Mission Action Plan

Mission Action Plan Consultation: Ruby Country Benefice.

April 2026. Revd Dr Paul Fitzpatrick: Rector & Rural Dean: Holsworthy

Introduction

Holsworthy Deanery, Group, and Mission Community do not have a Mission Action Plan (MAP), nor is there an appetite for one. Therefore, upon my arrival as Rector we developed an MAP specifically for this Benefice with ambitious task and finish actions. This has now been completed.

Ruby contains six churches spread over 50 square miles. Unlike the other two Benefices in the Deanery, we have no central hub or Market Town. There are four small shops, four pubs, five primary schools and the remainder farms and small villages. We less than 2000 people and we are depopulating. We do have a significant (and rapidly growing) population who are not in villages or farms but live itinerant lifestyles in caravans, yurts and huts. Almost 50% of our benefice is now forested or being developed for renewable energy.

Ruby Benefice was formed in 2018 by merging pre-existing, and very different parishes and over the last three years have made significant progress in working together and in mutual support; not least with the development of the ‘Ruby Holywell Joint Council’.

All three Deanery Benefices have very different needs, opportunities and potential; all three Rectors, solidly committed to outreach and growth, will have, by necessity, differing skills sets and unique approaches to the mission requirements in their own setting. Ruby Benefice feels that we need to move at speed to address our own mission and growth requirements. We are, therefore, acting as an independent Mission Community with its own Mission Action Plan, and are looking at our own situation in relationship to other neighbouring deaneries.

This plan is based upon Prayer, the diocesan five mission priorities and extensive training carried out over the last three years, and after extensive advice from Diocesan officers and SMT members.

Ruby Benefice Mission Action Plan

1.       Community Chaplaincy

We are blessed with three lay ministers who have all undergone different but extensive training and we are looking for this number to grow. Our churches are largely older people with small Sunday service congregations but most churches have shown growth in the last two years and we frequently fill our churches for festivals and occasional offices. We urgently need to develop work with young families, schools, and itinerant communities, including the isolated and lonely. A ‘pioneer’ approach, with mixed economy which takes church to our people is urgently needed. A rural and locally based ‘community chaplaincy’ (CC) could address this issue. This approach supports the incredible work already being undertaken, in all our churches, and seeks to build upon it.

2.       Rural Adult Evangelism Strategy

In the last two years all the congregations in the Benefice have undergone both ‘bereavement and loss’. training but have also engaged in ’sharing our stories’ modules. We have become more open and outward looking and our ecumenical engagement has been enormously positive. Where we need to be now is with the isolated and marginalised. Our role model for this might be the Celtic Saints who originally evangelised this area and would fit a community chaplaincy engagement process. 

3.       Young Families and Children

Ruby has no colleges, children’s centres or family support units. It does have five primary schools and a strong integrated community focus. The Rector is a Governor at one Church school group but leads assemblies and advices on community cohesion at all five schools. Although there would never be a context in which this would be used for direct evangelism, contact and a very strong wiliness to engage in Christian teaching and pastoral support, is being enabled but one person can’t do this alone. Two parishes already have very strong links to their local schools and are keen to develop these, but this would be considerably enhanced by a community chaplaincy approach.

Conclusion

Ruby’s mission priorities as agreed are distinct from those of the other Deanery Benefices. Our mission area consists of villages and small rural communities and, until now, we have lacked a cohesive identity, which would be best addressed by the development of a community chaplaincy.

Our deanery covers 147 square miles with only three clergy. We are frequently in-quorum, support mechanisms don’t function and there is a firm geographical disconnect between Ruby and the other Benefices. We will seek reorganisation this year to further mission and support partners.