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Pioneer Ministry. ‘ Need to identify, select and train pioneer church planters for lay and ordained ministries….. Recommendation 11. It is important that they are not pressed into
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‘ Need to identify, select and train pioneer church planters for lay and ordained ministries….. Recommendation 11 It is important that they are not pressed into becoming ministers of existing churches but are deployed in pioneering contexts” MSC p134
2006 Guidelines “candidates who have the necessary vision and gifts to be missionary entrepreneurs, to lead fresh expressions of church and forms of church for an appropriate culture.”
2008 Guidelines for lay pioneers • Training in every region (13) • Development of vocational pathways in every Diocese.(14) • Training as part of the process for authorisation (15) • “We recommend that dioceses invest in the development of • sustainable fresh expressions of church through • supporting, resourcing and training for lay pioneer ministry • and that dioceses should make this a primary call upon • their resources.” • Recommendation 8 of guidelines
“ a sexy moniker for anything creative, alternative and generally involving young people.” Bishop of Buckingham
Why do we need pioneers ?
Sometimes things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. Life moves on. And so should we…….
“ this majority (66%) presents a major challenge to churches. Most of them are unreceptive and closed to attending church; churchgoing is simply not on their agenda.” Churchgoing in the UK. A research report from Tearfund. April 2007
‘The book is written in the belief that an important choice is offered to the Church (of England): to embrace her historic mission to evangelise and serve the whole people of this country, or to decline into a club. (sect)
A missional re-engagement with society
A re-imagination of what church is (and could become)
“We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein
A fresh expression is a church plant or a new congregation. It is not a new way to reach people and add them to an existing congregation. It is not an old outreach with a new name. (rebrand) Nor is it a half way house, which people belong to for a while, on their way into Christian faith, before crossing over to ‘proper church.’ This is proper church.’ Graham Cray. An Introduction to fresh expressions
Spectrum of pioneering Pioneer Starter Pioneer Sustainer Sustainer Pioneer Sustainer Developer
Four enduring features? • Dissatisfied • Not grumbler but wanting change for the better • Visionary • Looks beyond what is to what could be • Hopeful • Change is possible and this inspires others • Risk takers • Acts on convictions and out of comfort zones Stuart Murray: Ch 7 Planting Churches: who?
What are we asking them to do?
Building team Building community Exploring Jesus together Listening, praying & loving in the Kingdom Becoming Christ like together through worship Underpinned by prayer, on going listening and relationship to the wider church
How do you understand • what a pioneer is and is not? • 2. How does this inform how • you are identifying, training • and deploying pioneers, • lay and ordained? • 3. What questions does • this raise for you?
The Qualities of a Pioneer ?
People who are first
People who are on the edge
People who are moving out
People who are loving change
People who know when to stay or go
People who know when to bring order or chaos
Disturb us Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Sir Francis Drake
What are the challenges of • working with people like that? • 2. How might this change us?
