St Stephen’s is helping CMS to spread the Good News around the globe.

The five foundational policies of the Community (developed by John Venn, first chair of CMS) shape its mission strategy and the way in which its purpose is put into practice:

Follow God’s lead

Put prayer first, money second

Success depends on the quality of those appointed

Begin small

Rely on the Spirit of God

The Community was originally called the Society for Missions to Africa and the East. It soon became known after its nickname the Church Missionary Society (‘Missionary’ later became ‘Mission’). In its first 200 years four 50-year phases of mission strategy can be identified:

Pioneering Outreach

(cross-cultural engagement, Bible translation, liturgical innovation)

Church Planting

(self-supporting, self-governing, and self-extending churches)

Social Development

(institutions of social transformation: schools, hospitals, businesses)

Mission Partnerships

(mission relationships, interchanging resources in global Christianity)

The first three of these phases form the background and basis for the three aspects of CMS mission: making disciples, resourcing leaders, and transforming communities; the fourth phase has become the basis for the new era in which CMS now works: global mission.

For more information about CMS see their website here.