Start The Week

Back To Church Sunday 2009

Dioceses and other regional church groupings are beginning to focus their involvement with Back To Church Sunday, the most significant single invitational initiative in England (and increasingly internationally) at the moment. Please continue to keep Back To Church in your prayers and to build involvement where you are.

The key date is September 27 2009

The website is http://www.backtochurch.co.uk

And the 2009 Back To Church timeline and other resources are at http://www.backtochurch.co.uk/toptips.asp  

HOPE 08 Theos report

Part of the vision of HOPE 08 is to share learning with the whole church about holistic mission and how best to do it. With this in mind HOPE commissioned Theos to report on the initiative and its strengths and weaknesses.

The report is excellent and it's available for download here: http://www.hope08.com/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=146307

Goodies from Gooding

From Guildford diocese John Gooding has these resources:

Hi friends,

Here are some resources that might interest other missioners:

We have recently produced for clergy a resource to encourage personal prayer – Patterns for developing our Personal Prayer Life.

We have also completed a detailed survey of parish world mission connections – To The Ends of The Earth’.

And we have produced a small booklet to resource our weekly Diocesan House prayer gathering which might inspire and encourage other diocesan house prayer patterns.

These resources are in our Departmental bit of the website in the ‘resources’ section:

http://www.cofeguildford.org.uk/downloads/departments/missionevangelism/prayerpatternsresourcesforclergy.pdf

http://www.cofeguildford.org.uk/downloads/departments/missionevangelism/totheendsoftheearth.pdf

I understand that we are not able to put the Diocesan House internal prayers booklet on the public bit so if enquirers email me I will send them a pdf file.

John Gooding [John.Gooding@cofeguildford.org.uk]

Emerging church, emerging schisms?

Interesting analysis by Mark Sayers of the tendency of emerging churches in all ages to fragment. George Lings and Stuart Murray have been doing some thinking about the application of this to our own culture; meanwhile this is worth a read if you're working with emerging churches where you are.

Thanks to Gill Poole for pointing us to this one.

The full story is at http://marksayers.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/the-emerging-missional-church-fractures-into-mini-movements/

Jonny Baker is more optimistic here: http://jonnybaker.blogs.com/jonnybaker/2009/03/fractured-or-networked-depends-on-the-lens-you-look-through.html

And an extract from Mark's analysis is here:

The Emerging Missional Church Fractures into Mini Movements

By marksayers

I just finished reading Alistair McGrath’s fantastic history of protestantism Christianity’s Dangerous Idea. It’s interesting how when the Reformation began, Protestantism united itself against what it saw as its binary opposite, Catholicism, but as time passed, Protestantism began to split into various movements and factions (eg Calvinist, Anabaptist, Anglican, Congregationalist etc), overtime these groups began to define themselves against each other rather than against the perceived enemy of the time, Rome.

The history of protestantism is a classic example of movement dynamics. Dissatisfaction creates a ground swell of support against a perceived problem, injustice or enemy. This ground swell coalesces into a movement; at first the movement’s energy and internal dialogue is centered around defining itself against the common enemy. But then as time passes the internal dialogue of the movement begins to shift away from ‘defining against’ to ‘defining itself’.Then the conversation changes and people inside the solidfying movement begin to discover that although they are united in their distaste of their ‘enemy’ there is much that they disagree with each other over. Then tensions and differences arise, fractures are followed by factions, and the new movement breaks up. (For another historical example of this check out the French revolution.)

The emerging missional church seems to be following a very similar path, having seemingly fractured into multiple movements...

Natural Church Development update: "Transforming Churches"

Miles Baker attended the latest NCD meeting on behalf of our network. He writes:

Transforming Churches Natural Church Development (NCD)

Christian Schwarz, from NCD international held a meeting in Sunbury Hill to invite denominations to join a Transforming Churches process, using the principles of Natural Church Development. Other countries have had denominational commitment to NCD and have seen dramatic results. The average growth rate of a church taking part in the process is increased 51%. It was also noted that ministers had more leisure time as they focused on the lowest quality characteristic. The participating churches saw more growth from conversion and less from transference.

“The primary goal of the Transforming Churches process is to encourage, equip, and support denominations that want to get serious about implementing the principles behind NCD in a long-term perspective and through teaching and training empower the denominations to take charge of the ongoing implementation and transformation process themselves.”

“The ultimate goal is of course to see multitudes of local churches grow in quality and experiencing the growth that comes “all by itself” as God gives the increase.”

The process takes a minimum of 18 months, with participating churches doing at least 2 surveys. But it’s not just surveys! Participants are offered coaching and seminars to help churches act upon the their results.

“The support structure will as far as possible be developed utilising existing denominational structures. Through training of coaches it is envisaged that denominations will establish their own support and coaching structure which will continue beyond the process and thereby release the potential for continual development and growth.”

The leadership team of NCD recognises that many denominations, including the Church of England are likely to join at diocesan or area level. This is a huge opportunity to allow the principles of NCD to equip churches to grow, “All by themselves!”

For more information on NCD and Transforming Churches go to www.ncd-uk.com

Or contact Miles directly: miles.baker@peterborough-diocese.org.uk

CAN relaunch event

CAN are refocusing their extremely helpful work for the churches. Their chair Francis Goodwin wites:

Dear Colleague,

The Churches Advertising Network (CAN) is planning a re-launch and we would love you to join us for a special launch event!

The team at CAN is passionate about campaigns and would like to see the Christian Church working in partnership to pool its resources and make an impact nationally.

The special re-launch will be on May 20th 2009 at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), St Peter's, Vere Street, London, W1G 0DQ (see invitation, map and directions attached)

We will begin at 11.30am for coffee, which will be followed by a presentation at 12noon.

A sandwich lunch will be provided and we expect to be finished by 2.30pm.

The meeting will cover an important range of new developments for and from CAN.

This will include:

- a topline review of the 2008 campaign results

- the 2009 Christmas campaign and how you can get more involved

- major changes to the way CAN is going to be providing its

services to the Christian community.

- our vision for the next 5 years

- meet the team and have your say

I hope you will be able to join us to both hear what we have to say and contribute to the future development of our work.

Please RSVP to the address below.

Kind regards

Francis Goodwin

Chairman of CAN

RSVP:

Churches Advertising Network

c/o RACHEL FARMER

Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham

Dunham House, Westgate

Southwell

Nottinghamshire

NG25 0JL

email:rachel@southwell.anglican.org

Start The Week - normal service resumed (we hope)

After a bit of a dizzy season for Rachel and Paul, we hope that Start The Week is now back on track for a weekly update. Please keep sending us your items for circulation.

This week a slimline edition, but lots of interest nonetheless. 

New missional posts in Rochester diocese

Jean Kerr sends details of new posts in the expanding mission team in Rochester. Could you pass these on to interesting parties in your part of the world?

1. DIOCESAN MISSION GROWTH TEAM LEADER within the department of Mission and Unity

We are looking for an experienced, ordained Anglican to help parishes explore issues around church growth.  You’ll enable and encourage Fresh Expressions of church, build up an active group of commissioned Evangelists, develop msm and msi training opportunities and help parishes respond to the new housing developments in their midst.

More to download here: Download Advert team growth

2. Pioneer Minister for the new housing developments in the Medway Valley

A five year appointment 

We are looking for an experienced, ordained Anglican to help targeted parishes explore issues around church growth.  You’ll enable and encourage local churches to grow in faith and faith sharing.  Help them develop strategic mission plans, identify opportunities for growing new congregations and fresh ways of encountering the ‘stranger in their midst’

More to download here:Download Advert pioneerProclaiming the Word and Work of God

For more info email Jean: jean.kerr@rochester.anglican.org

Willow Creek leadership conferences

This from Willow Creek's Malcolm Egner. Can you advertise these conferences where you are?

Greetings

As key people in networks of church leaders and in your concern for
encouraging the church to engage with society, I am contacting you with
regard to two cutting edge events we are hosting in Stafford for church
leaders and their leadership teams. These are also being held at other
venues across the country. I would be most grateful if you could pass
this information on to your networks. 

Innovating the church for the 21st century
- a one day seminar to stimulate and motivate churches in engaging with
today's culture (11 June Stafford - other dates in Edinburgh and St
Albans). Includes sessions on children's work, media in services, modern
worship, as well as looking at how culture is changing and how the
church can engage. We believe that the content of this seminar will be
of great help to churches. For more details:
www.willowcreek.org.uk/event.php?r=22

Global Leadership Summit
- a 2 day conference with world class speakers including Bill Hybels,
Bono (U2), Wess Stafford (Compassion International), David Gergen
(Adviser to four US Presidents), plus other church and organisation
leaders by videocast speaking on issues of leadership and vision. Takes
place 2-3 October in Stafford. Also at other venues throughout the UK.
For more details: www.willowcreek.org.uk/events_gls.php

Many thanks for your help


Malcolm Egner
Rising Brook Baptist Church
malcolm.egner@risingbrook.org
www.risingbrook.org

Alison Morgan on Darwin and God

Alison has sent one of her careful and thoughtful review-articles for circulation here - this one on Nick Spencer's "Darwin and God".

The full article is here for download: Download Spencer 09 Darwin & God

And the introduction to give you a flavour:

Not many books sell out within 24 hours of publication, but Nick Spencer’s careful study of Darwin’s faith and lack of faith is one of them – and justifiably so. Written in an accessible and readable style, this book clears up a number of misunderstandings and offers a balanced discussion of this little studied aspect of Darwin’s life. Tracing three distinct periods in Darwin’s journey of faith, Spencer shows that whilst a committed Christian believer at university and during his voyage on the Beagle, Darwin’s faith was challenged and undermined both by his experiences on board ship, and most tellingly by the death of his daughter Annie at the age of ten some years later. During the last years of his life Darwin moved from this theistic, if no longer Christian, position to one which he described as agnosticism – though he avoided religious controversy throughout his life and often remarked that he could see no reason for antagonism between science and faith. 

This book is an important contribution to the often highly charged Darwin ‘debate’, and gives the lie to those who would claim Darwin as an atheist. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book is Spencer’s conclusion that the kind of faith which Darwin lost was, as for many at the time, a fundamentally rational, propositional one – more a philosophy than a faith, and one which carried with it no personal experience of God and no specific commitment to Jesus. For his wife, it seems it was not so – but for most educated Englishmen it probably was. It really does matter, Spencer concludes, what you base your faith on. How are we doing, he asks, today?