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Church Planting Movements - A Time for Europe?

Some years ago David Watson, a missionary with the Southern Baptists was challenged to consider a way of reaching people groups that were entirely unreached by all conventional approaches to church planting.  He began with a very resistant group in India and the same approach has been used with people groups in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.  From there the approach was replicated amongst Muslim people groups in West Africa, notably Sierra Leone, and in tough resistant inner city areas in the USA.  The approach is currently being used in 85 nations with many thousands of groups formed through this methodology.

I am aware of groups that have begun in the UK amongst populations that are hard to reach, especially in inner city areas.  The approach involves coaching "people of peace" to lead Bible Studies that begin with spiritual questions in non religious language.  The concept is that non Christians have the largest number of contacts with non Christians, that homes exist without the need to spend money on infrastructure, and that many people are asking spiritual questions.  The Bible narratives have their own power and using the stories themselves with a series of inductive questions produces significant response.  

Paul Watson, the son of David Watson, is coming to the UK for a second 4 day training event. Around 60 people attended the first event and most found it to be a very helpful experience, requesting that a second event be held to which they might send colleagues and friends involved in church planting and the implementation of church planting strategy.

For details and an application form click here: Download CPM Application-1

Faith In Research? Places Still Available

Research & Statistics Department, Church House
and the Oxford Centre for Ecclesiology & Practical Theology
invite you to

Faith in Research?
Exploring current research in ministry and mission

Thursday, 12^th May 2011
10.30 am to 4.30 pm, at the Mothers’ Union, 24 Tufton Street, Westminster, LONDON

Cost: £45 including buffet lunch, coffee and tea
Chair: Bishop John Packer

This is the 5^th annual Faith in Research conference, designed for those who shape policy and practice in ministry and mission at national and diocesan levels in the Church of England.   Topics covered will include: patterns of ministry in the countryside, Messy Church, prison and school based chaplaincy; insights into how clergy manage their lives, the changing deployment of ministers and the use of theological action reflection (TAR) in parishes.  The programme will include a choice of mission, ministry and chaplaincy streams.

Click here to download a booking form or contact Phil Coull on 01865 877418  or  Phil.Coull@Ripon-Cuddesdon.ac.uk.

'Reimagining Ministry' by David Heywood

From David Heywood, regarding his new book Reimagining Ministry:

This book is an exploration of shapes of ministry with mission at the centre and is a book it might be interesting for missioners and evangelism advisers to read. I have suggested that with the rapid changes in the Church following the gradual rediscovery of the centrality of mission, we need to re-examine our assumptions about ministry. The book draws on 20 years' experience in parish-based ministry and five years' teaching ordinands.

Click here to find it on Amazon.

With best wishes,

David Heywood

Fresh Expressions Vision Days

Fresh Expressions needs your help !

Vision days are a great way for all Christians in a city, town or group of villages to discover more about fresh expressions of church. So far nearly 6000 Christians have taken part in over 60 places and have come away with a real desire to work with God and develop their dreams. 

We are now looking to plan our programme for 2011 - 2012.  The revised day, includes several stories from our new DVD and hopes to continue to encourage and bless the participants.

If you would be interested in hosting a vision day in your area - please do get in touch vision@freshexpressions.org.uk or tel 01384 294454.

Rachel Matthews

90 Evangelism Resources Available Online

Anglican Communion members worldwide with access to the Internet can now take advantage of 90 evangelism resources on the Communion’s website.

The resources were pooled after the Kuala Lumpur meeting of the Communion’s Evangelism and Church Growth Initiative’s core organising body. That the resources were selected by practitioners working in very different contexts in different countries means core group members are certain that visitors to the website will find some resources appropriate for their context.

Go to www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/3/23/ACNS4825 for more information.

2011 Missioners Conference

Don’t forget to book your place at this year’s Missioners Conference if you have not already done so. We’ll send out  more details soon, but please do book your place now at www.nicolajamescommunications.com/booking/missionersconference2011.

College Lectures – Spring 2011 at St John’s Nottingham

College Lectures happen at 12.00 noon every Wednesday during teaching term, and are part of the learning programme for all students. This term we have some exciting visitors!  The lecture is followed by lunch at 1pm in the dining room. Places must be booked and paid for in advance.

2 March           Mike Pilavachi:  “Living in the Community with the Trinity.”
3 March           Abby Guinness:  “The Word of the Wives”
25 May             Rebecca Nye: “Childhood Spirituality” (topic to be confirmed)

Cost: Lecture only £5 per person. Lecture and lunch £10.

To book contact Ruth Taylor at St John’s College Nottingham on 0115 925 1114
Email: r.taylor@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk
St John's College, Chilwell Lane, Bramcote, Nottingham NG9 3DS

2012 Games Pastors Wanted

From Adam May:

Last month, we shared news that CNI is also working in partnership on the More Than Gold initiative to support the Olympics next year; as part of the plans the call is out to look for approximately 1,000 Games Pastors (looking from the various Street Angels and Pastors as a start!). Would you and members of your project be able to support making this happen? Games Pastors based in London will be offered overnight accommodation for their shifts. Volunteers will be needed to work a number of shifts throughout the competition. There is also opportunities to be Games Pastors at other Olympic venues throughout the UK. Please let me (adam@cninetwork.org.uk) have the names of anyone you know who might be interested in taking part in this exciting opportunity in 2012! There is no commitment at this stage!

BIAMS Conference

New CMS Prospectus Available Now

From Jonny Baker: On Friday the prospectus I have been working on for the CMS pioneer mission leadership training arrived back from the printer and look amazing. The web site is also now live (http://pioneer.cms-uk.org) and you can download a prospectus from there. We also had an insert in the Church Times and Church of England Newspaper last week so as well as appealing to students we are trying to get the word out to the church and those who send people to training courses or colleges to consider CMS in the mix for anyone into mission or pioneering.

Regeneration Youth Summit

The Regeneration Summit took place on Thursday in Sheffield see www.regenerationsummit.org.

It was a time for the church to listen to our young people and work together to reach a lost generation. It was the idea of Mark Russell from Church Army and I had the priviledge of being in the mix.

If you would like to hear more it was on Radio 4 on Sunday morning, at  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z2r5g (25 minutes and 20 seconds in).