DNEC Circuit Strategy Meeting: Spring Update

Since the summer of 2025, we have now held six open Circuit Strategy Meetings, where representatives from all of our fourteen churches have been represented. What a great turnout and thank you all for your contributions! Many churches have also contributed via questionnaires and special church meetings.

We received feedback from churches ahead of our Spring Circuit Meeting and our Circuit Leadership Team have reviewed all thoughts and comments.

We continue to encourage as many people as possible to engage with these on-going conversation as we collectively 'dream without limits'!

Our latest open Circuit Meeting met on Monday, March 16th at Whittington Moor Methodist Church. Once more, we were hugely encouraged by all the churches who were able to send representation and contributed to this meeting. Whilst we heard the usual reports and discussed the inherited financial situation, reinforcing the need to review our giving at both local church and Circuit level, our primary conversation centred on our next steps in developing our strategy and Circuit Mission Plan.

The Circuit Meeting has agreed to create a Steering Group to operate between now and the end of May. Its focus will be four-fold (with individual strand leaders):

• Finance
• Review staffing costs
• Review Circuit Gifts vs Assessment formulas
• Forecast a balanced budget to cover the next 4 years
• Recommend sustainable model for financial management

• Property
• Review Circuit properties in line with QI recommendations & maintenance
• Consider Eco-church projects for future sustainability
• Recommend suitable locations for Ministry & Mission
• Recommend new Circuit structure for sustainable property

• Trusteeship
• Review current level of Trustee Management per church
• Review succession planning possibilities
• Review support for church legislation requirements (Circuit/District level)
• Recommend appropriate Models of Trusteeship

• Pastoral journey towards a sustainable Circuit
• Review wellbeing support for Circuit employees & Presbyters
• Create feedback network for on-going conversation
• Recommend pathway to bring as many current members into new structure

If you wish to join any of those strands, please contact Rev Mark Carrick. Please also offer any feedback or thoughts to assist the Steering Group in its work.

At June's Circuit Meeting (June 2nd, 7:30pm, Staveley Methodist Church), we intend to bring a series of recommendations from the various strands that can be agreed and form a new Circuit Vision and Mission Plan. Again, all will be welcome to attend and take part, as together we create a sustainable Circuit for Mission and Ministry.