Philip Walker says that Adam Johnstone is coming over from Australia in June to help churches here grow using Natural Church Development tools ... with the emphasis on 'natural' growth. International research indicates that NCD leads to 51% growth in congregations and Johnstone will explore how this works in the local context visiting Reading, Manchester and Glasgow 16/18/19th June. For booking and details see:
Francis Brienen, the new Secretary for Mission at the URC, provides information about the new initiative being launched to help local churches engage with Bible, Prayer and Evangelism. All local congregations of the United Reformed Church have now received material and the website has been launched to proceed conversations this Spring, Summer and Autumn at the start of this 4 year review 'Vision4Life'. Details are on the micro site within the URC website:
http://vision4life.terapad.com/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.home
The Churches Co-ordinating Group for Evangelisation has various roles from being a Think Tank to project management group. One such project is EvangelismUK. In 2008 the group has decided to set itself the task of considering 'proclamation in the post modern context' and look at particular priorities of The Mission Impact of Migration, The challenge of Church Planting in New Housing Areas, and Evangelisation in the Virtual World.
Alongside these new priorities, EvangelismUK continues and the GfE website is being updated so that accompanying articles can be posted there for further information and follow up. We apologise that updating the GfE website has been delayed, and this in turn has caused some delay in posting news on EvangelismUK. I have decided not to let one wait ont he other as there is a lot of news to report .... so expect a bumper EvangelismUK tomorrow!
Purpose Drive UK have two conferences coming up on church growth.
'How to build a strategic church' is is Balham, South London on 26th September. David Beer has written a book and expands on Purpose Driven principles and his own UK experience.
'Small Groups' as foundations for church growth. 11th October in Chelsmford, Essex.
All details in the top banners and side links on www.purposedrivenuk.com.
MAP is a good acronym for Mission Action Planning. It sets out a process by which local and groups of church congregations can work out where they have been, where they are now and where they should be in the future regarding their mission strategy.
Consultants who have done a lot of walking with congregations are available for the wider network. Particularly experienced in Anglican churches, they work with all. They have just put together a website with information, commendations, and resource papers which can be viewed at: www.churchmaps.co.uk.
This book explores the seven Core Values of a Mission Church. Edited by Terry Tennens who led the Building Bridges of Hope initiative of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. It particularly looks at the principles of growth, discovered by a wide variety of churches across the four nations, in practice.
This is a workbook for local churches looking to grow in mission, Journey Into Growth will encourage churches to look at themselves and their communities and seek the companionship of the skilled outsider - the mission companion.
https://secure2.cyberware.co.uk/~cb537/acatalog/Prayer_for_Christian_Unity_2004.html
