Ways in to the journey
The travellers we already have are not our sole focus. We want our churches and activities to be open to all.
People who aren't part of a church community will probably still be passionate about some of the stations of a Methodist Way of Life. You never know what might be someone’s way into the network. They might come along to a Sunday worship service, but there are eleven other ways in too, which might suit different people better.
We need to make:
- easy entry points for new people at each station; and
- ways for them to meet and journey with Jesus through the 12 practices of A Methodist Way of Life.
An example of someone starting a journey
"Frida fell in love with classical paintings of Biblical scenes, while studying art history at university. She wanted to explore the stories they depicted, so she started reading the Bible. She became a Christian and started attending a local church.”
Frida’s entry point was noticing God in the world. She explored the commitment more deeply by noticing God in the Bible. This led her to ‘get on the train’ and start worshipping with others.
Activity: Use floor mat/stickers to think about whether your community’s stations are open or closed for new people. Do you community provide easy entry points for new travellers, with diverse backgrounds and experiences? Are individuals welcoming to new travellers?
"We kick started the MWOL Discipleship Pathway in our Circuit with a Reimagining Discipleship day. The feedback told us that there was hunger for more exploration of the individual stations. So, the Transformational Leadership Team decided to build on the weakest stations but also offer some exploration on other stations too. We also ran a day course on how to welcome people, called ‘First Impressions count’.”
We run events and webinars throughout the year for individuals and church leaders to explore what this means for them, including "Rural and Rooted", a series for rural churches.