Setting God’s People Free is an initiative across the Church of England to enable the whole people of God to live out the Good News of Jesus confidently in all of life, Sunday to Saturday.
The Church of England consists of over a million people. We are school children and business managers, retired teachers and health workers, full-time carers and farmers, hairdressers and scaffolders, IT consultants and charity shop volunteers. For the vast majority of the Church – almost 98% – our calling is to find and follow God in everyday life.
Setting God’s People Free (SGPF) is an umbrella term to describe the twin goals of
- Equipping all people to find and follow God confidently in every part of life, and
- Recognising the gifts and callings of all people, both clergy and lay, and encouraging all people to use these skills for the good of God’s Kingdom.
This work is based around three areas that enable the ‘gathered’ church (that meets during a service, home group or other church activity) and the ‘sent’ church (the body of the church in the community: at home, in service, and at rest):
- Community witness and service projects through the local church and networks
- Faith in everyday life as the church sent in God’s mission to God’s world
- Collaborative leadership and ministry to enable an outward focused Christian presence in local communities
