Mission Network News

Church Growth Website

A new and exciting website for the Church of England’s Church Growth Research Programme has just been launched! 

www.churchgrowthresearch.org.uk 

This website enables you to find out more about the 18 month research project that is exploring the factors that are related to growth within the Church of England. There are a number of interactive and engaging elements that the site has to offer: 

• Statistics: This page displays key statistics and trends in relation to church growth and decline of the Church of England. Areas featured include historic church attendance data,  age profiling of the Church of England, parish growth and decline, information on baptisms and marriages and Cathedral attendance data.
• Literature on church growth: The website has made an initial attempt to pool existing literature on church growth to create an index of related material. Visitors are invited to suggest additional literature to add to this page in order to grow the collection.
• Case studies of growing churches: A number of case studies of growing churches are detailed on this section of the site that range from contexts including Fresh Expressions, urban and rural settings. Further case studies will be added to this page in due course.
• Discussion Forum: The programme is very keen to engage and interact with those who have an interest in the different aspects of church growth. The discussion forum allows people to express their opinions and experiences of church growth. A number of discussion boards have been created to help focus conversations around particular areas. For example there is a discussion board for people to talk about their experience of Fresh Expressions as well as one that welcomes debate around the theology of church growth. Visitors are encouraged to sign up and become an active part of the research programme.

You can also follow the Church of England’s work on Church Growth on Twitter: @ChurchGrowthRD.

 

A Big Jubilee Thank You to Her Majesty The Queen

All the thank you letters to the Queen that were written by numerous churches and Dioceses as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations have now been collated . Yesterday Rachel Jordan, Roy Crowne and the Revd Ian Bunce hand delivered the letters to Buckingham Palace. For the whole story and further photos please follow the link below:

http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2012/09/a-big-jubilee-thank-you-to-her-majesty-the-queen.aspx

New St John’s Advent Book 2012 Now Available!

All Things New

Readings & Prayers through Advent 

The new St John’s College Advent Book for 2012 is now available direct from us at £4.99 per copy.

All Things New contains a series of readings covering the Advent period. The meditations and prayers have been written by staff and students at St John’s College. As you are well aware, the season of Advent is a busy time in the life of the church. Clergy and Readers often find themselves right at the centre of this whirlwind of activity. Our prayer is that the Advent book we produce will bless those who read it by providing a framework for them to stop, think & pray. 

All surplus from the sale of the books will be used for the student bursary fund and the College development fund.

Please contact Ruth Taylor on 0115 925 1114, email [email protected] or books may be ordered online at www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk  For the first time St John’s are pleased to offer this Advent book in Kindle format from the Amazon.co.uk store. For more information please see http://stjohns-nottm.ac.uk/ab2012

‘an inspiringly wide range of styles and approaches that always give fresh insights into scripture, and how we pray with it, and seek to live it out each day.’ The Rt Revd Paul Butler, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham

 ‘These readings and devotionals will provide you with a valuable tool to pause and reflect on God’s truth throughout the busy Advent season. This is a great and welcome resource for all who long for a greater depth in their relationship with Jesus.’ Mike Pilavachi, Director of Soul Survivor

CMS Pioneer Training Annual Report

Please find below a copy of the annual report regarding pioneer training from Jonny Baker at CMS.

You can either view it online here - http://cmspioneer.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/pmlt-report-2012.pdf

Or download the PDF below-

Download PMLT report 2012

Leading Your Church Into Growth – Local Call for Partner Dioceses

LyCiG-Local is a course to be taught by the clergy, experienced leaders or a local consultant or guide who have been on the LyCiG national leader’s course.  It involves a carefully worked out balance between the local church’s leaders, PCC or central committee etc, and its members or congregation, or as many as can be persuaded to take part.  So the local church’s leaders carefully and sensitively lead the leadership group, who then lead the whole church.  In church life you never get everyone to participate, but if you can involve a quarter or a third or even more of your people in ‘LyCiG Local’ then that will generate a very strong dynamism in the church as a whole.

 ‘LyCiG Local’ consists of six sessions broken into two sets of three with a fairly lengthy period of some months between them.  Each of these 3 session blocks is preceded and completed by a gathering of leaders, PCC members, committee members or church elders. 

The outcome is a sense of vision, key priorities identified, a plan for gradual implementation and a review process – i.e. the Mission Action Plan for the church.

The LyCiG team want to recruit “LyCiG Partner” dioceses who they will work with as they develop the materials. In return for a contribution of £5,000 towards the development costs of the LyCiG Local project, these dioceses will then be entitled to:-

• Up to 75 packs of LyCiG Local materials (a saving on the full price)
• Support from the LyCiG team to run in-house 3 day courses for Church Leaders
• Training for diocesan consultants/companions
• Training in how to use other LyCiG materials:
  • “Four studies and a Party”
  • “One day follow-up courses
  • A help line

To become a LyCiG partner, please register your interest with LyCiG administration: Tracie Hunt ([email protected]), or for more information, please talk with:-

Robin Gamble ([email protected]), Bob Jackson ([email protected]) or Mike Chew ([email protected])

Please register your interest by the end of October

Director for the Parish Development & Evangelism Team

Applications are invited for the post of

DIRECTOR Parish Development & Evangelism Team

• You will have substantial experience of the mission of the church, and particularly of church growth through parish development and evangelism.
• You will have a passion for the un-churched and de-churched.

The Director will:

• lead and encourage a newly formed team
• develop and implement a strategy for evangelism and parish development
• be a member of the Bishop’s Staff Team

 The Diocese is committed to growth in spiritual maturity, numbers and community engagement.

 Salary in the region of £45,000 plus 15% benefits package.

This post is subject to an Occupational Requirement that the post holder is a committed Christian under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010

 

 For details about the post please contact

Gerardine Brown, HR Manager, Diocesan House, Quarry Street, Guildford. GU1 3XG. 01483 790302 or email [email protected]

Closing date 8^th October 2012

Interviews 30^th October 2012

Sean Prepares to ‘Cross the Great Divide’…on a Harley

Pioneer minister Sean Stillman, leader of Zac’s Place - a fresh expression of church in Swansea - is to take to the road in September on a tour to highlight 25 years of mission to the margins. Biker Sean, of God’s Squad (Christian Motorcycle Club International), will fire up his Harley Davidson to visit Reading (Monday 10 Sep), Cambridge (Tues 11), Derby (Wed 12), Leeds (Thurs 13) and Stoke (Fri 14).

The informal, evening gatherings are billed ‘When Love Crosses the Great Divide – An Evening with Sean Stillman.’ These provide an opportunity for anyone seriously engaged in - or wanting to be engaged in - mission on the fringes to hear from someone working among the often chaotic street community and many involved in destructive patterns of behaviour.

Sean says, ‘The events won’t be anything flashy; just me – a bloke on a bike, the Sermon on the Mount and 25 years' worth of stories from the margins.’ All events run from 7.30pm to 9.30pm; admission is free but donations will be accepted.

READING Mon 10 Sep

All Nations Christian Centre, Berkeley Ave. RG1 6JE

07918 165613

CAMBRIDGE Tues 11 Sep

Melbourn Baptist Church, SG8 6DB

DERBY Wed 12 Sep

Ozzy Road Church, DE1 2GU

01332 349468

LEEDS Thur 13 Sep

Harehills Lane Baptist Church, LS8 4HF.

0113 2628080

STOKE Fri 14 Sep

Wesley Hall Church, ST1 6HR

01782  281818

For further details of tour venues, visit  www.zacsplace.org/tour 

Link to Fresh Expressions video:

http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/news/seanstillmantour

Vicars With 2 Churches

A summary of the research done by George Fisher in Lichfield Diocese can be found at http://bit.ly/Owt8su. This was done in response to several clergy expressing that running two churches is in some ways harder than running four or five and little or no training/help is available for this type of post which is becoming increasingly common.  If anyone else has done similar research or has comments or ideas, please contact George at [email protected]

Hot Potatoes

 

The next annual Conference for Fellowship for Parish Evangelism is 21^st – 23^rd January 2013 at the King’s Park Conference Centre, Northampton. The title is “Hot Potatoes: apologetics without apology” with John Hibberd and Peter Adams from Through Faith Missions as keynote speakers and Rachel Jordan giving the Bible readings. It will be an opportunity to examine some of the key issues and questions we confront when talking about our faith, with some practical ways of doing presentations from these experienced missioners. The conference is for all those who are engaged in or interested in Evangelism and you do not have to be a member of FPE to attend the conference.

More details and application form are on the web site: www.fpe-network.org

Developing Healthy Churches

Developing Healthy Churches is an utterly practical and realistic guide for any leader seeking to revitalize and grow their church.

The long-awaited sequel to his bestselling The Healthy Churches’ Handbook, Robert Warren’s new volume will help you implement tried and tested approaches for healthy church growth in your parish.

Realistic and encouraging, disarmingly honest and grounded in the reality of parish life, it will help you build up your church in several key areas:

 nurturing spirituality

re-working pastoral care

re-working home groups

re-working giving

re-working evangelism

re-working  mission

Whether your church is large or small, well-resourced or struggling, here is an essential resource for revitalizing your life and mission. It is also ideal as a parish development course.

Read a sample chapter/buy a copy from CHP here http://www.chpublishing.co.uk/product.asp?id=2398031

CNI September Newsletter

The September Street Angels - CNI Network newsletter is now on-line at:

http://www.sa-cni.org.uk/1/post/2012/08/september-sa-cni-newsletter.html

 

Three Conversations [One Church]

Three conversations is facilitated by three leading practitioners exploring the key current 

questions facing the contemporary church in the UK.

Come and join us, add your voice to the conversation and gain a greater understanding for 

your own context.

Joanne Cox is Evangelism in Contemporary Culture Officer for the Methodist Church

David Male is Director of the Centre for Pioneer Learning based in Cambridge.

Michael Moynagh is a member of the national Fresh Expressions team and author of

Church for Every Context

Dates (10am–3.30pm)

10th November 2012: Cambridge

Does a Mixed Economy Really Make Sense? 
Do fresh expressions work practically and theologically?

16th/23rd March 2013: Birmingham

How not to grow a fresh expression of Church: 
Common mistakes and how to avoid them


27th April 2013: Sheffield

Moment or Movement: 
Making fresh expressions sustainable


Booking:

£30 per day (non-refundable) including lunch and a free copy of 
Church for Every Context by Michael Moynagh

Book by 19th October 2012 and get 2 days for £45 or 3 for £55

Book now at: www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/cpl

More info from Nicky Redsell: [email protected] or 

Download ThreeConversations

The Jesus Deck

Penny Horseman has put together a short video about the Jesus Deck for you to watch and share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD1D9PRynio

She is also collecting Jesus Deck stories. If you have a story you'd like to share please do get in touch with Penny.

For further information on the Jesus Deck: http://thejesusdeck.blogspot.co.uk/