Author: ben-clymo

St Benny’s

Pioneer Minister Nik Stevenson, and his wife Shelly, are based in Oakley Vale, near Corby. Nik tells how 'St Benny's' has developed.

I was licensed as Pioneer Minister on the Oakley Vale estate in March 2011 and that's when we moved on to the estate. We were given a house and then told to get on with it!

We had two years of getting to know the folk of Oakley Vale, organising various activities and serving the community before we launched St Benedict's (known as St Benny's) public worship in September last year.

The first thing we got into was the school summer holiday Oakley Vale Lunch Project (LUNCH). This was providing lunch for children who would normally get free meals at school. We set up a gazebo on a local playing field and made lots of sandwiches. What was interesting was they just didn't want food, they wanted to play as well – so it was sandwiches and french cricket. We've run that project several times since.  

St Benny's - Nik and ShellyWe are also involved in running a weekly Food Bank distribution centre on a neighbouring estate with Churches Together. I'm chaplain at Corby's Stewart and Lloyd's RFC and I also play tight head prop for the Veteran team – that means I'm one of the big fat guys in the front row!

More recent projects include Storytime for primary school children in our front room and a 'coffee stop' at the school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The 'coffee stop' is where parents can go after school drop-off time. We have coffee, pastries and chat – and all sorts of interesting things happen as a result. All of these projects are part of building relationships and trust in the community.

It took a while to get to the point where people wanted to meet together as a fresh expression of church. But we now have people of all ages who come fairly regularly; we are also now seeing people coming to know Jesus better. It all begins with our Community Café that runs from 10am to 4pm on Sundays at the Oakley Vale Community Centre. We offer home baked goodies and bacon sandwiches at the start of the day. Later on, the café slows down and morphs into church when we have:

  • a couple of active, 'kid friendly' songs at The Gathering with actions and dance routines;

  • a craft activity or game that links in with the story;

  • a dramatically told Bible story;

  • three- to five-minute Bible thought;

  • a gathering up of the ideas in an attempt to make it applicable to late primary/early secondary level;

  • a more contemplative song;

  • a time of creative prayer;

  • more coffee and goodies;

  • a chance to pray individually with the team.

St Benny's - craftWe have a core group of about 20 people, but we normally see between 35 and 45 people weekly. The last Sunday of the month is based around a bring and share meal.

By the grace of St Michael's, Great Oakley, I am working in their parish but I have no formal ties with them. Their church is in a small village nearby but, by road, it's a long way and quite difficult to access.

The Rural Dean, Ian Pullinger – vicar of St Columba's, Corby – has been very supportive. Two of the families that form part of our core team have been sent to us from St Columba's and he commissioned Richard and Cathy Smith to be missionaries to Oakley Vale, here at St Benny's. Liz and Noel Harding and their family are also part of the core team and they have been a great encouragement and support to us since we moved onto the estate. There are other people on the fringes of St Benny's – some are happy with what we are doing but are not sure about God yet; they are starting to understand that we are kind of God's 'community workers'.

We are up front and honest and we talk about God a lot. I think, if we didn't do that, it would be a huge mistake. Once people see that you compartmentalise your life, you're in trouble. If Jesus isn't at the heart of it all, I wouldn't be here and the whole reason we are here would disappear. Jesus needs to be central to what we are doing. Authenticity is something that people respect. It's about being humble and honest.

St Benny's is now a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) – which is basically a halfway house between a company and a charity. Being a CIO means we find it easier to attract funding even though we are still very clearly a faith-based organisation. This has led to funding for the LUNCH project and a series of interns to help with the work on Oakley Vale.

St Benny's - mealShelly and I have daily prayer using three fold Benedictine office. We are working to stream the offices as part of St Benny's Radio so that others can join in. Shelly is a Benedictine Oblate (Wikipedia: Oblate) and is doing her PhD in Digital New Monastic Communities so will be leading on that. We've put in a funding bid for an app so that the liturgy will be available on smartphones. St Benny's Radio will allow people to access a daily rhythm of life with us.

I think the hardest thing about being a pioneer is that you are always inspected, always scrutinised. I'm going through ordination at the moment so it can feel like you are being assessed to death! I am aware that it's hard for some people in diocesan structures to understand what we're doing because they spend so much of their time in a more traditional environment. It can be hard to get St Benny's as it looks so different to traditional church. How is it going to work? How is it going to cope?

I was quite defensive about it all when I started working here, but now I see I need to be willing to explain. This is what God is doing. I need to help them to understand that and not just expect them to 'get it'. It's important not to be a rebel on the edge of the diocese; we will always work differently because we are pioneers.

I'm studying part-time through Eastern Region Ministry Course and I learn online one evening a week. I will be ordained deacon in 2016. The hope is that my curacy will be here on Oakley Vale so that I will have ten years in this area before someone else takes it on to the next level when I go.

The Point Church: ten years and counting…

Point Church at tenThe Point Church in Burgess Hill has just celebrated its tenth birthday in style with a weekend full of celebrations. Jules Middleton reports in an article written for the Mid-Sussex Times.

Ten years may not seem that long in church terms but The Point is part of the Church of England and is a 'church plant' or new church, started under the fresh expressions banner – an initiative set up to think about different ways of 'doing church'. Begun back in 2004 with a just a few people meeting in the living room of Vicar Will Kemp, the church has grown quickly and now meets at St.Paul's Catholic College, Burgess Hill on Sunday mornings. 

The TEN celebrations included a glittering awards evening and party, with the theme 'dress to impress', a fantastic morning service with special guest Bishop Lindsay Urwin, who was instrumental in getting the church off the ground in the first place, and finally an evening celebration which gathered many friends of The Point from local churches to celebrate together, including Bishop of Lewes, Richard Jackson and special guest speaker, church planter Rev David Cooke from Holy Trinity, Barnes.

Will Kemp said that the weekend was

an amazing celebration of all that God has done through The Point in the last ten years

and noted that it was great to look back at some of the highlights so far, including the very recent story of Point regular Tim Adams who miraculously found his mum after 50 years. Plus many other things such as the 'Church in a Pub' initiative, which meets at the Woolpack in Burgess Hill; Walking the Land, a giant prayer walk across Mid Sussex over 24 hours involving many local churches; and the many community events and ventures that have impacted people across Mid Sussex.

Will Kemp added,

We are delighted to be celebrating ten years as a church, but it also seems like the start of a new season and we are really excited about the next ten years and where God will take us next.

CMS Pioneer Leadership Course Open Day

If you're thinking about the Pioneer Leadership Course at CMS or are just a bit curious about what's going on, then their next Open Day provides a great opportunity to find out more.

Come and explore a course designed specifically by pioneers, for pioneers.

CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training provides a dynamic learning community for anyone with a passion for pioneer mission – both lay and ordained.

The focus is on equipping pioneers for innovative mission and the creation of fresh expressions of church. You can take individual modules or pursue a diploma, certificate or MA accredited by Durham University. Pioneer ordinands will do some additional weekends with students at Ripon College, Cuddeston.

The day will include a chance to hear the vision of the course from Jonny Baker, details of how everything works and a chance to pop your head into the modules running that day. This remains the best way to see the course in action and to meet the team.

If you're wondering about studying a module, taking on a whole course or about getting ordained as a pioneer we can help.

Further details

Visit the CMS Pioneer Leadership course website for more information, book your place by contacting Anne or Andy on pioneer@cms-uk.org or 01865 787439.

CMS Pioneer Leadership Course Open Day

If you're thinking about the Pioneer Leadership Course at CMS or are just a bit curious about what's going on, then their next Open Day provides a great opportunity to find out more.

Come and explore a course designed specifically by pioneers, for pioneers.

CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training provides a dynamic learning community for anyone with a passion for pioneer mission – both lay and ordained.

The focus is on equipping pioneers for innovative mission and the creation of fresh expressions of church. You can take individual modules or pursue a diploma, certificate or MA accredited by Durham University. Pioneer ordinands will do some additional weekends with students at Ripon College, Cuddeston.

The day will include a chance to hear the vision of the course from Jonny Baker, details of how everything works and a chance to pop your head into the modules running that day. This remains the best way to see the course in action and to meet the team.

If you're wondering about studying a module, taking on a whole course or about getting ordained as a pioneer we can help.

If you're not able to make this Open Day there is a date booked on 9th June 2015.

Further details

Visit the CMS Pioneer Leadership course website for more information, book your place by contacting Anne or Andy on pioneer@cms-uk.org or 01865 787439.

A new call

Last November, the Church of Scotland formally launched its partnership with the Fresh Expressions movement with a vision day in Edinburgh. A year on, David McCarthy reports on the impact of the initiative which is already charting new territory within the Church of Scotland.

If a week is a long time in politics what is a year in the life of the church? It's both short when we consider the 'Big Story' of which we are a part and long when we think about our part in this story. So, what has a year brought for the Church of Scotland's partnership with Fresh Expressions and the development of fresh expressions of church within the Church of Scotland? Well, the long and the short of it is, it's been a very good year. Good because:

  • there is a developing openness to fresh expressions of church;

  • this year's General Assembly deliverance on a Decade of Ministry encourages this development;

  • we have a coherent strategy to advocate, encourage and support the development of fresh expressions of church;

  • innovative fresh expressions of church are developing in Scotland.

Respect, honesty and putting ourselves in the shoes of others are core to good relationships. This we know is not always easy and has not always characterised our discussion about fresh expressions of church. So what has helped relationships deepen so that this openness is developing?

One important factor is a deepening understanding within the church: there is a growing understanding that:

  • traditional or inherited expressions of church and fresh expressions of church are equally valid, so long as they are truly being church;

  • church is fundamentally focused on relationships from which practices develop, not the other way round;

  • church is a communal, relational, space where individuals, in community, meet the risen Jesus and are transformed by Him. It is (or should be) a community of love, acceptance, accountability, discipleship and worship;

  • a 'one-size' expression of church will not 'fit all'. Scotland is a mosaic of communities: geographical, cultural and generational; Part of the adventure of faith is to share in developing church in all these communities, not only so that all may have an equal opportunity to meet the risen, transforming Jesus, but so that the worship of God in Scotland may be expressed through the kaleidoscope of this mosaic;

  • we can honestly air both our enthusiasm for fresh expressions of church and our doubts and concerns about it and be listened to and respected.

Concerns, which are expressed, generally come within three broad categories: relational, experiential and theological. Some examples which we must take seriously:

  • previous bad experiences of emerging ministries/church initiatives;

  • weariness: individual and corporate (particularly given current changes within the church);

  • suspicion: Fresh Expressions is perceived as too evangelical, too liberal, too English or too influenced by other denominations;

  • a negative reaction to yet another initiative from a central body within the church;

  • concerns about governance and how fresh expressions of church relate to parishes, presbyteries and the story of the Church of Scotland;

  • we do not understand the present cultural kaleidoscope of Scotland, or we want these cultures to reconfigure to our preferred culture;

  • fresh expressions of church are church and theology lite; they might better be described as ‘froth’ expressions of church;

  • fresh expressions of church take the easy option: they are too stratified and not representative.

The 2014 General Assembly agreed a 'Decade of Ministry', which encourages us to be open to the love, imagination and creativity of God and to be open to our call, as a church, to be pioneers. It called us to committed action in the encouraging and equipping of the whole church to share in this ministry. The resources provided by Fresh Expressions, in particular the mission shaped ministry (msm) course, were highlighted as core to the realising of this exciting and challenging deliverance. One of the inevitable consequences of the outworking of this deliverance will be the development of fresh expressions of church.

At this point it's important to remember what we are developing: fresh expressions of church. This is different from developing a fresh expression of mission, community engagement or worship. Any of the latter may develop into a fresh expression of church, but of themselves they are something different and could equally be forms of outreach, which engage people with the church which initiated the action.

The peculiarity of a fresh expression of church is that it not only identifies and goes to a community (geographical, cultural or generational) that has no meaningful engagement with a church community, it also identifies with that community and stays within it. It listens, it serves as an insider, not an outsider, it disciples, it develops worship that is appropriate for the community within which it is being church and then it sends pioneers from that community to another new community.

As a church our strategy to advocate fresh expressions of church resonates with the Fresh Expressions ethos of 'going': over the next three years we plan to give every presbytery and parish in Scotland the opportunity to engage with the nuts and bolts of fresh expressions of church. There will be regional opportunities for those who have presbytery responsibilities and for those who have local responsibilities. These will be times to:

  • speak and to listen;

  • be encouraged and to discuss fears, disappointments and reservations;

  • think about first steps and about how we help fresh expressions thrive;

  • discover ways to develop ongoing support and to share stories, so that others may be inspired and helped.

As well as these sessions, which we are calling 'Going for Growth' and which will happen in the autumn, we are planning Fresh Expression vision days in the spring (contact the Church of Scotland Mission and Discipleship team for details). Then in June we are organising a Going for Growth Summer School. This will be eligible for parish minister's study leave funding; Phil Potter (Fresh Expressions Team Leader) and George Lings (Church Army Research) will be among the key contributors.

Undergirding this strategy is the intentional aim to change our church culture so that we will understand more clearly our call to be pioneers, so that we will embrace this call and so that when we think of mission we will automatically consider developing a fresh expression of church.

When we think of fresh expressions of church we may be tempted to think only about communities that focus on children, teenagers or younger adults, but the reality is much more diverse. As well as initiatives such as Fridays in Faith in Annan there is Neither Young Nor Old (NYNO) in Aberdeen: a fresh expression of church centred around a sheltered accommodation community.

This is an exciting and challenging time and in such times we must ensure that our motivation is right and honourable: love of God and love of our neighbour must fire us; not a drive to bolster the status quo or keep church membership numbers at a level that allow us to be financially viable in our present form. Something much more important is at stake and we know what it is.

As mentioned earlier there are concerns, perceptions and reactions which we must not minimise, arrogantly dismiss or ignore; everyone has lessons to learn, but, I firmly believe, we also have an adventure to share and fresh expressions of church are a part of this. If this is a work of the Holy Spirit then we must not step back; together God calls us to forward the conversation and the action.

Serious reflection doesn't and mustn't mean that we ask the Spirit to submit to our insecurities and anxious double and treble checking. If I'm going on a long journey my fear could so devour attention and energy that, in checking my luggage and if the house I am leaving is secure, I lose track of time and literally miss the boat. We don't want to do the same. As a church we have taken decisions to explore and develop pioneer ministry and to develop fresh expressions of church; to hesitate or falter would be to bow the knee to fear rather than follow where we have discerned Christ and faith are calling us.

David McCarthy

Evaluation: part of spiritual discernment

Michael Moynagh seeks to reclaim evaluation as a spiritual discipline.

Evaluation has had a bad press in the secular world. Frequently targets are imposed from outside, are not owned by those involved, and privilege some stakeholders (such as funders) over others – often those served by the initiative. Surely we do not want the same culture creeping into the church?

A different starting point is to see evaluation as a part of spiritual discernment. The purpose is far more than assessing whether financial support is justified. It is to discover how the Spirit has been at work.

Evaluation becomes a process of recognising fruitfulness – not merely once a fresh expression of church is established, but at every stage beforehand.

A conversation can be fruitful if you learn something or get to know the other person better. An 'experimental' barbecue can be fruitful even though hardly anyone shows up: a throwaway remark during the evening may give you another idea to try.

Fruitfulness goes beyond the outcomes of your initiative. It includes signs of the Spirit at work during the journey.

As a fresh expression comes to birth, evaluation can be based on the fresh expressions journey.

A serving-first journey

A fresh expressions journey

Often you will not know what each stage looks like till you get to it. Even so, having this map may help you to see the direction of travel and provide a framework for evaluation as you go along. 'God has led us to this point in the journey. Where have we seen the Spirit at work? What fruit can we recognise? Where might we be heading next?'

Discernment becomes a matter of imagining concretely what the next stage will look like. Evaluation helps the team to assess whether these expectations have been met.

The appendix to my new book, Being Church, Doing Life: Creating gospel communities where life happens contains an illustrative list of 'evaluation' questions that a team (or those with oversight of a fresh expression) might ask at each stage of the fresh expressions' serving-first journey. In Being Church, Doing Life I have included both qualitative questions and, for those who like numbers, quantitative ones.

But what happens when a fresh expression nears the end of a serving-first journey? What might evaluation look like then?

You may want to adopt a different framework. You may want to base your evaluation on the four interlocking sets of relationships that should be at the heart of any expression of church and are centred on Jesus:

  • Up: relationships with God;

  • Out: relationships with the world;

  • In: relationships within the fellowship;

  • Of: relationships with the wider Christian family (the gathering is part of the body of Christ).

At the start of the year, members of the community might imagine what growth in the next twelve months might look like in each of these four sets of relationship.

For example, in relation to the 'Of' relationships, the community might agree to introduce holy communion and ask the minister to preside to strengthen its link with the parent church. Members might also decide to listen during the year to three podcast talks in their worship as another way of connecting with the wider church.

Evaluation will be the prayerful process of looking back, thanking God for the fruit you prayed for, recognising perhaps the absence of certain fruit and possibly identifying fruit that you did not expect. Again, in my book I have highlighted questions that a community – or those with oversight of it – might ask in relation to each of these four sets of church relationships.

And a final thought. If fresh expressions start doing this, might it become a model for the rest of the church?

Break out pioneer gathering

Break out is a gathering of pioneers and those involved in pioneer ministry to be together, learn from each other, find support from those who share the same call and interact with a number of guest speakers.

The Break out Conference 2015 will be held at High Leigh Conference Centre from Wednesday 30th to Friday 2nd October.

This year is slightly different as we want to create our own learning community so that we learn together as pioneers from each other at the gathering. We will be exploring together in different ways the responsibilities and vulnerabilities of being pioneers.

At this year's gathering we want to explore together what a 'stripped back' pioneer might look like to help us reflect on our own anchor points and the support we might require. We will  be hearing lots of our stories to help us think imaginatively about our own situations. Growth and multiplication are becoming buzz words in our churches and so we will be asking how this might impact our work as pioneers.This year for the first time there will also be a stream for 'new pioneers' as part of our programme.

As usual there will be plenty of time for meeting old and new friends, having fun,worshipping together and relaxing. This year we also have a very special 'Thursday night experience' that you will not want to miss!

Cost

Residential: £150 (ensuite)

Non-residential: £60 per day (breakfast not included)

Partners

Break out is a partnership between Fresh Expressions, the Centre for Pioneer Learning, CMS, VentureFX, Church Army, The Salvation Army and Incarnate Networks.

Further details and booking

For further information or to book your place, please visit the Break out website. Closing date for bookings: 24th September 2015.

How the mixed economy develops

Michael Moynagh explores how the mixed economy develops.

Phil Potter has likened the 'mixed economy church' to rivers and lakes. Rivers flow, bubble with energy and bring new water into lakes. Lakes are deeper and more tranquil. Just as rivers and lakes need each other, new forms of church flow into the existing Church and are enriched by its depth and traditions.

Blended church

In some cases, the mixed economy develops when new believers have a blended church experience. They attend both a fresh expression and an older church. There is nothing in the Bible to say that you can’t belong to two local churches! Rather than consumerism, this is about commitment – to more than one Christian community.

Shared events

A second form of the mixed economy is shared events between the fresh expression and its parent church. If the new community has come out of an existing congregation, its members will have a richer church life if they combine with the parent for social events, study groups, short courses, outreach or occasional acts of worship.

One place to start might be for a fresh expression to look out for opportunities to serve its parent church. Might it provide the refreshments for a church study day, for example? There is nothing like loving kindness to open others' hearts.

Church at large

A third expression of the mixed economy occurs when emerging Christians connect to the church at large – through events run by local churches together, or through regional and national conferences and training events, or through accessing Christian resources and making Christian connections online.

Clusters

Fourthly, the mixed economy develops when new Christian communities cluster together. In an English cathedral city, a small team hosts a monthly Sunday breakfast for people in the neighbourhood who don't attend church. Up to 60 have crammed into a house! Around the breakfasts are other events, such as ice cream parties in the summer and chocolate parties in winter.

When individuals start to ask questions about spirituality and faith, they are invited to a weekly meeting at which the core team eat together, plan, pray and study the Bible. If the person enjoys it, they are invited on to the team. Within two or three years, the team grew from 8 to 18 people. It multiplied into two cells. The cells meet together from time to time.

Picture the scene after five years. Some of the cells will no longer be new. They will represent an existing church. As new cells keep being added and cluster with these older cells, they will give birth to… a mixed-economy church.

Connect

If you lead a fresh expression, keep connecting to the wider body! Existing churches may be refreshed and energised by the new life you bring. Your fresh expression may be deepened by the wisdom and experience of established churches. It can be win-win for everyone.