pioneering parishes does what it sounds like - it helps parishes gently shift their energy towards focusing outwards in the parish - simple eh?! i discussed this with someone who is a vicar the other day and they simply said 'of course! isn't that what every parish does?'
the reality is that there are many pressures and demands and maintaining church life can take a lot of energy so a reminder/call/encouragement plus some tools to shift that energy can only be a good thing. there is now a pioneering parishes web site which has just gone live - do have a nose round, sign up to the monthly newsletter by scrolling to the bottom of the page and following the link. and maybe gather a team from your church and sign up to do the first steps webinar series of 4 sessions. you can search pioneering parishes on instagram and facebook if you want to jump on the flow there.
i have spent the last 15 or so years talking about pioneering and working with pioneers. sometimes in churches i get a glazed expression - it just sounds like it's a bit out there or beyond reach or not for them. but i have found when talking with people about pioneering parishes the reaction is different - people instinctively like those two things together and want to be part of a parish like that. parish is of course a church of england way of organising and this project is being funded through the church of england for three years. but i think the ideas will translate if you are a church and interested in your place/locale.
i am delighted that this project is part of the team i lead at cms and it has been fun working with tina, greg, jayne, gail (the team) and seeing how this is naturally taking on a life and growing. it's going to be a fun ride!
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