resources.
More Support for Children, Young People and Families Ministry
Music for Mission
Across four churches, each with differing traditions and socio-economic challenges work is underway to develop discipleship through Music. Strong relationships and vision already exists within these Genesis churches - Wanstead Parish and partners – St Gabriel’s, Aldersbrook, All Saints Goodmayes, St Pauls Hainault.
While each church will establish singing groups that best reflect the needs of their congregation and the character of their parish, a range of approaches will be supported - from youth choirs in a traditional choral setting to intergenerational Tea, Toast and Sing. This work will be supported by a Musical Director and a Youth and Families Discipleship Enabler.
Music is seen in each context as a powerful gateway to opening up conversations of faith, creating connections and relationships with the wider community. The desire is for the four churches share not only the expertise of the new Musical Director and Youth and Families Discipleship Enabler but also learning - each resourcing and equipping the other.
Within St Paul’s, Hainault in particular, reaching a community facing economic and social challenges through music offers an inclusive way to share faith with people of all ages and abilities.
Guiding the Next Generation to God - St Chad’s Church and Urban Promise UK
Many families in Barking and Dagenham face significant disadvantages, and too many children lack the support, stability and sense of belonging they need. Despite one of the highest proportions of under‑18s in London, only 0.4% of local children and young people across this deanery were engaged with church in 2024.
In response funding is supporting a partnership between St Chad’s Church and Urban Promise UK. UPUK has an established model of holistic youth development (ages 5-18yrs) that blends faith, mentoring and academic support, run by trained local leaders. UPUK brings proven experience in supporting the personal, spiritual and academic development of children and young people, particularly those facing the greatest challenges.
Together, this partnership can build on St Chad’s strong foundations to create new pathways of hope, belonging and growth and a thriving future - re‑establishing St Chad’s as the heart of local life. This will continue a legacy of bringing God to the local people and serving the community for generations to come.
Find out more about Urban Promise UK
Fringe to Faith
Waltham Forest is one of London’s most diverse and deprived boroughs, facing challenges such as youth violence, social isolation, and economic hardship. Christian affiliation has declined significantly (from 48% in 2011 to 39% in 2021), while those identifying with no religion have risen to 28%.
Believing in Barking’s initial intervention will support both Cornerstone Church and St Gabriel’s, Walthamstow to build upon their strong community links creating more engaging opportunities for children, young people and their families to connect with faith and deepen their discipleship. Alongside this a Learning community will develop to share best practice, provide peer support and equip volunteers and leaders across the deanery.
Mission in partnership
Working in partnership with the Centre for Theology and Community (CTC)
Building partnerships and sharing expertise and resources is a key principle of Believing in Barking. With this in mind, our partnership with the Centre for Theology and Community (CTC) is being strengthened. CTC will be working alongside a number of churches in Barking and Dagenham and Waltham Forest Deaneries.
Find out why partnerships with CTC and Citizens UK are so important
Urban Promise UK
UPUK will also be expanding their ministry within Barking and Dagenham deanery to children, young people and families ages 5-18 years.
IWA Collaborative
We are working with the IWA collaborative, who are continuing to provide Re-missioning training to clergy leaders across the Barking Area.
What’s coming next
2025/26 allowed us to set off in the right direction, with the main focus on ensuring we had a firm foundation on which to build.
Missional Design will remain at the heart of how we approach Believing in Barking, ensuring that funding is used to address missional challenges in ways most appropriate to local contexts.
Travelling well Together, we seek to transform our local communities, so that in time we encourage greater attendance and participation among children, young people and families in our church communities.
This included prioritising intentional discipleship by growing, supporting and developing volunteers and leaders across the whole Barking Area. We will also work alongside you to develop sustainable structures, so that you as leaders will be equipped and more able to help transform the communities within which you serve.
The Genesis Programme
The Genesis Programme is a model for mission prioritising, partnership and revitalisation through shared expertise and resources to support and develop new and existing mission locally. Genesis Churches (each with their own charism aligned to strategic priorities) forming a network with an agreed set of partners will work together to develop a shared approach to meeting local challenges.
The aim is, in time, to resource three Genesis Churches and partners across each deanery. Work is beginning and there are exciting approaches to mission and discipleship involving music for mission in Redbridge and intentionally engaging discipleship across the family as a whole unit in Waltham Forest.
Investment in a number of stipendiary roles has been incorporated into the plan, reflecting the need to catalyse mission and sustain ministry for the long term.
Anglo-Catholic mission
We have long been committed to working within the Five Guiding Principles and so we have tried to include as many parishes in this opportunity as possible. We have also seen the importance of Anglo-Catholic models of worship for immigrant communities. Given the contexts they serve and the potential for growth within those communities, we are working to develop a missional project based on creative theology and the visual arts across those parishes with oversight from the Bishop of Richborough. Attention to children, young people and families ministry will also serve to better equip Anglo-catholic and smaller sacramental churches across the Area.
Social Justice and Single-Language Congregations
Transforming our neighbourhoods by responding to the diversity and deprivation seen across the area will be a priority from 2027. We recognise the need to adapt to changing culture and address inequality. Building on the existing platform of ministry and expertise we are blessed with, there will, in time, be two social justice hubs better equipped to resource other parishes - sharing learning and best practice, and enabling others.
Training and Development
The development of both clergy and lay leaders includes equipping them with training and resources. Leading Your Church into Growth (LYCIG) and LaunchPad courses will begin in 2026. Plus intentionally supporting CYPF workers through Children's Ministry Essentials and the Catalyst course led by the Mustard Seed Team. A broader programme of leadership development will follow