Pioneers and Planting

Lay Pioneers in the Diocese

Revd Dave Battison is an experienced pioneer minister.  As a part-time member of the Mission Team he is supporting pioneering and Fresh Expressions across the Diocese.

How can Dave help you? In particular he could work alongside you and your parish(es) to:

• Connect with people who don’t come to church;
  
• Identify and support those people with a pioneering mindset, especially identifying with lay people who are pioneering already – or who have pioneered in the past;
  
• Advise on new initiatives which are crucial for developing lay pioneer ministers in our Diocese; also new initiatives that are developed ‘on the ground’ in the different parishes.

Dave can help clergy and lay people develop their strategies and develop their understanding of the pioneer mindset. He is always looking for Good News stories from around the Diocese which reflect your resourcefulness, build on existing capabilities, and demonstrate originality.

New Worshipping Communities (NWCs)

The three priorities contained within the vision and strategy for the Church of England in the 2020s are:        

• to become a church of missionary disciples;
• to become a church where mixed ecology is “normal” ;
• to become a church that is younger and more diverse.

In this respect, and as part of our evolving diocesan vision, our goal is to create 120 New Worshipping Communities (NWC’s) within the next five years. For Peterborough Diocese, the ‘characteristics’ of NWC’s are:

• Reaching people who are currently not attending a church;
• Include ‘closed’ communities, e.g. care homes, prisons, schools etc.
• Become ‘Reimagined’, i.e. apply to existing community gatherings;
• Worshipping God and helping people to grow in their faith;
• Involving initially two (but eventually all) of the following, which reflect the culture and tradition of the gathering: Prayer, Scripture, Praise, Sacrament, Acts of Service.
• Meeting together in person or online regularly (at least monthly), and being connected to the wider church, via parish, deanery, or diocese;
• Growing as a community in love for God, for one another, and for those it has been called to reach.

For more information about New Worshipping Communities, or to explore and/or discuss emerging opportunities within your own parishes, please contact Revd Dave Battison who will be pleased to provide additional support and encouragement.