Mission Action Plans or 'M.A.P.s', have been part of the life of the diocese of London, and this church as part of it, since 1993. They are, quite simply, a local church's way of not simply carrying on as it always has, but rather setting out some priorities and actions that result from them. At the core of a M.A.P. is mission. Mission comes from a word that means 'to send'. Jesus was sent into our world, and then sent out his disciples. Today we are part of the company of disciples sent out into the world with the news of the love of God in Jesus. A M.A.P. expresses something of how a local church views this mission.

Mission Action Planning is a tried and tested way of putting flesh on to what we say of ourselves as a church and parish, exploring our strengths and the challenges that face us, and putting together a realistic plan for the way forward that God is calling us to. It is integral to strategic planning and delivery of effective mission and ministry.

The Mission Action Plan is used to focus on the priorities that we have set for ourselves - priorities for the future which built on the past, but that also contain an openness to developing further. It is a plan which seeks to move a church community forward and not simply maintain its current activities, however good they may be. The vision behind the proposals is rooted in this concern, and is in the spirit of the direction of St. James’s Church over a number of years since 1993. Read about the 1993 Mission Action Plan.

Behind any vision for a church must be a vision of God. God is understood in the Christian tradition to be the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is seen as a community of love - one, but with distinctions. This is a dynamic understanding of God. God, who is changeless, yet also relates to changeable beings. Our life as a church is rooted in God - God’s nature should be our nature. Our Mission Action Plan should reflect this understanding of God. God does not ask us to remain the same, but to step out on a journey with him that involves new discoveries and endless possibilities.