New resources launched to equip churches for evangelism

Following consultation and theological conversations across the Connexion, the new Evangelism team of the Methodist Church has launched practical resources to help build an embedded commitment to evangelism and growth for the present and future life of the Church.  

 Trey Hall, the Methodist Church’s Director of Evangelism and Growth, said: “In our conversations we heard the call to reclaim evangelism as a core dimension of our mission and identity as a Church and these resources are a direct response to needs and hopes of the many who have engaged with us over the past year.”

For the new Connexional year that has just begun four key resources have been launched:

The Story Project  - A creative website with resources, videos, and upcoming training events to help churches build a culture of lay testimony and faith-sharing.

Speaking about the motivation for the Story Project Trey Hall said:

 “Make room for testimony in your worship every week and your church’s mission statement about God’s grace changing lives will no longer only be something that you print in your notice sheet every week; now it will be narratively demonstrated every week in people’s stories. And a mission story is always better than a mission statement!”

New Places for New People Micro-grants – Starter grants are available for those looking to pioneer something new in a circuit or church. This might include, for example, church planting or pioneering with people from communities experiencing poverty, or the under 25s.

Speaking about the aims for the micro-grants, Trey Hall said: “These grants will help develop Christian exploration and the growth of new faith communities. They also create the opportunities for mutual learning, help raise up new leaders, and will allow the whole Church to reflect on its calling.”

Mission Planning Resources - Mission planning is vital in achieving church growth. These resources include a Mission Planning Toolkit to guide churches along the way.

Speaking about the mission planning resources, Trey Hall said: “Mission planning is a deeply spiritual and unapologetically strategic way of responding to these important questions in detail. And led in a participative and explorative way, it’s actually a load of fun!”

Draft Foundations of the Evangelism and Growth Strategy Underpinning the latest resources is a core strategy developed collaboratively with hundreds of leaders and practitioners from across the Church. This will be presented at Conference 2020.

Speaking about the development of this strategy, Trey Hall said: “This strategic process is about listening deeply to God and each other, charting a daring and gracious way forward, and having a bias for action and transformation.”

 More information about the Evangelism team and the support it offers can be found here.

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