Fresh Expressions is partnering with The Pioneer Collective to deliver the first online mission shaped ministry course in the UK.
The Fresh Expressions mission shaped ministry (msm) course, running since 2007, has been presented 115 times across the UK with over 3,600 people taking part – hundreds more have been involved in msm internationally. As a result, the course has helped many participants to start and grow fresh expressions of church; these are gatherings or networks predominantly intended for people who have never been to church.
Now, in a new stage in the life of msm, Fresh Expressions is partnering with The Pioneer Collective (funded by a grant from the Eastern Baptist Association) to deliver the first online mission shaped ministry course in the UK.
The Pioneer Collective seeks to identify and support 400 new Baptist pioneers by 2019, each 'going to where the church isn't, doing what Jesus does and seeing what happens'. The initiative involves a wide range of key partners, including Urban Expression, Incarnate Network, Light Project, BMS World Mission, Baptists Together and Fresh Expressions.
Overseeing the launch of the online msm course is the Pioneer Collective Coordinator, Simon Goddard, who is also a Regional Minister in the Eastern Baptist Association. The course will start in September but early bird group booking discounts are available before the end of June.
Whilst msm continues to be delivered at a number of locations across the UK (and beyond), the development of msm online now allows it to be accessed anywhere. The online course uses the same material found in the classic delivery of the course and is taught live by experienced msm teachers.
The pilot course starts on 21st September 2015 and comes to an end on 11th July 2016. It will run from 7.30pm-9.30pm on 15 Monday evenings. The modules are interactive and will be delivered live in a 'virtual meeting room' on a laptop or smart TV, but recordings of the sessions and course notes will be accessible to participants at any time. Individuals are welcome to register, but msm online is particularly effective when groups meet in someone's home to go through the course together.
The cost of the course has two components: a group fee of £295 for up to 5 people, plus an individual fee of £35 per person. It is suggested that the group fee might be covered (at least in part) by the participants' church, whilst people cover their own individual fee. There is a 15% discount on the fee available for any group which registers and pays a non-returnable deposit of £150 before 30 June 2015, reducing the group fee to £250.
More information, along with details of how to register, can be found on the mission shaped ministry website.