and de-Churched people

A Case Study: Fresh expressions of Church & Pioneer Development Workers

“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” John 20.21

1m people 300k in diverse city 5 uni/market towns lots of very rural

313 church buildings 30 larger (100+) worshipping communities 225 smaller ones (less than 50 worshippers) 50 worshipping communities of less than 10

Changing the landscape… Lincoln 2010

‘You called, You shouted, You broke through my deafness, You flared, blazed and banished my blindness, Your lavished Your fragrance and I gasped…’ Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Confessions X.27

The calling… 1.

As many mature, growing fresh expressions of Church in 2030 as inherited/continuing ones;

2.

The vast majority (98%) led in the first instance by teams of licensed Pioneers (most lay, volunteers) with a detailed package of support, accountability, training and development (with hopefully some growing into being paid and/or being called to ordination);

3.

Nearly all diocesan ‘fresh expressions of Church’ resources going into supporting these licensed Pioneers.

A calling linked more to anecdote than evidence ...but a new equation was being formulated….

( )

+

=

1400 1200

People: Sent to Now

1000 800

Adults

600

Children

400 200 0

Sent

Sent

Now

Ratio

Adults

503

1229

2.4

Children

140

586

4.2

TOTALS

643

1815

2.8

Now

Who was the Mission Task to reach? 60% 50% 40%

Aim

30%

Result 20% 10% 0%

Christian

Note: the team sent out make up a majority of the Christians present

De-Churched

Non-Churched

The weight of discernment…

At same time as national Strategic Development Funding comes on stream

The gifts of God… 1. Discerning, enabling, training, accompanying and coaching lay volunteer teams of licensed Pioneers 2. Grounded in a particular fresh expression of Church (a day a week-ish)

Mads Morgan

Jonathan Dowman

Matt Pitt

3. Each taking the lead in one specialism:  Jonathan - learning & teaching  Mads - developing practice  Matt - research

Output/outcome Growing number of active and maturing fresh expressions of Church Growing number of licensed Pioneers Growing number of members of fresh expressions of Church Growing levels of engagement with nonand de-Churched people

As of Spring 2014

Target Autumn 2019

Target 2030

65 (estimate)

180

320

15

250-350

640

1,858 people (slightly out of date)

7,000 people

15,000 people

500 people Churched; 700 x De-Churched; 650 x Non-Churched

1,500 x Churched 2,000 x De-Churched 3,500 x Non-Churched

3,000 x Churched 4,000 x De-Churched 8,000 x Non-Churched

Generating a greater learning culture; growing levels of positive systemic change and greater inclination towards risk taking, talking about failure and missional enterprise (targets and measures being developed in January using the Transformational Index tool) Increasing amounts of financial giving by fresh expressions of Church into the Parish Gift scheme

Negligible directly, some indirectly (through their ‘host’ parish)

Enough (direct and indirectly) to fund an Archdeacon for Pioneers, or equivalent role

Enough (direct and indirectly) to fund all necessary oversight, development, support and training roles in their own right

A range of qualitative, quantatative and holistic measures are used in measurement. 2019 mid way points based on ‘The Diffusion of Innovations’ by Everett Rogers

“People say, ‘what is the sense in our small effort?’ They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time. A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. No one has the right to sit down and feel hopeless.” Dorothy Day

A Case Study: Fresh expressions of Church & Pioneer Development Workers