With the blessing of His Grace, Bishop +Michael, the newly appointed Commission on Mission and Evangelism of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey held its first working meeting on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 and reviewed the charge given to it by Bishop +Michael: a three-prong strategy for diocesan growth and health:
1. First, a more focused and aggressive approach to mission planting that will directly involve qualifying newly planted missions for OCA Church Planting Grant [CPG] status within the first two years of the mission's founding. It was also agreed that, going forward, no future mission would be established without immediate and adequate diocesan financial support for its assigned clergy. Father Ivanoff will visit each diocesan mission during 2011 to become more acquainted with the communities and their needs.
2. Second, the commission will endeavor to create and aggressively offer adequate resources for those parishes that find themselves in numerical decline. This new ministry of parish health and revitalization will feature both short-term seminars/workshops and long-term solutions and approaches to clergy and laity concerned about the decline of their parish.
3. Third, future meetings will not only continue to flesh out the details and "next steps" to the above, but also address the general issue of evangelism within the diocese -- both of our own members as well as the evangelization of non-Orthodox persons and communities who may be interested in learning more about the Orthodox Faith and Church.
