Catalyst (April - September 2011) by CPAS

April â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 2011

catalyst

Celebrating 175 years of mission Partnering in the gospel with you and your church since 1836

growing leaders, growing churches

Mission: CPAS enables churches to help every person hear and discover the good news of Jesus Christ.

Vision: We long to see a Christ-centred, Bible-based, mission-focused Church where leaders are clear about their call to discipleship, growing in Christlike character, and competent to lead in a time of rapid change; where leaders discern Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

The key elements of our vision which form the basis of our work are: eveloping 25,000 men and D women to become more effective in leadership. Equipping churches to train a generation of children and young people for leadership. elping 600 18-25 year olds aspire H to and prepare for leadership. I nspiring 150 leaders under the age of 30 to offer themselves for ordination, including pioneer ministry. Equipping 8,500 leaders to be effective in reaching and discipling children and young people through Ventures and Falcon Camps. Working with our 500 patronage churches to develop effective leadership. Promoting research and sharing expertise on issues of church leadership. To realise this, we will develop mutually supportive relationships with churches and individuals and develop the staff team to fulfil our God-given priorities. All Bible quotations taken from Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New International Version

catalyst Editor: Olly Du Croz Design: Catherine Jackson Copyright CPAS 2011. 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 Athena Drive, Tachbrook Park, WARWICK CV34 6NG T 01926 458458 E info@cpas.org.uk W www.cpas.org.uk Church Pastoral Aid Society Registered charity no 1007820 (England & Wales) SC039082 (Scotland) A company limited by guarantee Registered in England no 2673220 Registered office as above address

elcome to this special edition of Catalyst in which we mark our 175th anniversary. It is exciting, challenging and humbling to realise that we are part of such a long and significant story: and we thank God for the leadership of Lord Shaftesbury and others in forming CPAS back in 1836. I have recently been listening to a well known speaker from the USA talking about leadership. He was offering reflections on the life of Moses and, in particular, what it was that contributed to his significance as a biblical leader.

His analysis of Moses’ example was that he walked with the people, in front of the people and above the people.

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It was ‘with’ in the sense that his leadership was pastoral, involved and alongside the people he cared for. It was ‘in front of’ because every now and then Moses had to stick his neck out in order to help God’s people follow God’s call. And it was ‘above’ in the sense that Moses had a leadership responsibility to ‘cover’ his people in prayer – in intercession and advocacy before the throne of God. Such leadership remains critical to the life of local churches in the 21st Century – and here at CPAS we continue to nurture men and women in this ministry.

Contents 04 Nurturing others for God’s mission

06 Sharp focus for a growing plant 08 Back to school for Growing Leaders

10 Celebrating 175 years of mission 12 Sustaining the impact of Ventures 14 In conversation with ...

James Lawrence

14 No missed calls 16 Leading the way 18 Supporting CPAS

In this edition of Catalyst you can read about how mentoring contributes to such leadership development, and of how our Leading Edge days are helping individuals grow in their Godgiven role as leaders. There’s also an inspiring story of a church plant in West Sussex and an encouraging article describing one person’s experience of lifecall, a new CPAS initiative to help young people explore God’s call to ministry. Our continuing commitment to seeing young people flourish in leadership is evidenced in the articles about Ventures and Growing Leaders – Youth Edition. For 175 years, CPAS has sustained a ministry because of the prayers and financial support of many people such as yourself. We continue to be grateful for this and covet your ongoing support – especially at a time of such universal financial challenge. Here’s to the next 175! John Dunnett General Director catalyst 03

nurturing others for God‘s mission

ne of the most important (and hardest) questions I have ever asked myself is this: ‘If I die tomorrow, what legacy will I leave my church, or more importantly the Kingdom of God?’ We can get so caught up with what appears to be urgent that, as leaders, we fail to stand back and assess what really matters, and where we should be putting our energies in order that our leadership leaves a legacy. John Maxwell says that ‘a leader’s lasting value is measured by succession’. So what are you

intentionally building today that will survive the test of time and will still be there long after you have moved on? Why is being a ‘mentor leader’ so important? Leadership involves people – and if we forget this we lose sight of the purpose of leadership. As you think of the legacy you will leave, it has got to involve the people you are working with now. So, what is mentoring? Leighton Ford defines it as ‘a dynamic, intentional relationship of trust in which one person (mentor) enables another (mentee) by sharing their God given experience

‘Leadership involves people – and if we forget this we lose sight of the purpose of leadership.’

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and resources, to maximise the grace of God in their life, and in the service of God’s Kingdom purposes’. I wonder what churches in this country would be like if everyone was in this kind of relationship – a relationship of empowerment and enabling. We can see examples of mentoring relationships in the Bible; one of the most obvious is Paul’s relationship with Timothy. We see Paul help Timothy through the situations he faced in leadership, by passing on his wisdom and experiences, so that Timothy would grow as a leader. Paul focused on building people up and building leaders for the next generation. Mentoring is about transformation and I am seeing more and more church leaders in this country using mentoring as a tool for discipleship – and it works! I know many church leaders who have seen the results of ‘investing in the few for the sake of the many’, as Leighton

Sharon Prior is a lecturer at Cliff College, freelance trainer, leadership coach and mentor and is co-founder of the Sophia Network (www.sophianetwork.org.uk).

Ford would say. They are realising that by intentionally investing in a few people within their churches it not only benefits the person, but the church as well and then if these people invest in others then the work is multiplied throughout the church. However, this will not just happen on its own. You have to be intentional about it, as mentoring relationships do not happen overnight. The Christian leaders who I coach often talk about being too busy, but you really need to ask what impact each thing you are doing is having for the Kingdom. Tony Dungy in his book The Mentor Leader (which I would highly recommend) says: ‘If you start making excuses to cut out what is important because of urgent circumstances it will become a habit.’ Have you developed this habit? When did you last have time to stand back from the busyness of church life, reflect on how you spend your time and look at how much impact you are having by doing these things? Alan Redpath (one of the Kingdom’s true saints, in my opinion) once said ‘beware of the barrenness of a busy life’.

‘The Christian leaders who I coach often talk about being too busy, but you really need to ask what impact each thing you are doing is having for the Kingdom.’

Find a mentor yourself – someone that will ask the hard questions and help you to examine your life. As Socrates said: ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ Identify two or three people who you could invest in and ask them if they want to enter into a mentoring relationship. Develop a culture of mentoring in your church – it should never be all about you! It has to be something that all Christians are involved in if we are to develop a culture in our churches. Preach about the importance of every Christian investing in the life of someone in the church, so that they too can leave a legacy.

Andy Frost from Share Jesus International said ‘mentoring is gently pushing people out of their comfort zones when faith has become too safe’. I wonder if you or others in your church would say that your faith has become too safe. I believe that our society desperately needs the one-to-one aspect of mentoring in order that people grow and truly become the people they were created to be. However, as I have already said it will not happen by chance – it needs a deliberate decision by you to develop this culture within the ministry you are involved in. So, I’ll leave you with this question: ‘What legacy will you leave when you move on?’

Train people in the church in mentoring – do not just assume they will be able to do it.

So, what can you do to start the process of being a mentor leader? Here are some suggestions of things which you might already be doing, but it would be worth reflecting on them and seeing how you could become even more effective in your building of the Kingdom:

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The success of The Point â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a vibrant church plant which started in a West Sussex living room six years ago and now welcomes more than 200 people each week â&#x20AC;&#x201C; can be condensed down to one word: relationships.

sharp focus for a growing plant

Arrow is a transformational 18-month programme for leaders aged 25-40, enabling them to: be led more by Jesus, lead more like Jesus and lead more to Jesus.

For more information on Arrow visit www.cpas.org.uk/arrow. 06 catalyst

ill Kemp, vicar of The Point, has come a long way since he took part in the CPAS Arrow Leadership Programme in 2001 while working as curate at the London church of St Barnabas, Kensington. ‘Arrow provided me with a simple reminder about the emphasis on my relationship with Jesus remaining real, growing and personal,’ said Will. ‘We spent time really focusing on how to nurture and enjoy that relationship. ‘There were also some real challenges on Arrow about the priority of marriage. Caroline and I had been married for 10 years and had three young boys, but Arrow cemented the importance of that relationship and helped us create good patterns which have sustained our ministry ever since.’ Arrow also fed into Will’s heart for evangelism, enabling that to shape and guide his future leadership. Although the opportunity to plant out of St Barnabas – itself a church plant from Holy Trinity, Brompton – did not materialise, the links which led to The Point had already been forged during

Will’s time as a youth worker at St Andrew’s, Chorleywood.

for the opportunities that God is opening up for us.

Will said: ‘The opportunity came out of the blue to plant a church with some former members of our youth group back in Chorleywood, including Matt and Beth Redman along with four other friends who had settled with their young families in and around the West Sussex area.’

‘We started with a missionfocused kids’ church on Sundays and a midweek group for adults. Ever since then The Point has steadily evolved as people just kept coming and then inviting their friends. It took about 18 months to get up and running before we could start employing other staff.

He went on to highlight the importance of the quality of relationships within the leadership team, which has been an essential part of The Point’s growth. ‘It has been really important to strive towards unity as leaders, working through issues together and dealing with the stuff that comes up,’ he said. ‘We haven’t always got it right, and there’s always an enemy who wants to cause disruption and disunity.’ That has not been the only challenge in The Point’s development, as Will admitted: ‘It has been a constant challenge to discern what God wants us to do. From the start there was a temptation to try and do everything all at once, but we quickly learned to focus on one thing at a time and keep looking

‘We have kept changing so that we don’t get stuck in a rut, investing in the areas where we’re growing at any particular time.’ Another key lesson from Will’s time on Arrow is also being put into practice at The Point. He added: ‘Arrow’s emphasis on leadership was vital, allowing me to discern the particular calling and focus that God has made me for – and gaining the disciplines to live out that calling. ‘Allowing myself to follow God’s initiative has led me to what I’m doing here, and encouraged me to keep focused on leading people to Jesus instead of just running a church.’ Will is now passionate about encouraging other leaders – mentoring, developing and empowering people to follow their passions and be released into serving God with the gifts he’s given them. All this may sound like a lot for a church which was planted just a few years ago. ‘Sometimes it is hard not to be caught up in the pace and busyness of it all,’ concluded Will. ‘But everything we do is about transformation – seeing lives change through relationship with Jesus.’ catalyst 07

School chaplain the Rev Libby Talbot is running Growing Leaders – Youth Edition with a group of sixth formers. She explains how the course can be used to develop young people outside a church setting – with far reaching effects.

back to school for growing leaders

ibby and her team of assistant chaplains are now half way through running Growing Leaders – Youth Edition for the third time at Dean Close School in Cheltenham, a day and boarding school with a strong evangelical Christian ethos. The chaplaincy sits at the heart of the school community, which has several Christian Unions and Bible study groups for pupils of all ages. Both the pupils and teachers at Dean Close are from a wide variety of different backgrounds, and many are not professing Christians. Libby revels in the massive freedom she has as the

school chaplain to proclaim the gospel, which she describes as ‘a fantastic privilege’. ‘With a large and active sixth form Christian Union, running some sort of Christian leadership development programme had been on my heart for a while,’ explained Libby. ‘I was keen to enable the young people I work with to lead at school and beyond.’ Growing Leaders – Youth Edition was written for 14-18s, helping teenagers to grow in Christ-like character and equip them to lead in their churches, schools and homes.

‘The character element of Growing Leaders is very important to me. We see them growing as Christians as well as developing leadership abilities.’ Libby also values the emphasis Growing Leaders places on leading as yourself. She added: ‘Participants realise they can lead where they are with the personality they have. The quiet ones learn they can still lead, they don’t have to be extroverts.’

Running Growing Leaders at school

Running Growing Leaders in a school, rather than a church, presents unique opportunities and challenges for Libby and the chaplaincy team. 08 catalyst

‘We generally stick quite closely to the content of the Growing Leaders course, but we have altered the structure to fit around the school day,’ said Libby. ‘Sessions are shorter and more regular, and mentoring takes the form of one-on-one meetings with chaplains, rather than linking young people with adults in a church.’ CPAS leadership development adviser Ruth Hassall, who wrote Growing Leaders – Youth Edition, is thrilled that the material is being used in schools as well as churches. Ruth commented: ‘Christian leadership is about our whole lives, not just when we’re at church, so it’s really encouraging to see it working so well in a school setting.’

Impacting the school

Practising the leadership skills covered during the course is an integral part of Growing Leaders – Youth Edition and Libby sees participants doing this in a variety of contexts. She added: ‘As well as leading in Christian environments such as the chapel and the Christian Union, many participants lead drama groups and sports teams, or hold leadership positions in the school’s Combined Cadet Force.

Visit www.cpas.org. uk/glye for information about running Growing Leaders – Youth Edition including details of training events and a downloadable introductory leaflet, as well as other resources for those involved in leading young people.

‘It’s great seeing them putting the theory into practice, and the course is hugely accepted across the school. It’s seen a very good thing, even by teachers who aren’t Christians.’

Impacting the world

The Growing Leaders – Youth Edition course at Dean Close ends with a celebration meal where certificates are awarded and participants are prayed for. Libby finds that this is not only a time for thanking God for all that’s happened throughout the course, but also a time for looking forward. ‘Growing Leaders really gets young people focused on leadership, and many past participants who have left school are now leading in the outside world,’ she said. ‘For example, several are running Bible study groups at university. It’s very rewarding to see something of the cumulative effect of Growing Leaders and see God at work in their lives beyond school.’ Dean Close school photos:© Thousand Word Media Ltd www.thousandwordmedia.com catalyst 09

Having fun on summer camps

Just like the world around us, CPAS has come a long way in the past 175 years. Since our formation in 1836, CPAS has witnessed 15 Archbishops of Canterbury and all 29 modern Olympic Games, not to mention two World Wars and no less than 46 changes in British Prime Minister.

owever, over the years one thing remains unchanged – our work as a home mission agency, enabling local churches in the UK and Republic of Ireland to help more men, women and children discover the good news of Jesus. To mark our 175th anniversary here are a few brief snippets from the archives:

The early days

celebrating 175 years

of mission

The advent of the Industrial Revolution in early 19th Century Britain brought about swift social and economic change, with booming populations in towns and cities leaving traditional parishes to deal with unprecedented challenges. CPAS grants enabled churches to employ extra staff – both ordained and (controversially at the time) lay people. CPAS even merited a passing mention in the Charlotte Bronte’s novel Shirley. Her father was the Rev Patrick Bronte, rector of Haworth, who became one of the first recipients of a grant which enabled him to employ the Rev Arthur Nicholls (later Charlotte’s husband) as curate.

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New home in Warwick

Exhibiting CPAS books and resources

Fifty years on

In the 1880s, the need for the work of CPAS remained significant. With echoes of phrases which may be familiar to us in 2011, the report from 1886 refers to ‘a period when agricultural and trade depression is more severely felt than ever’. In this time of hardship, one vicar of a parish in South Wales reported positively about church life, thanks in part to the work of his curate who was supported by a CPAS grant: ‘I am glad to be able to say that many have been added to the Church during the past year, and the young people are becoming greatly attached to the Church and her doctrines.’

Post-war Britain

In post-WWI Britain the work of CPAS began to diversify. The 1920 report highlighted the development of ‘conferences throughout the country at which the problems of evangelistic work have been thoroughly studied and discussed’. The new ‘Fellowship of CPA workers’ was also in formation, with quiet days, training schools and meetings for CPASsupported leaders working in parishes.

Birth of a modern age

In archived reports from the early 1960s we see further developments at CPAS, including the young shoots of ministries which are still flourishing today. There was a growing suite of CPAS resources, with visual aids proving to be increasingly popular. The publications Church and People and Falcon Booklets went from strength to strength. The 1962 report also refers to the planning of the first You and Ministry weekend, a ministry still going strong five decades later. In the early 1970s CYFA and Pathfinders became part of the ministry of CPAS, significantly advancing our work with young people and their leaders.

1980s and Mission England

As the influence of CPAS spread, our resourcing of mission across the UK became more significant. Gavin Reid, later national consultant missioner and Bishop of Maidstone, was director of evangelism at CPAS and played a significant role as crusade director for Mission England which culminated with the Billy Graham rallies of 1984.

Gavin Reid

CPAS also published the Mission England songbook in 1983, as well as the enduringly popular Youth Praise. The annual CYFA weekends attracted thousands of young people and leaders to events in London, Liverpool and around the country. As a new decade began, 1990 saw CPAS move away from London to begin a new life at our current premises in Warwick, which was opened by the Most Rev George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Leadership and mission in the UK today In 2011, we thank God for his faithfulness to the ministry of CPAS over the past 175 years.

All of our work focuses on developing leaders to help churches grow – investing in men, women and young people who lead others to Christ – and building on the rich missional heritage of CPAS’ history. catalyst 11

Venture leader, pilot and dad-to-be Toby Nicholls shares his experiences of leading Ovingdean 3 last summer, and shows how Ventures can impact lives far beyond the holiday.

sustaining the impact of ventures

oby’s own experience on Venture holidays as a teenager has undoubtedly shaped his approach to leadership and mission. Toby describes feeling ‘the tangible presence of God’ for the first time whilst on a Venture holiday in Barnstaple in 1992, after asking God to reveal himself to him. ‘That’s when I gave my life to God, and I’ve felt his presence ever since,’ recalls Toby. He continued to go on Venture holidays as a participant until his late teens, when he became a leader of Milton Abbey 3. Now planning his seventh summer as an overall leader of a Venture, Toby is still amazed by the way God moves and the young lives that are changed year after year. ‘The teaching theme last year was our identity in Christ. Even from day one the young people were dealing with the lies they had believed about themselves. Several young people came to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, including one girl who had never been to church but came on the Venture because her friend said she would have fun, and a boy who wasn’t sure if he believed in God, but then heard a voice saying ‘I am real, you can trust and believe in me’.

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‘As a young person, I saw Ventures as a mountain-top high experience of God which was very different from my dayto-day Christian life. Leading Ventures is about sustaining young people for a season, so they can grow to experience the presence of God every day of the week.’ Toby and the team of volunteer leaders will return for the renamed Brambletye 3 in a new venue this summer. They place a high emphasis on creating ‘a place where young people can meet Jesus in a down-toearth, practical way, and have a real experience of God’. This keenness to ensure that young people meet with God in a way that relates to their everyday lives is reflected in the structure and activities of the Venture.

leading a service which greatly encouraged the church leaders and the wider congregation. The daily Bible teaching on the Venture covers issues teenagers are likely to encounter in their everyday lives such as relationships, how we treat others and how to deal with fear and anxiety. Bible study groups are arranged according to where each young person believes they are in their walk with God, so discussions are relevant to their individual situations. The high number of leaders means that young people can build relationships with older Christians as well as each other, who they often keep in touch with throughout the year. ‘Facebook is great’, comments Toby, ‘I’m always hearing encouragements – I recently heard from one boy who told me how much the Venture has changed his life.

‘The week deliberately includes lots of activities in teams towards the start (such as beach volleyball), and more free ‘It’s always exciting at the end time towards the end of the of the Venture to see them go week to allow the friendships home and live the Christian that have formed to grow.’ life. My prayer for them in As many young people come their day-to-day lives is that in groups from the same they remember he is the same churches, this impacts their ever-present God and they will experience of church in the continue to meet with him and real world. Toby recalls a group find him in both the good and from Ovingdean 3 going back the hard times.’ to their home church and

Ventures are fun, safe and life-changing holidays for 8-18s.Visit www.ventures.org.uk for details of how to get involved as a volunteer leader or supporter. You can subscribe for free to the Ventures Update, or view the latest edition online. catalyst 13

James Lawrence, author of Growing Leaders and director of the Arrow Leadership Programme, shares his reflections on leadership and mission in the Church today.

in conversation with…

james lawrence

s a former associate minister, and the current director of Arrow, leadership is clearly something close to your heart. So why are you so passionate about it? My answer may surprise you – I’m not. But what I am passionate about is helping children, young people and adults come to know Jesus, and I’m convinced that good leadership is the key to this happening well. Good leadership helps the Church be about what God wants it to be about. Do you have any leadership role models? Lots! My father (named D.H. Lawrence – not the famous

one!) springs to mind. He was a very humble man, with an astounding ability to get on with anyone and everyone – he treated everybody with immense respect. My training incumbent is another one – he treated me like a colleague, believed in me as a person and gave me incredible opportunities to grow in my ministry. What do you think are the biggest challenges for leaders in churches at the moment? I think there are three questions many leaders are currently grappling with: ‘what does it mean to be church today?’, ‘how do we engage with mission and evangelism in today’s culture?’ and therefore ‘what sort of leadership is required?’. Wrestling with these questions raises many others, all

‘Good leadership helps the Church be about what God wants it to be about.’

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of which need addressing. On a more personal level, something which is always a challenge is the issue of how we nurture our relationship with God amongst all the busyness of being a leader. In your book Growing Leaders, you emphasise the need for churches to develop lay people in leadership. How can the Growing Leaders course help make this happen? The course offers a process for investing in leaders. Most church leaders don’t have the time to put a course together, so we provide Growing Leaders as a resource for you to adapt to your context. It fulfils a key principle at the heart of Jesus’ ministry – for the sake of many, invest in a few. The latest version of the Growing Leaders course is launched this Spring. Why release a new version? We’re constantly learning new things about leadership, and we were keen to incorporate this into the course. Also, many people who have run Growing Leaders have offered us feedback, and we wanted to make changes in response to this to make the course as useful and effective as possible.

The new version of the Growing Leaders course is available from May 2011. For stories from course leaders and participants, as well as information about training events for those considering running the course or Growing Leaders – Youth Edition, visit www.cpas.org.uk/growingleaders or call us on 01926 458458.

With the average age of clergy being ordained just short of 50 years old, the need to inspire younger people to explore God’s call to serve him in fulltime, authorised ministry is becoming increasingly vital.

n recent months CPAS has run the first two lifecall events for people aged 16-25, to help younger people explore how God is prompting their future ministry. These relaxed and informal one-day events are designed to look at some of their key questions about vocation and guide them towards some next steps. Sam Durant was one of the first lifecall attendees at an event in Warwick, which featured the Rt Rev Andrew Watson, Bishop of Aston, as the main speaker. ‘There was a great atmosphere at the event, sharing a day with other young people who are excited about living for Jesus, and exploring how we can give our lives to serve him,’ said Sam. ‘Encouraging young people to consider leadership is really important, and it’s great to have CPAS and people like Bishop Andrew at the helm. The whole day was done in a way to encourage us to think seriously about God’s call for our future ministry, without being put under any pressure. It was particularly useful having people from different areas of ministry, hearing first-hand from vicars as well as about youth ministry, Church Army and more.’ Sam, who attends the Birmingham church of St Germain’s, Edgbaston, trained as a lawyer before being guided back to church-based work.

no missed calls Research shows that younger leaders have a significant impact on the Church’s mission to younger people, with leaders being most effective in outreach with people 10 years either side of their own age. Mark Norris, CPAS leadership development adviser for vocations, said: ‘Nurturing and guiding gifted young leaders like Sam can only be a good thing for the mission of the Church. ‘It is a real honour to help people explore how God is guiding them, tackling some of the big questions about vocation and opening their eyes to the reality of serving him in full-time, authorised ministry.’

He added: ‘Getting ordained is something that has always been at the back of my mind, partly because my dad is a vicar. But I needed to make sure that this is God’s personal call for my life. ‘It became clear that my gifts are better suited to church ministry than anything else. In October 2009, God led me into the role of parish worker at my local church and I then decided to explore where God wants to lead me from here.’

Sam Durant

Further lifecall events will take place this year, so visit www.cpas.org.uk/ lifecall for the latest dates and venues. For more details about lifecall please contact Mark Norris on mnorris@cpas.org.uk or 01926 458461. catalyst 15

There is an increasing range of topics covered by Leading Edge local forums. With several themes relatively new to the programme of events, we gathered a selection of comments from leaders who have taken part.

leading the way

Leadership and Mission in a Multi-Church Benefice

Leading grouped churches to become truly missional in attitude and action. The Rev Canon Barbara Clutton, vicar of a group of five rural churches and rural life officer in Coventry diocese, attended the first MultiChurch Benefice event in Warwick to share some insights into her ministry with the delegates.

Leading Edge is part of the continuing programme of Making Mission Possible events, as CPAS works in partnership with churches, deaneries and dioceses to develop leaders and encourage church growth. Search for events by theme and location at www.makingmissionpossible.org.uk 16 catalyst

‘The format of the event allowed people the time and space to be open with each other, with real-life examples giving them something to focus on. There were more opportunities to share challenges and joys with each other, compared with many other gatherings of multi-church clergy. ‘I’m certain that there are mission opportunities in rural churches – they’re just different to how other people may think of mission. As vicars in rural settings we’re an integral part of the community where mission takes place. It’s more driven by relationships and personal contact, including those we meet through weddings, funerals and baptisms.’

Enabling Action

Turning vision into action and setting change in motion. Pam Robinson is a lay leader with the role of vision coordinator in the parish of Edgeley and Cheadle Heath, in Chester diocese, which recently merged from three congregations into one. She attended a local Enabling Action event with her vicar the Rev David Brewster. ‘As a business analyst who is immersed in management practices at work, it has been fascinating to take a look at leadership from a faith perspective. Beyond some obvious comparisons, the events have helped us discover the best shape which puts us in a position to reach out in our community. The resulting vision is very un-business-like: seeking God, sharing our gifts and serving the world. ‘Leading Edge has been thought-provoking, fun and challenging. It has provided reassurance that we’re going in the right direction and the encouragement of hearing from others who are going through a similar process. It has also taught me about how listening to people’s valid concerns can help bring about effective change.

Discerning Direction The role of vision in the life of a local church.

Kirrilee Reid is the rector of All Saints, Glencarse, in Scotland, having previously worked as a youth worker, lecturer and Anglican priest in Australia. She attended the Discerning Direction event in Dundee.

Building and Maintaining Teams

Working well with others and developing effective teams. Matthew Fitter is the team rector of Anerley team ministry, in Rochester diocese, which hosted an event earlier this year. ‘Leading Edge highlighted the importance of being intentional about building and growing teams – it doesn’t just happen on its own. We looked at the biblical basis of teams, including Jesus’ teamworking and the ‘one body, many parts’ passage.’ ‘We were able to focus on how the topic can be applied to where we are each serving. It also helped me see how a clear team vision and direction enables us to have a much sharper cutting edge for God’s mission in this place.’

‘Leading Edge highlighted the importance of being intentional about building and growing teams.‘

Missional Leadership

Ensuring that the call to mission remains integral to local church life and leadership. Paul Owen is rector of Denton in Chichester diocese, a church which serves two villages where he has been for the past five years. He attended a Missional Leadership event in Billingshurst recently.

‘The event came about a year into my current post, so it was a timely reminder of the importance of collectively setting a vision for the purpose of a church.

‘It is important for leaders to engage with their missional responsibilities but sometimes it’s hard graft as the incumbent of a village parish. The event fed my passion for mission, sharpened up my thinking, and helped those present to share their progress, talk about different experiences and discuss what we’ve all learnt along the way.

‘The direction we’re seeking is still a work in progress, as we look into what gifts we have and what the needs are in this area. The focus of the vision which we are working towards will contain the key elements of a deepening spirituality for the people within the church, as well as opening the church up and bringing others in.’

‘At Denton we’re looking at our vision, focusing on the values, identity and purpose of our church. It inspired me to press on and make sure that the core of the church continue to be on-stream with that – how we serve the existing congregation and reach out to new people – because it’s important that God’s vision for what we are doing is owned by the church members, not just me.’ catalyst 17

Contact the CPAS supporter relations team on 01926 458430 or supporter.relations@cpas.org.uk

supporting CPAS Giving Praying

We believe prayer is essential to all we do, and love the fact that so many of our supporters pray for CPAS on a regular basis. We provide information for petition and praise in a number of ways, to enable you to pray in a way that suits you. Our quarterly Prayer Diary not only provides daily prayer points and a Bible verse for the week, but also includes an easily detachable overview for those who prefer to pray in a less structured way. We provide daily prayer points via www.twitter. com/cpasnews, and include Bible verses to guide missional prayer on our Facebook page.

We praise God for the many churches and individuals who support our work financially. As a charity, CPAS is dependent on the generous gifts of our supporters. Please prayerfully consider whether God may be prompting you or your church to give – or increase your giving – to our ministry. If you feel this is something God is calling you to do, you can donate online at www.cpas. org.uk/donate or feel free to get in touch on 01926 458430 or supporter.relations@cpas. org.uk for more information on giving in other ways, such as regular standing order, or leaving a gift to CPAS in your will.

Sharing

As a charity, CPAS is dependent on the generous gifts of our supporters. Please prayerfully consider whether God may be prompting you or your church to give – or increase your giving – to our ministry.

www.twitter.com/cpasnews 18 catalyst

Do you know a young person who would love to go on a Venture holiday or Falcon Camp, or a vicar grappling with leadership issues who could benefit from a Leading Edge day? As a mission agency working in the UK and Ireland, we love new opportunities to work with and alongside people in churches to grow God’s kingdom together.

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Free Promotional materials If you would like to make a display in your church, a range of materials about the different aspects of our ministry are available free-of-charge by contacting the supporter relations team or ordering online through the CPAS shop.

Promoting

Promoting CPAS within your church is a key way to raise awareness and support for our work, and we are very grateful to everyone who is already involved in this. We recently produced a new ‘Introducing CPAS’ leaflet which gives an overview of who we are and what we do, which may be particularly helpful. There are a wide range of other materials available, including posters, collection boxes, giving envelopes, leaflets, postcards and PowerPoint presentations.

Focus on home mission

Holy Trinity, Redhill in Surrey focused on home mission and the work of CPAS as part of their Mission Sunday in 2010, and were visited by CPAS general director, John Dunnett. John preached on the great commission, which the congregation found ‘very encouraging’ according to their vicar, the Rev Canon Gary Jenkins. ‘We think the UK is a great mission field, so we feel it is important to support CPAS alongside overseas mission organisations. Like us, CPAS encourages evangelical life and witness in the Church of England, so we are keen to give our support’. Gary finds that ‘the clergy all know about CPAS, but it’s important to find ways to communicate its ministries to the congregation’. At Holy Trinity, the world mission committee is responsible for highlighting the activities of the mission agencies the church supports to the congregation at large. Ahead of John’s visit, Lesley-Ann Clegg, a member of the world mission committee, put together a notice board display which informed the congregation about what CPAS does, and the ways people can get involved.

‘We think the UK is a great mission field, so we feel it is important to support CPAS alongside overseas mission organisations.’ The Rev Canon Gary Jenkins, Holy Trinity, Redhill

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