'Bishop's Den' grants offer chance of 'doing church differently'

Grants totalling £100,000 are being made available to fund new innovative church projects across the Diocese of Truro.

Churches are being invited to pitch their "entrepreneurial" ideas with a particular focus on people working together and growing God's kingdom and the church.

The process of awarding the funding will culminate in the 'Bishop's Den', similar to the BBC show where millionaires choose new ideas to invest in.  

At the Bishop's Den in February 2014, the Bishop of Truro will be joined by a panel of local business, charity and church leaders in choosing the best projects.  

"We want to support several projects which could be used as models to show how churches will flourish within the community in the future," the diocese said. 

It is not enough to have great ideas.  Submissions will have to be underpinned by a clear strategy, preferably at deanery level, and identify the resources required, the measurable outcomes and the viability of the project. 

Archdeacon Bill Stuart-White, who is leading the project, told the BBC: "Our hope is that some exciting initiatives will be proposed that focus on people working closely together to cross traditional boundaries and come up with practical projects to show how churches will flourish within the community in the future."

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