Ministry 4 Mission success

The Diocese of Salisbury is continuing to develop its massively successful Ministry 4 Mission (M4M) initiative.

The M4M project – coordinated by Alan Jeans, Archdeacon of Sarum, and Revd Penny Joyce, Support Officer for Ministry and Mission – comes to the end of its first stage in April this year but the work is set to grow throughout 2015.

This two-year project maps the many ways in which churches across the diocese reach out in mission; also providing encouragement, support and training for those interested in growing new forms of church for the 21st century. The M4M courses have been run for both lay and clergy and are open to other denominations – over 700 people attended from January to December last year.

Penny said,

The attendance has been stunning and seems to show that there is a real thirst for engagement with fresh expressions of church in the Diocese.

To support and share good practice, local hubs have also been set up for practitioners to meet together and plan training and resourcing. All hubs are based within a half hour radius of a central point so that people don't have to travel miles across the diocese.

There are currently Messy Church hubs, a café church hub, a West Dorset hub, and a new housing hub. A pioneer hub for all of those looking to undertake pioneer work in their area will have its first meeting on Wednesday 25th February 2015 at Church House, Salisbury.

There are further plans to:

  • run a mission shaped ministry course in the north of the diocese this year;
  • facilitate further courses for 2015 with a 'mission equipping' theme;
  • digitise a map of new initiatives across the diocese;
  • set up hubs for lay leaders with a mission heart.

To find out more, contact Penny Joyce on penny.joyce@salisbury.anglican.org.

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