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Pioneer Ministry: Support and Development. Don’t confuse the language of pioneer ministry with the language of Fresh Expressions . ‘Free and rooted’. The myth of self-reliance Pioneers want guidance Pioneers want to collaborate ‘Pioneer’ is not the same as ‘maverick’
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Don’t confuse the language of pioneer ministry with the language of Fresh Expressions
‘Free and rooted’ The myth of self-reliance • Pioneers want guidance • Pioneers want to collaborate • ‘Pioneer’ is not the same as ‘maverick’ • Pioneers do not believe that they have all the answers • Pioneers have chosen/are called to work in a particular ecclesial context
‘Free and rooted’ Risk-averse institutions and a spirit of exploration • Support but not constraint • The avoidance of domestication • Loving dissatisfaction • The possibility of failure – chess school • A little story from the Assemblies of God
Selection • Clear definitions • OPMs are not political footballs • The gradual development of consensus: collaboration between denominations, dioceses and regions
Training • About process and learning style more than about content • Sharing the corporate memory while developing the missional imagination • Realism: not a super-syllabus • Imaginative contextual opportunities – the role of the placement
Deployment • Strategic identification of a mixture of • Projects • Contextual needs • Blockages that need addressing – my dream job • Ownership of the pioneer ministry by the local church • Address the question of timescale • Issues of funding and sustainability
Mentoring • The availability and training of mentor/spiritual directors • Support that is not always project-based: not How are you doing? • A belonging context that mixes but does not privilege one sub-species of minister • The creation and encouragement of networks of pioneers: CPL and other families
Spirituality • Ancient-Emergent Church • The question about what really matters • Towards the Kingdom – provisional practice • Pioneers who don’t expect a ‘job for life’ • Leaders who are edgy • How to instruct, equip and support in the spiritual battle • Where would you feature in Erasmus’ satire?