Venturing on new ground - Church reaches out to young adults

The Revd Ian Bell has been appointed Pioneering MinistriesCoordinator, overseeing a major new initiative designed to reachout to young adults who have no contact with the Church.

The church is investing £7million over ten years in the scheme,entitled venture fx, which will seek to recruit 20 lay and ordainedpeople who demonstrate vision, motivation and the ability toinspire others. Over the next five years these people will beappointed to pioneer new Christian communities among the 20s to 30sage range in 20 different locations. They will be offered supportand training and will be able to build new, viable independentChristian congregations rooted in the Methodist tradition.

"Increasing numbers of people have little or no understanding ofthe Christian story and might find the idea of going to churchstrange or irrelevant," said Ian, "This is the challenge that thechurch is facing and we have to develop new models of church thatspeak to people about where they are in life and the issues thatmatter to them. venture fx is about tackling this challenge headon, meeting people where they are and challenging perceptions ofwhat 'church' should look like."

Ian is currently Superintendent Minister of the South West TynesideMethodist Circuit, where he is developing an emerging churchventure at Starbucks in the Metro Centre, Gateshead. In the past hehas helped to establish several new expressions of church in theSheffield and Doncaster areas, including a youth congregation and acafe-based church.

As Coordinator for the scheme, Ian will be working part time untilthe end of August 2009, becoming full time from 1 September.

You can hear Ian talking about the scheme in the latest FreshExpressions 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 foundon the Methodist website here:http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentoworld.content&cmid=2539