Percy talks on Authentic Mission

The lecture on Saturday 13 July will explore the Church of England’s mission and how it should be shaped for the future.

A spokesperson for the Cathedral said:

"This is a question not just for the Church as an organisation but for its congregation and wider community and we hope that you, as key members of our community, will be able to join us for what should prove to be an insightful lecture.

"Martyn Percy’s subject chimes with the Cathedral’s wish to be a place of common ground (begun with the Salisbury Conversations 2019 that took place earlier this year) as he will examine the society/ culture that the Church wishes to serve, and will use that examination as a basis for understanding what the Church’s mission should comprise."

The Very Revd Professor Martyn Percy is Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. From 2004-14 Martyn was Principal of Ripon College, Cuddesdon, one of the largest Anglican ordination training centres in the world. He has also undertaken a number of roles with charities and in public life, including being a Director of the Advertising Standards Authority and an Advisor to the British Board of Film Classification. Martyn writes on religion in contemporary culture and modern ecclesiology.

He teaches for Faculty of Theology at the University of Oxford, and also tutors in the Social Sciences Division and at the Saïd Business School.

Martyn described his lecture 'Authentic Mission' as follows:

"We live in an age of challenge - and perhaps crisis - for our churches. For some, the answer to the perceived problem is to embark on a perpetual recruitment drive, with re-branding exercises and missional initiatives. But suppose we think about our situation differently, and instead of focussing on the church, start from a different place? What might our churches and their purposes look like then? In this lecture - which promises to be lively - we look at the alternatives, and explore a different hope."

The lecture starts at 2.30pm in the Trinity Chapel, followed by refreshments in the South Transept.

Tickets can be booked via the Cathedral website.