The Revd Ian Bell has been appointed Pioneering Ministries Coordinator, overseeing a major new initiative designed to reach out to young adults who have no contact with the Church.
The church is investing £7 million over ten years in the scheme, entitled venture fx, which will seek to recruit 20 lay and ordained people who demonstrate vision, motivation and the ability to inspire others. Over the next five years these people will be appointed to pioneer new Christian communities among the 20s to 30s age range in 20 different locations. They will be offered support and training and will be able to build new, viable independent Christian congregations rooted in the Methodist tradition.
“Increasing numbers of people have little or no understanding of the Christian story and might find the idea of going to church strange or irrelevant,” said Ian, “This is the challenge that the church is facing and we have to develop new models of church that speak to people about where they are in life and the issues that matter to them. venture fx is about tackling this challenge head on, meeting people where they are and challenging perceptions of what ‘church’ should look like.”
Ian is currently Superintendent Minister of the South West Tyneside Methodist Circuit, where he is developing an emerging church venture at Starbucks in the Metro Centre, Gateshead. In the past he has helped to establish several new expressions of church in the Sheffield and Doncaster areas, including a youth congregation and a cafe-based church.
As Coordinator for the scheme, Ian will be working part time until the end of August 2009, becoming full time from 1 September. You can hear Ian talking about the scheme in the latest Fresh Expressions podcast, available online here: http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/section.asp?id=4138. More information about venture fx with a list of FAQs can be found on the Methodist website here: http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentoworld.content&cmid=2539
Source: Methodist news Service 02/03/09
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2 comments:
What an wonderful venture for The Methodist Church!! I had heard a bit about this, but thank you for sharing specific information. I think that it will be exciting for Methodists to see this initiative as integral to its life and ministry!!
I can't wait for it to really get going. It's something I've been longing for for some time. These young adults have so much to give in the service of God and His church that is not being used at present.
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