April – September 2015
catalyst
Growing hope in Elmdon Mentoring for leaders A path to ordination making disciples, developing leaders, growing churches
making disciples, developing leaders, growing churches Mission: CPAS enables churches to help every person hear and discover the good news of Jesus Christ.
Our vision:
Our passion:
We long to see a Christ-centred, Bible-based, mission-focused Church where leaders are clear about their call to discipleship, growing in Christ-like character, and competent to lead in a time of rapid change;
We are a committed evangelical mission agency, and since 1836 we have been working for the evangelisation of the UK. In what seems to be an environment of ever-growing secularism across the UK and Republic of Ireland, the urgency of the gospel has never been clearer.
where leaders discern God’s direction, enable action, build teams, develop leaders, facilitate communication, and nurture people; where leaders work in teams, reflecting the diversity of ministries, and model themselves on the servant character of Jesus; where leaders help transform inherited churches, pioneer emerging churches and deliver creative residential ministry, effectively helping children, young people and adults hear and discover the good news of Jesus Christ.
We are fundamentally committed to the local church. Our founders made an obligation to support the evangelistic endeavours of local churches, while our support now focuses on developing and equipping the leaders of local churches. We believe the message of the cross is real and relevant to all people. It is a good news story: of grace (God’s unmerited favour towards us), mercy (forgiveness when we deserved punishment) and love (John 3:16). We are passionately committed to the revitalisation of the Church of England. We have never wavered in this passion and our commitment to patronage, Venture and Falcon holidays and leadership development flows out of our aspirations for the Church of England. Unless otherwise stated all Bible quotations taken from the New International Version (NIV)
Catalyst
Editor: Olly Du Croz Design: Catherine Jackson Copyright CPAS 2015. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for the reproduction of text from this publication for CPAS promotional use only. For all other uses, please contact us. This magazine is printed on paper from farmed forest: for each tree felled, another is planted. The paper is chlorine-free and environmentally friendly.
Contact CPAS Sovereign Court One (Unit 3), Sir William Lyons Road, University of Warwick Science Park, COVENTRY CV4 7EZ T 0300 123 0780 E info@cpas.org.uk W www.cpas.org.uk Church Pastoral Aid Society Registered charity no 1007820 A company limited by guarantee Registered in England no 2673220 Registered office at address above
welcome
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he New Testament writers are clear that leadership is a gift of God to his Church. Jesus models it par excellence and Paul teaches it to those he entrusts with caring for the churches he has planted. What never fails to inspire me about the New Testament understanding of leadership is the unique way in which it marries service and responsibility. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and then said ‘I have set you an example that you should follow’ (John 13:15). But he also instructs Peter to ‘feed my sheep’ (John 21:17) and Paul, in a similar injunction, instructs the Ephesian elders to be ‘overseers’ of the Church (Acts 20:28). Service and responsibility in perfect balance – that’s the hallmark of Christian leadership. And it’s that kind of leadership that CPAS is called by God to nurture in local churches and on our Venture and Falcon holidays. In this edition of Catalyst you can read stories of how we are discharging that responsibility. Through Mentor Connect (p9) and by training mentors for clergy in several dioceses (p10-11) we are providing valuable support for those in Christian leadership.
Service and responsibility have always been in the DNA of Venture and Falcon holidays – do read about the first group from St Mark’s Saltney embarking on a Venture last summer (p6-7). You and Ministry weekends continue to be used by God to call people to ordained ministry (read Beccy Allen’s story on p12-13), and I hope you will be encouraged when you read about the fruit of how God is using Toby Crowe to serve and oversee people in the CPAS patronage parish of Elmdon (p4-5). We are also excited about various future developments in the pipeline – see p14-15 for news about our plans for resources and events for all kinds of leaders including PCC members, those helping others grow as disciples and clergy moving parishes. Thank you for reading Catalyst and the encouragement of your support as we follow the example of Jesus by inspiring service and leadership in the Church. Yours in Christ,
John Dunnett, General Director
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Contents 04 Growing hope 06 Getting started on Ventures 08 ‘A massive privilege’ 09 Mentor Connect 10 Supporting leaders 12 A path to ordination 14 Looking ahead
growing hope When Toby Crowe was appointed to the CPAS patronage parish of Elmdon in 2012, his main priority was to turn around a pattern of gradual decline over many years resulting in just under 50 people at an average Sunday service. On closer inspection, Toby soon discovered that this West Midlands church was blessed with people who already had some of the key ingredients for growth, and three years down the line the annual count at services has nearly trebled.
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here’s a good evangelical heritage here and I was quickly convinced that people are still committed to serving the community and sharing the gospel,’ he said. ‘However, the style and pattern of services was quite traditional, and having lived with slowly declining numbers I think some church members saw no alternative but that this would continue. ‘Having seen signs of growth the people have realised that it doesn’t have to be that way, and the expectation is for growth to continue.’ The parish church is an 18th century building in the middle of the expansive and popular Elmdon Park, and two other parish buildings were erected during the 1960s. Toby set out with a clear focus around the Sunday morning service in the main church, with the other buildings still hosting midweek services and a lunch club.
The Archbishop of Canterbury visiting a primary school in Elmdon earlier this year. 04
Toby added: ‘We changed the services because we felt that the previous way of doing things was putting newcomers and children off. We wanted to make ourselves more accessible and welcoming.’
One aspect of the church’s engagement with the local area has been its growing links with one of the local primary schools, which was marked with a visit during the Archbishop of Canterbury’s travels around Birmingham diocese earlier this year. ‘The Archbishop’s visit celebrated our deepening connection with the school, as we play our part in helping what was previously judged as a failing school to re-invent itself,’ said Toby. Through this link and by making the layout and style of church more family-friendly, there are now about 10-15 children at Sunday services. This diverse parish has more than 9,000 residents in two distinct housing areas, but also incorporates agricultural land, a large Jaguar Land Rover plant and part of Birmingham International Airport. Known locally as the ‘Church in the Park’, other changes are being made to make the most of its unusual location. ‘We’re not a High Street church, but we’re trying to make the most of our location by opening our doors on Saturdays and other occasions when the park is busy, so we’re seen as a place of welcome and fun.
From decline to hope ‘Having seen signs of growth the people have realised that it doesn’t have to be that way, and the expectation is for growth to continue.’
‘For example, the council organises an Easter egg hunt in the park on Good Friday, so for the past two years we’ve opened up and had Messy Church activities for families which have brought about 200 children and 300 adults through the doors.’ This summer Toby is looking forward to welcoming a training curate to Elmdon for the first time since the 1960s, which is another sign that the ‘Church in the Park’ can be confident about maintaining its renewed and hope-filled aspiration for growth. 05
getting started on Ventures Pippa Douglas, a youth minster in Chester, explains how she went about getting the youth group at her new church involved in Ventures for the first time.
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aving been involved in leading Ventures for 10 years – including taking young people from her previous church in south Manchester – Pippa was convinced about the value of residential ministry. She just needed to persuade families at her new church that this was something for them as well. Pippa moved to St Mark’s Saltney about 18 months ago, and although vicar Hennie Johnston was familiar with the positive impact of Ventures, this was a new idea for the majority of others in the church.
experienced a holiday like this before. Some of them took time to settle in, but they all got really involved and took part in the main evening meetings. ‘Lots of the group have grown up in church but being on a Venture with young people from other places expanded their view of what being a Christian means, and they had different experiences of God.’ The impact of the Venture has been well received by others back at St Mark’s.
‘It’s a different youth group now!’ added Pippa. Pippa said: ‘Some families had gone away to New ‘The young people shared their testimonies Wine before, but most didn’t take part in any back at church, and various adults have kind of Christian event or festival so the idea of a commented that there’s been a noticeable shift week away for their children was something new. since the Venture. ‘I organised a roadshow event which included ‘Youth group members now a more active role playing some of the games we do at Sandiley in the Sunday evening services, and the rest of and putting a tent up in church, because our the congregation are urging them on. They’re Venture is one of the few with accommodation also a closer knit group and spend more time under canvas. There was a really positive together socially outside church. reaction straight away, and that excitement soon persuaded others in the group so we ended up ‘We took some people on the fringes of the taking 18 young people. group last summer, but more have now come through from the children’s groups and I’m ‘There was also lots of communication going on praying that the young people will be bold with the parents too, including an evening enough to invite their friends to join us this year.’ when I discussed my plans for the church’s youth ministry which incorporated reasons for going away together on a Venture.’ ‘Before going away I was quite apprehensive because none of the young people had 06
If you’re involved in youth ministry and want to find out more about taking your young people on a Venture, please contact the team on ventures@cpas.org.uk or 0300 123 0780 (option 2). Some discounts are available for groups from churches which haven’t previously attended Ventures, which many of the young people at Pippa’s church benefitted from. 07
One child’s a place on n o lc Fa
£250
Food for 15 children for one day
£61.50
‘A massive privilege’
s Activitie e n for o rson u o y ng pe
£40
26-year-old Zim has been leading on Venture and Falcon holidays since he was 19. Last summer, he was a dorm leader for a group of 8-11 year old boys at Ringsfield Falcon. ‘Today I spent the afternoon with the boys in my dorm at Thorpeness having lots of fun, chatting together and trying not to fall into the water! It’s a real joy seeing these children have an opportunity to
get away from difficult home situations and enjoy being real kids for a week. I
overheard one boy say: “I don’t want this to come to an end, it is a luxury!”
‘Even more, it is a massive privilege to bring the good news of Jesus to them
Last year, CPAS was able to give 464 children and teenagers facing disadvantage the wonderful gift of a holiday jam-packed with fun and friends, exciting new adventures and, most importantly, God’s love. This was possible only because of the prayers and gifts of money and time which were given so generously by our wonderful Falcon supporters. Preparations for another 17 Falcon holidays in 2015 are underway, and we’d love you to partner with us in blessing even more young people.
It’s a sad fact that the children most in need of a holiday are often also those who can in Christ. During dorm times, nearly all least afford one. We want to make Falcons accessible to every young person who the boys had a go at praying wants to come, regardless of their throughout the week and To give economic situation. one boy said “thank you a gift, please visit for helping me realise www.cpas.org.uk/falcon, or send a cheque payable Jesus is real”.’ to CPAS Falcons to the CPAS address (on page 2). and see them making steps towards faith
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A new website to enable leaders in churches and Christian organisations to find mentors.
www.mentorconnect.org.uk
Search for a mentor using a range of criteria summed up in three main areas of leadership development: personal development, missional leadership and leading well with others. Read mentor profiles and connect with carefully selected mentors, approaching those you think might be suitable for you. The website also includes a short video introduction from James Lawrence, CPAS leadership principal, including three tips on finding a good mentor: be prayerful, be specific and be persistent. Graham Archer, CPAS director of ministry, said: ‘Focused around development, mentoring provides space for reflection, growth, learning, support, encouragement, perspective and accountability.’
Mentor Connect is a partnership between CPAS, Evangelical Alliance and Stewardship, supported by the Mentoring Network and Clarity Development.
supporting leaders Mentoring has been high on the agenda at CPAS in recent years, with various initiatives including the Mentoring Matters resource for local churches and the new Mentor Connect website. Here we look in more depth at our work training mentors for ordained leaders in several dioceses around England.
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raining of mentors for clergy has been a popular addition to our range of leadership development material, having already been delivered in five dioceses. Christian mentoring is something that we know can be beneficial for anybody who wants to be nurtured as a disciple, which is why we created the Mentoring Matters resource and why it’s an integral part of the Growing Leaders courses.
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However, recent initiatives such as this and the Mentor Connect website highlight the specific role that mentoring can have for ordained clergy in the Church of England. James Lawrence, CPAS leadership principal, said: ‘Mentoring can be really valuable for clergy, because it’s setting time aside to have intentional developmental conversations with somebody who is willing to walk alongside you. Also, because mentoring relationships sit outside the structures of the Church of England they don’t bring any of the pressures or expectations of these meetings.’
‘At the moment we offer mentoring as part of our support for firsttime incumbents. We’re now using this training to give more structure to this peer-to-peer mentoring, which helps in terms of developing relevant skills and understanding key aspects such as setting expectations and monitoring how relationships are going. The quality of those relationships has been good, but this training helps them become even better. ‘We’ve had really positive feedback from those who have done the mentor training about how helpful it is, so news is spreading by word of mouth and the interest is increasing. ‘We’re now growing a bank of people to expand its availability, which is beneficial
Irena Edgcumbe, Stepney area director of training and development, explains how mentor training is making a difference in London diocese:
for clergy in the diocese. This might mean that we’re able to offer other forms of transition mentoring, for example if clergy are moving into a different type of role, a really tough parish context or a bigger size of church. As a result, mentoring will become more ingrained in the culture of the diocese.
‘It’s great that the diocese has seen something of value in developing mentors and has chosen to invest in this high quality training so we can offer even better support to clergy across London.’
Mentor training programme Part 1: Two-day residential, based around sessions on six core skills for mentors: Building rapport Listening Asking questions Sense making Using the Scriptures Setting goals At the end of this part, advice is given about deploying mentors so that relationships can begin.
Part 2 (approx. 8 months later): One-day event to review mentoring so far, discuss issues clergy face, and explain how to evaluate and adjust on-going relationships.
Are you in church leadership and looking for a mentor? Find out about Mentor Connect on p9 or visit www.mentorconnect.org.uk
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a path to ordination
A You and Ministry weekend nearly four years ago proved to be a key moment in Beccy Allen’s journey towards ordination. This summer, Beccy begins her new role as a curate in Sparkhill, east Birmingham. As she prepares for that, she reflects on how events during that You and Ministry weekend led to making a significant phone call almost as soon as she returned home.
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he You and Ministry weekend was when things changed for me,’ said Beccy, ‘so on the following Monday I arranged my first appointment with the diocesan director of ordinands.’ As with most paths to ordination, the story hadn’t started there. Six months earlier Beccy had been challenged by a Bible reading at her regular place of worship, St John’s Harborne. Following encouraging conversations with her vicar and curate over the next few months, she was pointed in the direction of CPAS to find out about You and Ministry. ‘I was quite anxious about going on the weekend and still had lots of questions,’ she
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‘...it was helpful to understand the pace of the journey and pray with others who knew what I was going through.’
the other women who were exploring their own vocation and Rosie Ward, a vicar who was coleading the weekend. ‘I’ve got a young family so I had some concerns around that, but I can also now see the benefits of my children growing up with a wider focus on life, the chances they’ll have to mix with different types of people, and the relationships and opportunities they’ll find in the life of the church. ‘As well as the sessions and conversations, on the Sunday we had an hour and a half of quiet reflection time. By the end of that time with God I knew this was what I had to do.’ added. ‘When I arrived it was clear that other people were at various different stages of the process, so it was helpful to understand the pace of the journey and pray with others who knew what I was going through. ‘There were a few significant moments, but the biggest shift was getting away from asking myself the question “why would anybody do this?” and seeing the benefits. There were ordained ministers on hand to answer questions about the realities of clergy life, and it was great that they found it just as easy to talk about the positives as well as being honest about some of the costs. ‘The churches which I’ve been part of had always had male vicars, so it was also helpful to talk with
Beccy has gone on to study for an MA in Transformative Christian Practice at Queen’s College in Birmingham, where her husband David is the academic dean. Beccy added: ‘I’m thankful to have had three years of study at Queen’s, which has helped me understand how we discuss and disagree well within breadth of the Church of England, as well as clarify that I’d still describe my own theological position as a charismatic evangelical. ‘I’m now gearing up to start my curacy in Sparkhill, which is a predominantly Muslim area. It’s the first time the church has had a curate, so it will be exciting to work with the incumbent and the congregation as I continue down the path God has called me to.’ 13
looking ahead The rest of 2015 will see the launch of various new initiatives by CPAS. Here’s a summary of what’s in store over the next few months.
DiscipleKit
A new website to review a wide range of materials to help grow disciples: Discover relevant resources. Read in-depth reviews. View comments from others. Create your shortlist. Our hope is that DiscipleKit will be the go-to place to find relevant resources for churches, small groups and youth and children’s groups from a wide range of Christian organisations. Finding ways to help each other grow as disciples is a priority for CPAS because it’s essential in helping people to follow Jesus and lead others to him. People will be able to search for specific titles as well as explore material grouped by themes, with each review addressing various topics to give key insights into the style and content of available resources.
Visit www.disciplekit.org.uk to sign up for updates and be the first to know when the site goes live.
PCC resource
PCCs are crucial bodies in the leadership of Anglican churches, which can make a significant and positive impact on church life. Yet not all PCCs function as well as they might, and many people who serve on PCCs find the experience a tedious one. In response to this, we are developing a resource to help clergy lead PCCs effectively, so that churches are better able to fulfil the mission of God in their communities. The resource will tackle 12 common dysfunctions of PCCs, and will include material for clergy as well as six sessions and numerous resources for the PCC as a whole. The sessions will follow a simple structure based on the acronym Pause – Clarify – Connect. This resource is created out of the experience that with prayer, encouragement, strategic thinking and some hard work it is possible to see a PCC become an exciting and creative group, committed to serving the church well.
Visit www.cpas.org.uk/pcc for more details about the material which will be included in this new resource. 14
New living conferences
This autumn we’re holding the first of our new conferences for clergy facing the transition of moving parishes. For many years we’ve offered The Buck Stops Here for first-time incumbents as they take on new responsibilities, but this is for clergy moving in to new roles further down the line. This three-day conference will equip leaders to enter their new roles refreshed and re-envisioned for the work God is calling them to. Themes covered will include advice on letting go of the old and taking up the new, as well as gauging the heartbeat and priorities of a new place. Session will also address topics such as establishing good rapport, finding supportive relationships, building teams and setting new direction. The first conference will include input from John Dunnett and Graham Archer, amongst other contributors. Graham said: ‘Each year, hundreds of clergy leave familiar places in order to take up a new challenge in a different home, parish and region. This event will help Christian leaders make that transition with courage and fresh insight, realising the potential of this key period in the life of local churches.’
More information about this first event will appear at www.cpas.org.uk/events as soon as the event is open for bookings.
Thank you for your support! All this is possible because of the prayers and donations of our generous supporters. Please consider any additional ways in which you and your church can partner in our work enabling churches to help every person hear and discover the good news of Jesus.
www.cpas.org.uk/give
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