Diocese

The Diocese of Exeter is part of the Church of England. We are part of a community of more than 25,000 people who come together in churches large and small, all over the county of Devon. The Diocese offer a Christian presence in every community – this means they offer support and prayer, worship and friendship, as well as practical help for those in need through our involvement in all sorts of projects from foodbanks to credit unions.

There are over 600 churches in the Diocese and it covers a wide geograpical area.

The Diocese Vision

‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.’ John 15.5

As God’s pilgrim people, we seek to share in the mission of God as revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by:

Growing in prayer

We want to abide in Christ and live our lives close to God. This means taking risks as we become more honest with ourselves and more honest with God. Prayer opens up deep places within us to God’s grace, which is why it is such a life-giving activity. Going deeper in prayer is essential if we are to witness to God’s Kingdom and grow into the people God is calling us to be.

Making new disciples

A disciple is someone who follows Jesus Christ. With Christ as our companion and guide, we can travel through life differently and invite others to share in the adventure. We want to be more faithful in our discipleship and allow God to shape our priorities and values. The gospel is good news but, if we are to bring more people to Christ, we need to find new ways of telling the story, of explaining our faith and giving a reason for the hope that is in us.

Serving the people of Devon with joy

We want to be ambassadors for Christ, making a difference in the world and witnessing to God’s love and justice, especially in the communities where we live and in our schools and workplaces. Working in partnership with others who are transforming lives, we seek to address the global issues confronting our generation so that all may flourish.

Key Groups

To help us be focused in our vision we have four key groups we are working to serve better and engage with. They are:

• Children and Families

• Young people aged 16 to 25

• People over 60

• People connected to a local church but not regular members

Our vision and strategy have been in place since 2016. In June 2021 we developed a ‘Next Steps’ vision plan to help the diocese and its mission communities move forward from the pandemic in a way that is both creative and sustainable. Learn more here.