The Diocese of Carlisle has made a key appointment to support the ambition to grow 100 new worshipping communities across Cumbria by 2030.

The Rev Beth Honey is to take up the new role of Director of Missional Revitalisation and will work closely with local churches and mission communities, diocesan and ecumenical partners. She will have a particular focus on encouraging creative and imaginative mission as well as encouraging younger people to explore their faith and become lifelong Christian disciples.

Her appointment follows a successful bid for £6.8million made by the Diocese to the national Church of England in March. This will fund ‘The Cumbrian Way’ –to both grow in mission and grow younger – in support of the county’s ecumenical vision and strategy ‘God for All’. There’s also a specific focus on the development of 100 new worshipping communities and developing new and diverse lay and ordained leaders, which Beth and colleagues will work towards.

Beth, 43, said: “I am thrilled that God has given me this opportunity to focus on mission here in Cumbria, a county I’ve come to know and love since moving back to the North in 2021. I’m passionate about developing faithful and bold outreach and encouraging mission through which more and more people can come to know something of the transformative love of Jesus.

“I’m excited at the thought that I will be working with dozens of people across local churches and worshipping communities who hold that same passion. My prayer is that together we will see more and more barriers removed to the love of God, and of more people being called to be part of his beautiful story. It’s also wonderful to know that my family and I will continue to be based in Cumbria, a place which our three children all love dearly!””

In her new role Beth will encourage and enable local church leaders to pioneer new worshipping communities in creative ways, which could be developed in existing or new worship spaces which honour all traditions of church.

She will also champion the work of pioneer lay and ordained ministers across Cumbria who focus on reaching out in innovative and creative ways to create new worshipping

communities. Beth will also have oversight of the work of the Network Youth Church which engages with hundreds of young people in Cumbria each month – as well as working closely with diocesan colleagues in support of the Growing Younger aims for 18 to 25 year olds.

For the last four years, Beth has been based in Cumbria supporting the Restore Christian charity shop in Penrith as a Chaplain and developing the fresh expression that has developed in the community there. In her role as Pioneer Enabler in the mission communities – groupings of mutually collaborative and supportive churches who have a focus on mission - in and around the market town, she has seen new worshipping communities develop intergenerationally in local churches, in Youth art spaces, around a missional enterprise on a van, and through Messy Church.

Prior to ordination, Beth worked through Friends International Ministries with international students at St Andrew’s church in Oxford. In 2006 she began studies at Wycliffe Hall Theological College before ordination three years later, aged 28. Beth served her curacy in the Diocese of Oxford at St Peter’s with St Mark’s in Maidenhead before moving to the Diocese of Derby in 2013 as Pioneer Minister, planting Derwent Oak Fresh Expression set on an outer estate. She also served the Diocese as a Fresh Expressions Enabler and oversaw the Derby Greenhouse project with a particular focus on supporting new expressions of church in market towns and rural settings.

Beth, who also has a Master’s in practical theology, with a focus on church planting and ethics, moved to Cumbria with her husband, Ben in 2021. They have three children, aged 11, 10 and 8.

Rachel Head, Director of Mission and Ministry, Support and Innovation, said: “We are delighted that Beth is to take up this important strategic and operational role which will support local churches, mission communities and schools to both grow missionally in new and exciting ways and to grow younger worshipping communities.

“We recognise that our aim to grow nearly 100 new worshipping communities within five years is ambitious. Yet, with Beth’s proven track record in strategic oversight and pioneering ministry, we know that God has offered us someone who can bring to this role deep learning, past experience and a collaborative approach to mission to make that aim a reality.”

Beth will take up her role in September.