07 July 2008
Church seeks pioneers to reach out to young adults
The Methodist Church has approved a major new initiative
designed to reach out to those with no experience of church,
especially young adults.
The Pioneering Ministries scheme will see the establishment of new
Christian communities and congregations in a variety of locations
from city centre and suburban areas to more rural settings.
There will initially be twenty new projects, with the first
beginning as early as possible in 2009. Each project will be
designed to serve the spiritual and practical needs of those who
have previously had little or no experience of Church.
Although the projects are envisioned as eventually becoming
independent, the scheme will involve a major investment of Church
resources and funds, with an initial setup cost of more than
£4.3m.
Revd Graham Horsley, Secretary for Evangelism and Church Planting,
says; 'This is clearly a risky strategy, but sometimes the Church
is called to take risks. In saying "yes" to pioneer ministries the
Church is sacrificing control for the sake of creativity. Rather
than setting the agenda for evangelism and mission centrally,
Pioneer Ministers will be free to discern the shape of their
mission in their particular context. What grows may not look like a
traditional "church" but will enable young adults to worship God
and be equipped as disciples.'
The Church will seek to recruit as Pioneer Ministers lay and
ordained people who demonstrate vision, motivation and the ability
to inspire others. They will be offered support and training and
will be able to build new, viable independent Christian
congregations rooted in the Methodist tradition.