The Bishop of Burnley, Philip North, formally launched Clitheroe Pioneer Ministries by urging all those involved to feel ‘free to take risks and fail’.
At the service in St Paul's Church, the Bishop licensed the Revd Andy Gray as an Ordained Pioneer Minister in the Lancashire market town, saying that the Church increasingly needed to follow the example of Jesus and do the unexpected.
Andy Gray, a former children's worker, said he was looking forward to engaging with the town's new housing areas, and establishing new groups for children in the area. At the service, members from United Network, a new church already started by Andy, led the prayers and Bishop North said they were free to experiment and free to fail. He wanted Clitheroe Pioneer Ministries to serve those on the edge and that meant stepping out and taking risks.
