Published on: 21/07/2026
Friends and colleagues from across the Diocese of Sheffield gathered together last week for an exploration of how God is at work in our parishes, and how we can lead faithful, hopeful and sustainable change in mission and ministry across the Diocese of Sheffield.
This year’s Diocesan Conference, which took place 14 – 16 July at the Hayes Conference Centre, was led by the Leading Your Church into Growth (LYCIG) team, headed by the Rt Revd Rhiannon King, Bishop of Southampton. The LYCIG programme offers a practical and prayerful approach to helping churches grow in depth, numbers and impact within their local communities.
Each day featured sessions from a range of speakers:
- Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield
- Rt Revd Leah Vasey-Saunders, Bishop of Doncaster
- Rt Revd Rhiannon King, Bishop of Southampton in the Diocese of Winchester
- Revd Canon Harry Steele, Chaplain to the Bishop of Sheffield
- Revd Canon Grant Naylor, Vicar of St Matthew’s Carver Street
- Revd Canon Robin Gamble, Founder of the Leading Your Church into Growth movement
During one of his talks, Robin Gamble spoke about why church should be accessible to everyone:
‘We should speak in language that is familiar to others. Lots of people love churches but find services boring. Church doesn’t have to be boring’.
Revd Canon Harry Steele explained that many people in the UK have an average reading age of 10 years old, and challenged people to write sermons for 10 year olds:
‘We often say we want church to be accessible to children, but do we really? Do we welcome kids, but want them to stay still for 16 years? Do we welcome young people, but just want to sing the hymns we like? Be intentional in inviting people to church, and even if the answer is, “no”, keep on loving your neighbour anyway’.
Speaking during the live podcast of Words of Grace, Bishop Rhiannon said:
‘I think if you have an appetite to grow, then being invitational, being welcoming, being intentional, having a plan – those sorts of simple things can make a real difference. We don’t have to do it alone. There are so many resources in this diocese and so many people that can help us to grow churches. Praying for growth is something churches don’t always think about, but I like to encourage churches to always pray for the growth of the church during intercessions.’
Adding to this during the same live recording, Bishop Leah said:
Bishop Leah said: ‘Conference has been really encouraging, and it’s not just encouraging in terms of seeing other people engage with LYCiG, but also reflecting on my own ministry and recognising these themes. I’m hoping that other people are also recognising these themes in what they’ve done in the past; it’s affirming as well as encouraging as they lean into what God might have in store next’.
During one of his session talks at conference, Father Grant Naylor emphasised the importance of welcome and its impact across generations:
‘I know a woman in her 80s who has recently moved from my parish, but came to a Thursday service back at St Matthew’s, because years ago it was at one of those services that the church were able to take young people like her on a trip to the seaside that they’ve otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford. It was that welcome and care for young people that stayed with her and sustained her faith over the years’.
Fr Naylor added:
‘We glorify the Lord through worship. Worship is an evangelistic tool, as we show others when we’re most alive and connected with the living Lord. The two things that we need are:
- Penance – saying sorry for the things we’ve done wrong
- Thanksgiving to God for the great blessings he pours out on us
‘It’s great when our worship reflects this. Worship is something we should always review in our churches and seek to improve. Christians are most alive when they are worshipping.’
In his closing remarks on Day 3, Bishop Pete said: ‘To the LYCiG team, each one of you this week has been funny, challenging, inspiring and vulnerable. You are a great asset to the Church of England and a great gift to us here.’
The workshops on Day 2 were led by the following people:
- Revd Hannah Patton, Priest-in-Charge of St John’s Goole (Workshop: Renewal and Revitalisation in deprived/forgotten communities)
- Emma Johnson, Centenary Project Worker at St John’s Goole (Workshop: Renewal and Revitalisation in deprived/forgotten communities)
- Revd Canon Adam Priestley, Oversight Minister of Resurrection Doncaster (Workshop: Renewal and Revitalisation in deprived/forgotten communities)
- Canon Dr Cathy Rhodes, Diocese of Sheffield’s Environment Officer (Workshop: Leading your church into green growth)
- Ben Coyne-Fearn, External Communications Officer for the Diocese of Sheffield (Workshop: Church communications that connect)
- Kellianne Montgomery, Digital Learning Designer for the Diocese of Sheffield (Workshop: Church communications that connect)
- Revd John Hibberd, Mission Development Adviser for Sheffield and Rotherham (Workshop: Opening our churches to visitors and pilgrims)
- Chris Ellis, Church Buildings Officer (Workshop: Opening our churches to visitors and pilgrims)
- Rachel Baker, Young Leaders’ Community Enabler for the Diocese of Sheffield (Workshop: Young people in church, presented with young leaders Abby, Katy, Linda and Paddy)
Diocesan Conference finished with a closing eucharist on Day 3, with Bishop Pete presiding and Bishop Leah preaching. The Diocesan Development Day on Saturday 3 October will be a good opportunity to return to the learning and to bring members of parish teams along who were unable to attend the conference.
Revd Canon Toby Hole, Director of Mission and Ministry, said:
‘We were delighted that the conference was fully booked with a really good representation of ordained and lay leaders. It felt to me like a real sea change in terms of the Diocese working together in mission. We have received very good feedback, not only about LyCiG’s presentation but also about the opportunity for people to meet others from across the diocese. One participant commented on how they felt much less isolated as a result. My only sadness was that we were unable to witness an England victory over Argentina!
‘The conference was really packed with a lot of material presented in a short time, but the speakers were so engaging that everyone will have been able to take something away, if not everything.’
