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Germinate: Growing + Equipping Rural Ministry

KEY NOTE SPEAKERS: Revd Dr Roger Walton, President of the Methodist Conference 2016/7, on discipleship; and Pete Atkins, Team Co-ordinator for Fresh Expressions

 

  • Major National Day Conference on Rural Mission

  • For lay, clergy and regional church leaders

  • Supported by the main churches, networks and organisations that resource rural churches

  • Central venue with easy road, rail and air access

  • Real case studies and practical workshops

  • Details of resources for rural churches and an opportunity to share resources you have found helpful

  • 2014 prices held

  • Save £24! Early booking price £48 including lunch and refreshments. Price from 30 June  £60. From 15 September £72.

  • Low cost hotel accommodation available near conference venue if required.

Case studies include: rural fresh expressions; using discipleship resources; prayer spaces in schools; working ecumenically; dementia friendly churches.

You can see the timetable for the day here. This is subject to very minor change up to the day of the Conference.

 

Workshop choices –  Choose any two from the following seven options:

1.   Developing prayer   A representative from Prayer Spaces in Schools

2.   Developing the Ministry of Lay People   Caroline Pascoe, Lay Development Officer, Diocese of Hereford

3.   Making disciples in Messy Church   Jane Butcher , BRF

4.   Developing discipleship in older people   Pete Atkins, Fresh Expressions

5.   Missional listening   Simon Mattholie, CEO Rural Ministries

6.   Germinate Groups introduction and training   Jerry Marshall, CEO Arthur Rank Centre

7.   Germinate Enterprise introduction and training   Jerry Marshall, CEO Arthur Rank Centre

 

Workshop options 6 and 7 are information and training sessions for those interested in learning more about Germinate Groups, 

or Germinate Enterprise, Rural Business Start-up Programme www.germinate.net/go/enterprise

 

 

You can make and pay for your booking on-line from here.

PLEASE NOTE! You can only make and pay for one delegate place at a time. If you need to make multiple bookings please call the office on 024 76853060. 

 The Welcome Centre, 47 Parkside, Coventry, CV1 2HGhttp://www.thewelcomecentre.co.uk/location/location is walking distance from Coventry railway station, with fast rail access from Birmingham Airport, and close to main motorways. There is free on-site parking.

Information about local hotel accomodation can be found here

 Conference enquiries can be made to helenm@germinate.net or by telephone on 024 7685 3060

 

 Comments on the 2014 conference:

 "An excellent day – lots of practical ideas to take back."

 "Most focused and inspiring rural conference I have ever attended!"

 "Well worth the cost and a great help to our lay leaders."

 "Energising, creative, inspiring… exciting to be part of this."

 "Very enjoyable and uplifting – I feel very encouraged."

 "I'm left with a feeling of excitement and renewal."

 "Absolutely brilliant day!"

Refresh – A guerilla manual for being church and doing life

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” 

            – Thomas Jefferson

“The most important lesson in the writing trade is that any manuscript is improved if you cut away the fat. “

            – Robert Heinlein

Books are much like organizations and systems. They all begin with an idea. This idea, at first, is a lot of fun. The more work you put into it, the more it seems to come alive. Careful time is spent chiseling, shaping, and forming this idea into something that will ultimately be birthed. And soon, with enough hard work, sweat, and toil put in, you possess something that you are ready to unveil.

Now comes the hard part.

Communicating this idea to others in a way that they can understand and even pass on. This is where most ideas die… they get stunted in their delivery and don’t live on. They are either not fully understood by the hearer, or in one’s passion towards the idea it becomes so complex and nuanced that only the originator of it truly gets it.

And with ideas and words, much like organizations and systems, it is easier to add complexity rather than reduce it. Saying less (and still communicating clearly) is more of a task than rambling on.

I bought a new iPhone the other day because the previous one I was using kept getting bogged down and closing the apps that were open. It had too much saved on it and was laboring to work slowing down the functionality. Most days, I would have to refresh the app I was using multiple times by quitting it and then restarting it again to give it another try. Refreshing the apps and restarting the phone daily was the only way to get anything out of it. It had become too complex… too tired… too difficult to navigate.

I needed a new phone. I needed a fresh start. I needed to trade in the old for something simpler.

And time and time again, I have found this principle in my phone scenario to be true in my approach to the Christian life.

Often, I have made following Jesus and being a part of the community of God too complex. Good intentions become rules to be followed, and checking the boxes trumps a righteous heart adjustment. As humans, we love to overcomplicate the things of God.

And that is why we wrote ‘Refresh’. When the Rev. Dr. Michael Moynagh (better known as ‘Mike’) and I chatted about creating something for the everyday person in the pews in the church, we wanted something digestible… something that the average person could read in 30 minutes. Something that explained in simple language what Jesus was all about, and what by His death, He invited us all into. ‘Refresh’ in one sense is a fresh approach to being church as we do life, and in another sense nothing fresh at all. It is a throwback to the first century earliest Christian community and the way that they did life together as the people of God. What did that look like? What was the Spirit doing with this early group of believers? And how can we get back to the start and emulate that today?

‘Refresh – A Not-So-New Guide to Being Church and Doing Life’ was written with the average, normal, everyday person in mind. What would it look like if you leveraged the God-given gifts, skills, talents, experiences, and personality you possess for the Kingdom? What if mission wasn’t just a complicated add-on, but the starting point of life with Jesus? And what if there was a way to live life on mission that simply flavored your day-to-day routine? If there were enough of us who caught this vision and chose to live on mission in community right where we find ourselves today…

There would be revival.

And I cannot think of anything more worth 30 minutes of my time. Please, do yourself a favor (in fact, do the church and those that don’t know Him yet a favor) and forego a television show to push the refresh button on your life and be open to what the Spirit is calling you to do.

____________________

‘Refresh – A Not-So-New Guide to Being Church and Doing Life’ by Michael Moynagh & Rob Peabody has just released in the UK and will be releasing globally 27 July 2016.

–  Rev. Dr Michael Moynagh is based at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He has advised governments and businesses on future trends, and is consultant on theology and practice to Fresh Expressions UK. He is a recognized authority on new types of church.

– Rev. Rob Peabody serves as the Co-Founder and CEO of Awaken, a non-profit charity that exists to resource the church for action. He heads up Fresh Expressions pioneering efforts amongst the next generation.

 

Click here to purchase your copy of Refresh from our online store.

Refresh: A Not-So-New Guide to Being Church and Doing Life

What do you do when the church ceases to reach the masses? When it no longer connects?

You go back to basics… to the early church.

To church, the way the first Christians did it.

What Jesus wants isn’t complicated: He calls us to be a community and through that community to introduce Him to the world.

Refresh is a guerrilla manual that will show you how to do just that – in less than thirty minutes.

 

To find out more about the 'Refresh' project, go to www.refreshyourcommunity.com

 

The Revd Dr Michael Moynagh is based at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He has advised governments and businesses on future trends, and is consultant on theology and practice to Fresh Expressions UK. He is a recognized authority on new types of church.

Rob Peabody serves as the Co-Founder and CEO of Awaken, a non-profit charity that exists to resource the church for action. He heads up Fresh Expressions pioneering efforts amongst the next generation.

Youth Work Project Coordinator Vacancy

We are seeking a pioneering and committed individual to lead our work with young people.

In this unique and exciting role you will be responsible for the day to day running of the project including, leading face-to-face youth work, fundraising and managing a small staff team.

Sidewalk is a successful Christian charity (700733) that has been working in Scarborough for over 25 years. Our aim is to support, challenge and encourage young people to build stronger communities together.  We do this through the core strands of detached street work, mentoring, creative group work and activity trips.

New Monasticism: A UK Gathering of new forms of missional & religious life

This gathering and convention seeks to create an opportuinity for conversation, dialogue and learning to deepen and help articulate what New Monasticism is in a UK context.  In so doing it seeks to draw together practitioners in England Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who are in some form of relationshiop with the Anglican Churches to explore together what is a common understanding of this form of Christian vocation.  Further, we seek to invite those who are sensing a calling in this area, to set up new communities. 

Friday will begin with Evening Prayer St George the Martyr Church and then give time for introductions and a social with drinks and an evening meal.  Saturday begins with Morning Prayer and a Short Address with Phil Potter, Missioner to the Archbishop of Canterbury and Leader of Fresh Expressions UK.  The day will then give room for a number of important dialogues reflecting important areas that need to be addressed, as well as freer conversations based on other questions participants bring with them.  Sunday the venue shifts to the Church of St Margaret the Queen in Streatham, and begins with conclusive discussions before Eucharist where some who have a great distance to travel may leave.  For those who stay on we will have lunch together with activites in the acternoon finishing with Compline led by members of the Community of St Margaret the Queen. 

Please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-monasticism-a-uk-gathering-of-new-forms-of-missional-religious-life-tickets-23204942608​ to book your spot.

Youth Worker

Salary: £20,000 – £27,000 (gross) per annum, depending on experience

This is an exciting opportunity for a Youth Worker with a vision to see positive transformation in the lives of young people living on the Pimlico estates.

The post holder will work alongside the Senior Youth Worker to establish and implement a strategy to engage young people, particularly those who are at risk of gang involvement, radicalisation and other illegal activities. They will encourage young people to reach their full potential and strive to bring them into a living relationship with Christ.

The post holder will be involved with providing support to a variety of youth work programmes including but not limited to the following:

– Schools work

– Detached youth work

– Christian discipleship

– Mentoring

– Sports and or a creative arts programme

The appointment will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and it is a genuine occupational requirement for the post holder to be a Christian.

Isle of Mull Vision Event

Over 6,000 people in over 80 places in the UK and worldwide have discovered more about fresh expressions of church and have come away with a real desire to work with God and develop their dreams. In a fun and interactive way, vision events give you the chance to:

o   share your story;

o   think about what it is to be church;

o   ask questions;

o   find out about fresh expressions;

o   discover resources;

o   build networks and relationships.

vision events are ideal for complete beginners, those with real questions about fresh expressions and mission-shaped church, people who have started something new and need some practical help, and Christians from all churches and traditions.

Pete Atkins, convenor of the Fresh Expressions training hub, says, ‘Each vision event is carefully planned in partnership with local churches to ensure that it is relevant in that particular area and context.’

Venue

Salen & Ulva Parish Church Salen

Isle of Mull

PA72 6JB

Booking details

For more information, or to book, please contact; Clifford Moisy (candronmull@btinternet.com) or phone : 01680 300473.

Salvation Army Fresh Expressions Update

Where are we Going?   We do not know the way! These words of the disciples to Jesus in John 14 have long been words I continually seem to find myself drawn back to, time and time again.

There is a bridge in Choluteca Honduras.  The bridge was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1930s and was a fine bridge without problems.  In 1998 Hurricane Mitch came through and dumped 75  inches of rain in a few days.  The bridge survived but the roads leading to it on either side didn’t.  The most striking thing about the situation is that the river moved.  It is no longer under the bridge.  It was and is a great bridge but the river moved.

There is no doubt that the Salvation Army has benefitted from its partnership with the Fresh Expressions movement.  I hope also the feeling it mutual, I believe it is.  The learning, experience, passion, and thinking of how to reach those who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour has also reignited within us as a movement a call back to our Pioneering roots.  The Salvation Army, is experiencing rebirth in the midst or radical organisational transformation.  A sign of hope and good news indeed.I was reminded of this ‘reality’ earlier this year by a good friend.  As I listened to this, my heart was stirred by God.  It seemed to resonate to me of something of the journey of the Church in the UK in recent decades.  The landscape has changed radically and we have been seeking to reach this ‘changing world’ with the tools, methods and structures of another day.

As Fresh Expressions plotted the way forward with its five areas of focus, I listened, reflected and pondered how would these areas help the SA realign its bridges into the communities in which it seeks to be good news.

We embarked on a bit of a journey as a movement to consider Pioneering new ways of church to reach the lost and in doing so a strategy was put together that has encompassed the areas of focus. This strategy was presented to The Salvation Army Cabinet  (our national leadership team) in March 2016 to consider whether it wanted to embrace and endorse the National Pioneer Strategy.  This Strategy incorporates the FE five foci, which we have put into four areas;

  • Pioneer Centres

  • Pioneer Advocates

  • Pioneer Recruitment and Training

  • Pioneer Monitoring and Assessment

The implications of this strategy are massive and its certainly not without its challenges.  But there is no doubt that we need to change the culture of how we operate and think in The Church and we are no different.  My personal dream would be that by embracing pioneering fresh expressions of church that we would find the ‘Tide turning’ and the culture would be one that encourages and endorses this missional way of thinking.

The meeting did not go as I expected!  I was shocked and yes surprised as the cabinet asked good searching questions and yet with a desire and hunger to see God's Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.  They were genuinely excited by what they were hearing, and what’s more it felt to me as if we were at that very moment ‘caught up, dwelling in the presence of the Lord’.  I left the cabinet room, after this conversation walking out, seemingly comatosed and in shock as it was endorsed in its entirety!  It was such a God blessing.

Im reminded of the scripture ‘he who began the work in you will bring it to completion.’  Ive dreamed much over the years that we would rediscover our passion for mission and see Gods salvation transforming peoples lives. 

And so we now embark on making the strategy a reality.  The main emphasis of my role has been to help re-educate people in regard to mission and how FE can work in each and every context.  Im travelling leading vision days with senior leaders, divisions (areas) and local churches, seeking to change the culture of our thinking.  Our Training centres have been identified as have our Pioneer Advocates.  We have got a young adult filming stories, ready to put into the hands of every church leader across the country in July.  We have also put through our assessment process over 30 officers and non officers in the last 16 months.  Things seem to be heading in the right direction, they are small steps at present, but they are heading it seems the right way.

The partnership with FE has been such a good thing for us as a movement.  I believe God delights in unity, when His people from the whole body work together.  Whats more the lovely benefit of this is indeed that of us each needing the skills and gifts which each and every partner brings.  I would pray that FE would be richly blessed, helped and inspired by its being partners with the SA as we have experienced from them.

And so the Salvation Army embarks on ‘building new bridges’, in the days and months to come.  Encouraging the pioneering of new and contextually relevant ways of being church into different cultures and communities.  We have only begun but it feels like the river is starting to flow closer to the bridges than it has for some time.  It feels like we may know where we are heading once more!

Church Planting and Fresh Expressions Adviser

Key Tasks

  1. Be a Mentor and Coach to Fresh Expressions and Church Planting leadership teams, sharing best practice and providing effective support.

  2. Take a key role in the diocesan response to new housing developments.

  3. Deliver and signpost training for fresh expressions and church planting teams, including working with the national fresh expressions team to develop an innovative, modular approach to the MSM course.

  4. Create a network of mentors for new leaders.

  5. Advise churches who are considering the place of a blended economy in their parish.

  6. Invest deeply in a few key pioneer leaders.

  7. Be a key part of the team moving forward the “new worshipping communities” section of the diocesan growth strategy.

Experience

The post holder will have had experience in leading church planting or fresh expressions teams. They may be lay or ordained. If ordained it is a necessary condition of this employment that they will hold a licence of the Bishop of Guildford.

It is envisaged that they will worship in a fresh expression of church but not be its main leader. 

Remuneration

You will be employed by the Diocese of Guildford.

Salary £33,000.

15% pension contribution.

The post will run for five years. 

Diocesan Strategy

A new diocesan growth strategy is due to be launched in September 2016, but a key element in its formation is a finding in a diocesan wide survey that listed “new forms of worship service” as a key area of growth. The final strategy is likely to contain something like the following statement as a key goal:

To encourage the development of 100 new worshipping communities by 2027 in areas of greatest need and opportunity.

These communities will vary from new churches on large housing developments to small scale fresh expressions of church aimed at particular groups – and everything in between. This post is a next step in supporting that goal.

For a fuller explanation of why the post is being created, see the accompanying “Concept Paper” which was used to secure agreement for creating the post. 

Pioneer Minister

We are looking for a Pioneer Minister, ordained or lay, with the following attributes:

  • A visionary thinker with the ability to inspire others to share that vision

  • A passion for evangelism and for reaching others with the good news of Jesus Christ

  • A heart to serve the needs of the people of Priorslee

  • Previous experience of incarnational mission and of establishing new congregations

  • An ability to sensitively offer leadership and direction to a small yet diverse team with potential for growth, and to release others to lead

  • A desire and ability to speak with conviction from the Bible to a range of different audiences

  • An ability to communicate effectively, and build relationships, with a variety of different people and groups within the local community and with other Churches and denominations in Telford

  • An ability to take risks and learn from mistakes

  • An active prayer life that will sustain the Leader in a challenging ministry

To work with a small and committed core team, under a second Bishop’s Mission Order to continue to establish and grow a Fresh Expression of Church in Priorslee, a large and growing suburb on the eastern edge of Telford, Shropshire. This second Bishop’s Mission Order will be for up to five years.

The appointment is 0.5 stipend, housing and condition of employment in accordance with Lichfield Diocesan standard terms.

Details of this post can be found http://www.lichfield.anglican.org/ourdiocese/job-vacancies