A New Church for a New World – update

A six-week journey toward thriving in a pandemic-altered world

© Copyright by John van de Laar, 2021

Dear all,

Most important thing to note: we’ve had to cancel this week’s A New Church For A New World evening (20th October) as a number of key people can’t be there to run the evening. Sorry to mess you around (but in fact it won’t make any difference because of our new plan of action, see below).

Second thing is to update everyone on what we’re going to be doing over the next few weeks:

Those of us present last week shared the frustrations of not having opportunities to discuss points raised in the webinars. Also about the length of the sessions and the intensity of delivery (which, in fairness, I think is just because there is a lot to get across).

So, we have decided that in future we will show the recording of the previous week’s webinar/talk. This will enable us to pause it at various moments to discuss some of the points being raised. It also means that if there are any areas that really don’t apply to our churches, we can fast forward the talk.

I will undertake to watch the recording in advance of our meetings so as to be familiar with it – and some of you may wish to do the same. The recordings are usually available a few days after each webinar takes place.

Sharon

Going forward:

Wed 3rd November – Watch & discuss Session 4

Wed 10th November – Watch & discuss Session 5

W/c 15th November – Watch & discuss Session 6. Last session but we may have to change the day. TBC

Start time: as we’re not tied to Zoom anymore, we have agreed that we will meet at 7.30pm rather than 8pm.

For those of you who would like to watch (or watch again) Sessions 1, 2 and 3, and look at the worksheets, here is the link: https://sacredise.com/ancfanw-dl/

It is password protected. Email newsletter@sandhurstyateleymethodist.org.uk for the password.

The six weeks will be shaped around the following six themes:

WEEK ONE Coming to Grips With the New World

The pandemic has been more than a global health crisis. It has shifted our world in multiple ways—and many of those ways have impacted faith communities profoundly. The pandemic has also affected every town, city and country differently. To build a strategy for navigating this new world, we first need to grasp the changes that have happened and how they affect us. Then we need to work through false hopes, unlikely predictions, and our own fears so that we can discern what is required for us to thrive in the future. This session is designed to provide these insights and help us observe our own communities more carefully, think more critically, and dream more creatively.

WEEK TWO A New Worshipping Community

In the last 18 months most churches have found ways to move their worship online. But for most of us, that move has been shaped and defined by how we used to do worship before lockdowns happened. We haven’t known how to reimagine worship for the online space. In this session we will explore principles and best practices for online worship, offering strategies for any budget (including none). We will also explore the challenges and benefits of developing an intentional, creative online worship strategy and how to ensure your ministry remains sustainable for the long haul. We will also explore how online worship could potentially be affecting what people expect and need from in-person worship. This session will help us develop a guide for both online and in-person services.

WEEK THREE A New Caring Community

For decades—if not centuries—the pastor/minister was the centre of the Church community, and the primary caregiver to the congregation. But in recent times, clergy burnout has become a growing and disturbing trend. Few congregations function as true communities and few church leaders know how to move their churches toward a deeper sense of true community. In this session we will explore the purposes and characteristics of authentic community and how to nurture those qualities in your own church. We will also explore new ways of caring for a faith community and providing healthy pastoral care for members in their times of crisis.

WEEK FOUR A New Growing Community

Most pastors/ministers know that they are not the only voice shaping the faith and discipleship of their community, but few know how to help their people engage with different faith perspectives and theological approaches in healthy and meaningful ways. Most discipleship programs have little impact on the real lives of people. And most teaching courses are designed around the sharing of information rather than leading people through an authentic process of transformation. In this session we will explore what disciple is and how life change actually happens. We will also come to grips with how the new, online world is informing and shaping the faith of our communities. We will then explore how to develop meaningful discipleship, teaching, and transformation both online and offline.

WEEK FIVE A New Serving Community

In many church communities, mission, outreach, and serving our neighbourhood have been done through programs or specific events and people who are set aside to do the work of service on behalf of the church. This strategy has become increasingly unsustainable and ineffective. And it leaves most people feeling that they are not ‘called’ or ‘gifted’ for service. In this session we will reimagine what it means to be a serving church and how to draw the entire congregation into serving your community. We will explore new ways of thinking about mission, evangelism, and outreach, and we will help you to discern what priorities your community should embrace as you reach out to your neighbourhood.

WEEK SIX A New Way of Sustaining Community

The majority of churches in our world today struggle to sustain themselves financially, structurally, and meaningfully. Church too easily and too often becomes a routine of going through motions and fighting to survive. Traditional ways of funding ministry are not working as they once did and are inadequate for the needs of most communities. And the systems and structures of many communities are outdated and unable to support the complexity of the work. In this final session we will explore innovative ways to fund ministry. And we will examine various technologies and platforms to streamline systems and structures. We will also review the entire course and ensure that all the action steps you have developed for your community are remembered and able to be put in motion.