Mission Development Planning: Summary
Meetings in North Knapdale have been held on 29 May, 2 and 16 June, and 7 July.
On 7 July we looked at the main themes which had come out of the first three meetings and these are listed below in order of most mentioned.
| Theme | Description | Number of mentions |
| Community Connection | The church being involved in the activities and interests of the community in which they live | 21 |
| Mission | Communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ to people who have not heard or have rejected the message of Christianity. | 17 |
| Prayer and Spirituality | Worshipping together, seeking God’s will, telling others of God’s love, sharing belief and faith in God. | 12 |
| Christian Teaching | Teaching and discussion on Christianity, faith, Bible study | 9 |
| Care and Concern | Serving others in the church and community who have some area of need. | 8 |
People:
We talked about what staffing would be best in terms of paid staff and volunteers which would be able to serve the five parishes of Mid Argyll.
The main Options are:
1 Status quo – three ministers – this is not a realistic option due to financial restraints from Presbytery and Edinburgh.
2 Two full time ministers shared between five parishes with support from readers/ordained local ministers.
3 One minister and one other post – for example a mission development person or a youth worker or an elderly worker or two part time posts, with support from readers/ordained local ministers
We may be able to bid for extra funding from Edinburgh for another (non-minister) full time post if we have suitable mission plan
If we want to maintain the current pattern of Sunday worship in each parish this would require readers and local worship leaders and members of the congregation regularly taking part in leading worship, as there will not be a minister available to take services in each parish every Sunday.
Buildings
We talked about the buildings we would need in order to carry out the above themes that we have identified.
There was concern about the possibility of closing Bellanoch Church. It was agreed that Bellanoch church is strategically placed to serve Bellanoch, Crinan and along the canal.
It is an attractive venue for worship but lacks facilities, level access and parking.
There is no “community space” available in the Crinan, Bellanoch, and Canal side area although the Crinan Coffee shop has been used for some community events, e.g. Community Council meetings.
A suggestion was made to build around Bellanoch church to transform it into a “community hub”, retaining the worship space, and adding meetings room, toilets and kitchen.
Some plans are currently being developed for extension/alterations to Tayvallich church. Use is also being made regularly of Achnamara Hall.
It was agreed that we set up a meeting with the other four parishes to discuss all our plans.
The next meeting for North Knapdale is after worship on 21st July in Tayvallich Church.
Some questions to think about for this next meeting are:
What are the pros and cons of having two ministers?
What are the pros and cons of having one minister and a mission development person/youth worker/other full time person (or two part time)?
Can we make a case for funds for another person – for what role?
Are we willing to continue having congregation members, readers, Local Worship leaders taking services regularly when our minister(s) is not available.
What buildings do we think we need across all Mid Argyll?
What, if any, building do we need to serve the Crinan/Bellanoch/canal side area?
What building, if any, do we need in Tayvallich, and in Achnamara?
All previous notes are on the website or ask for a paper copy.