Participants sought for Missional Fruitfulness Pilot in 2026 and 2027

The Connexional Council is planning a small two-year pilot in Missional Fruitfulness from Spring 2026 to Autumn 2027. This interactive pilot will give attention to and reflect theologically on how the Methodist Church is moving towards the intended difference we believe God is calling us to make. It will blend local co-creation, narrative reflection, qualitative measurement in order to learn how we can practically keep our focus and our activity on what we, by God’s grace, have discerned is most important.

Why?

Because if we are committed to being a growing, inclusive, evangelistic, justice-seeking church, we need to know to what extent we are becoming that;
To ensure we are good stewards of our resources – putting our energy, time, and our money to the most effective use for the Church’s mission;
To understand how local church mission and ministry is essential for the Church’s desired future reality, so that learning can be shared and contextually replicated;
To understand what progress the Methodist Conference’s strategic decisions are making, in order to make improvements and better shape future work.

Based on the results, the Connexional Council may make recommendations to change Connexion-wide practice.

Who?

We are seeking participants from the following groups who have the interest, willingness, and capacity to join the pilot over the course of two calendar years, in 2026 and 2027:

At least five circuits (represented in the pilot by one ordained person and one circuit steward or other active lay leader designated by the Circuit Leadership Team)
At least ten local churches and new Christian communities (represented in the pilot by a minister/pioneer/local pastor and a church steward or other active lay leader)
At least two districts (represented by a Chair and the Synod Secretary or other active district lay leader)
At least five teams from the Connexional Team (represented by the team’s director)

What?

Participant core commitments during the pilot:

Phase One: Pilot Design (December 2025 – April 2026)

Online orientation and co-creation 1-1 meeting with the pilot organisers (90 minutes in January-February 2026)
Online all-participant group meeting (Two hours in April 2026)
Process launches after Easter

Phase Two: Local Wisdom (April-October 2026)

2 feedback sessions (30 minutes of feedback via online form in June 2026 and September 2026)

Phase Three: Local and Cross-Context Together (October 2026-September 2027)

Online all-participant group meeting (Two hours in October 2026)
2 feedback sessions (30 minutes of feedback via online form in January, April, and July 2027)

Phase Four: Reflection and Recommendations (Autumn 2027)

Online review meeting with the pilot organiser (90 minutes in September-October 2027)

Please indicate your interest now

Interested participants are invited to contact Trey Hall, Director of Evangelism & Growth, by 15 January 2026: hallt@methodistchurch.org.uk. The pilot’s participant membership will honour diversity and principles of safer recruitment, ensuring as full as possible a representation of contexts from different regions, theologies and ecclesiologies, ethnicities, areas of deprivation and privilege, etc.