We are pleased to offer this new Circuit New Places for New People (NPNP) Guide from the beginning of Connexional Year 2023/2024.
You can also go straight to the Guide sections:
Section 1: What are New Places for New People?
Section 2: How to begin a local NPNP community
Section 3: How do I put together a team and recruit staff?
Section 4: What do I need to do at the start of the NPNP community? (includes Fruitfulness evaluation)
Section 5: What do I need to do to connect with people well?
Section 6: How are NPNPs funded?
Section 7: How do we share the story of our new community?
The funding section is deliberately near the end of the Guide because NPNP is not a source of funding but a mindset of listening to God and local people, developing a vision and connecting with new people in new places in new ways. Connexional NPNP funding is an enabler rather than a motivator.
In the Guide, we are also emphasising discernment and district support for the process. These are described in Chapter 19 of the Guide, see Section 6 above, along with details of the two circuit funding models:
- Model A enables districts to ‘bundle’ more than one submission for the whole (or balance) of the circuit funding. Circuit submission form here.
- Model B seeks approval for a district oversight process which enables a ‘for information’ submission process. District oversight form here.
The process should include discerning collaboratively with the circuits when and where a vision is not emerging, or the timing may not be immediate (see Chapter 3 in Section 2 above).
A small team of 3-5 people (dependent on the size of the district) led by the district NPNP should seek to encourage people to pray, listen to their community, have conversations, and test ideas (see Chapter 6 in Section 3 above). We are encouraging each district to appoint a district NPNP lead/co-ordinator (e.g., DME, or someone with similar skills).
NPNP Lead role description.
Funding deadlines
- Funding will need to be accessed by all districts through the Connexional funding processes, by 31/08/2026. The last opportunity to claim funding will therefore be the May 2026 Mission Committee. Any district that does not access their funding by then will no longer be able to claim any funding under this programme. Any remaining funds can then be redistributed in line with any strategic plans developed to begin in 2026/2027.
- There is absolutely no pressure to access this funding if the district/circuit discerns this is not feasible given their circumstances.
Printed copies of the Circuit NPNP Guide will be available via District Chairs, or contact our Project Officer, Julian Bond, bondj@methodistchurch.org.uk.