Title: Bolton Network Church
1WELCOME
- Bolton Network Church
- PRESENTATION
- EVENING
2mission-shaped church
- Church planting andfresh expressions of church
in a changing context
3in a nutshell
- Our society is changing rapidly
- God calls us to meet people where they are with
the love of Christ - So we may need to change the way we do church
4why bother with the church?
- Jesus commissions the church, as Christians
together, to bring good news to all - The church exists for those who are not its
members Archbishop Temple
5mission-shaped church
- Its not the CHURCH of GOD that has a MISSION
- but the GOD of MISSION who has a CHURCH!
6a changing context
- Housing is expensive and people spend time on
maintenance and DIY - More people are working, especially more women
- Weekends a time to work till you shop
- People move around more and drive further
- More children visit family members and absent
parents
7a changing context
These and other factors affect what people do at
weekends and squeeze out time for Sunday church
8a changing context
- We live in an increasingly fragmented society
- People meet through work, school, clubs
(networks), not just in their neighbourhoods - People increasingly spend their free time
shopping, or in leisure centres, or watching
television at home
9a changing context
All this changes the waypeople feel they
belongand do things together,and it
challenges traditional church attendance
10a context that excludes
- Those who are poor can feel excluded from all
this choice - For many, the neighbourhood may be all they have
- Lack of mobility means people can feel isolated
- Traditional community resources, including the
churches, are no longer helping as they used to
11Simple?
12who are we there for?
- Regular attenders whose commitment needs to be
recognised - Fringe attenders who may be being pulled away
- De-churched why did they leave?
- what happened and why?
- Non-churched who need to experience the Gospel
in a way that makes sense to them
13mission-shaped church
Mission is finding out what God is doing, and
joining in
(The Archbishop of Canterbury in the General
Synod, Feb 2004)
14mission-shaped church
We have to ask whether we are capable of moving
towards a mixed economy church
15mission-shaped church
recognising church where it appears and having
the willingness and the skill to work with it
(The Archbishop of Canterbury in the General
Synod, July 2003)
16the mixed economy
recognising church where it appears
17well
18values mission-shaped church is
mission-shaped church, pp.81-2
- focused on God the Trinity
- incarnational (totally involved where we are,
as Jesus was) - transformational (helping people to change, by
Gods grace) - making disciples
- relational (working through us and the people
we know)
19approach shapes of life
- Relating to networks of people
- Not usually meeting on Sunday mornings
- Often emphasising face-to-face relationships in
small groups - Growing from fragile,gentle and small beginnings
20Where do we go from here..
- A mission shaped church for Bolton?
- Where are the gaps?
- Who has God called to fill the gaps?
- What will it mean for us?
21A new way of being church
22A new way of being church
- A NETWORK of churches across Bolton to
- establish and promote new ways of being church in
and through the networks of cultures and
communities that make up our town/city. - Resource these emerging churches and provide
support and accountability
23Values of the Network Church
- UP Worship, Word, Prayer
- IN Community, Ministry, Discipleship
- OUT Unity, Service, Mission
24www.boltonchurch.net
25Youth Congregations
Alternative Worship
Post-modern search for spirituality
Café Church
Post-institutional communities
Seeker services
Building Missionary congregations
Cross boundary Plants
New Missionary Orders
Network Churches
Catechumenate
Base Communities
Cross cultural Plants- ethnic - age - social
Cyber Church
Community development churches
Cell Church / G12 / Household
26DISCUSSION GROUPS
- What GAPS can you identify?
- What are your NETWORKS?
- Do you have a heart for reaching out to a
particular network or area or culture?
27ACTION AGENDA
- CHURCH AGENDA Membership of Network
- Fully Committed
- Associate
- PERSONAL AGENDA
- Do you have a vision for a Missionary Cell etc.?
- Would you like to join a Missionary Cell?
- Could your existing Cell/Housegroup become more
mission oriented?
28(No Transcript)
29(No Transcript)