The Church of England has awarded the Diocese of Carlisle £1.6 million to support an ongoing missionary programme.

The funding, for the God For All programme, will be used to develop the church in Cumbria in a variety of different ways, from developing innovative ways to reach people and a newly-formed collaboration between the diocese and Church Mission Society.

The money comes from the Archbishop’s Council’s Strategic Development Funding pot and will be given to the Church of England in Cumbria over the next five years.

The Right Rev James Newcome, the Bishop of Carlisle, said: “We are delighted to learn that our bid for this Strategic Development Funding has been successful.

“We receive it with a truly thankful heart.

“This extra funding means we can continue to work closely with our ecumenical God for All partners to support the established church in Cumbria, while also building on the work of recent years to reach out to new people in new ways through new forms of church.”

The God for All programme, which began in 2015, tries to spread the church message in different ways (or, as it is called by the church, fresh expressions).

So far, this has seen the creation of a biker church, a network youth church, and mountain pilgrims – which encourages people to spend time in the fells to reflect on their religious beliefs.

The Right Rev Dr Emma Ineson, the Bishop of Penrith, said: “It is our hope and prayer that this release of funding from the Strategic Development Fund will lead to growth in many ways across the whole church in Cumbria.

“[It will] enable more and more people to encounter the good news of Jesus and to be drawn into community with his people.”

The money will also be used to fund five new positions within the church which will support the fresh expressions and other churches across the county.

In 2016, the Diocese of Carlisle received £860,000 from the Strategic Development Fund to support God for All.

Then, the money was used to support the creation of mission communities in Cumbria and to encourage new initiatives to connect with people.

By the end of this year, the God For All programme will have launched 24 mission communities across Cumbria, with a further 11 on the way.