Applications
Fill in the application form to apply.
Application Closing Date : Friday 2 September 2022.
Course fees paid by : Saturday 10 September 2022.
Do you See…
New possibilities?
A way where there is no way?
Ideas for mission in your community that just might work?
A new community of disciples where there is none?
How your local community can flourish in God’s love and shalom, but know this can’t happen alone?
If you can see even a glimpse of any of these, then come and be part of the Newbigin Pioneering Hub and see if your hopes can be realised together with us.
Introducing the ‘Newbigin Pioneering Hub’
We are a collaboration between United Reformed Church, the Congregational Federation, Church Mission Society and Seedbeds and named in honour of the inspirational URC Minister and mission theologian, Lesslie Newbigin. This new venture is open to all and part of celebrating the past 50 years of the United Reformed Church and Congregational Federation by investing our future in local communities.
Our mission is:
‘To discover, nurture, empower and release a new Community of Pioneers, able to see God’s love and shalom flourish in their local communities.’
Rev Dr Ash Barker, who leads the Newbigin Pioneering Hub from Winson Green, inner city Birmingham, says,
“We long for every local community to flourish in God’s love and shalom, but know so many neighbourhoods are missing out right now. I believe this new venture can unearth a new generation of Pioneers, ready to be planted personally in local places and able to grow people into new communities of hope, faith and compassion wherever Jesus has called them to serve. We have hard-won insights from experienced Pioneers that can help form, guide and inspire a new generation of Pioneers from here.”
Could God be calling you to step out in faith with us to see your God-given dreams in your local community flourish in faith, hope and love?
Join us for:
- The CMS awarded Certificate in Pioneer Mission
- Forming a new “Community of Pioneers”
- A taster day in Winson Green and/or
- The Annual Newbigin Public Lecture.
The CMS Certificate in Pioneering Mission
This is our foundational course designed and led by experienced pioneering practitioners, for practitioners. Church Mission Society has offered this course around the UK and will now make it be available to all, rooted in the United Reformed Church in partnership with the Congregational Federation and planted in a live pioneering context in inner city Birmingham. The course will start September 2022 and will include six units run over 3 weekend residential (The Greenhouse at Barnes Close), hybrid seminars (online and in Lodge Road Community Church, Birmingham) on 3 full Saturdays and 3 Wednesday evenings as well as personal coaching. There is also a final pitch of your pioneering project to a resource panel and graduation.
These are our six units and when they’re offered :
Pioneering Mission – Facilitator: Jonny Baker
Residential: 16-18 September 2022 at The Greenhouse at Barnes Close
Learning Circle: 6:30pm-9pm on Wednesday 12 October 2022 on zoom.
Coaching: Week commencing 17 October 2022
Missional Spirituality – Facilitator: Johnny Sertin
Seminars: 10am-4pm on Saturday 19 November and 6:30pm-9pm on Wednesday 23 November 2022 at Lodge Road Community Church and via zoom.
Learning Circle: 6:30pm-9pm on Wednesday 7 December 2022 on zoom – Host of online spirituality lab: Roy Searle
Coaching: Week commencing 12 December 2022
Church and Mission – Facilitator: Tina Hodgett
Seminars: 10am-4pm on Saturday 14 January and 6:30pm-9pm on Wednesday 18 January 2023 at Lodge Road Community Church and zoom.
Learning Circle: 6:30pm-9pm on Wednesday 15 February 2023 on zoom.
Coaching: Week commencing 20 February 2023
Mission and the Bible – Facilitator: John Drane
Residential: 10-12 March 2023, at The Greenhouse at Barnes Close
Learning Circle: 6:30pm-9pm on Wednesday 12 April 2023 on zoom.
Coaching: Week commencing 17 April 2023.
Community Development – Facilitator: Ash Barker
Seminars: 10am-4pm on Saturday 13 May and 6:30pm-9pm on Wednesday 17 May 2023 at Lodge Road Community Church and zoom.
Learning Circle: 6:30pm-9pm on Wednesday 14 June 2023 on zoom
Coaching: Week commencing 19 June 2023
Missional Entrepreneurship – Facilitator: Sarah Clarke
Residential: 7-9 July 2023 at the Greenhouse at Barnes Close
Learning Circle and Coaching: 6:30pm-9pm on Wednesday 12 July 2023
Pitch to Panel and Graduation: 10am-3pm on Saturday15 July 2023
“It’s been such a valuable experience to look at mission in the local context. To take the written words out of the text books and apply that learning to the place that I live. It’s opened my eyes to what’s unseen in my community. Challenging my understanding of what it means to live on the margins of society. Learning about mission in a creative and inclusive way supported by like minded people has been an amazing experience.”
Lindsay, pioneer and past student on the CMS Certificate in Pioneering Mission
‘Community of Pioneering’
We aim to discover, nurture, empower and release a new generation of Pioneers. This will include helping Pioneers connect with new mission contexts, pathways, retreats and coaching. We believe we can go further and deeper in our calling as Pioneers if we connect together well. We will form this ‘Community of Pioneers’ out of those who currently identify as Pioneers as well as those coming through the ‘Certificate in Pioneer Mission.’
‘Newbigin Annual Public Lecture’
To stimulate Christians into more thoughtful and deeper engagement in the places they live and serve, we offer a public lecture with a high profile Christian leader who embodies a contemporary spirit of Lesslie Newbigin. In previous years this has included: Dr Steve Bevans (2018), Dr Krish Kandiah (2019), John Newbigin and Dr Ash Barker (2021).
At 1pm on Saturday 2 July 2022 the next Newbigin Public Lecture will be given by Dr Cathy Ross (missiologists, author, CMS) at Lodge Road Community Church and we will be celebrating the Newbigin Pioneering Hub, a 50th anniversary project for the URC. Register here to secure your place.
On Wednesday 7 June 2023 Shane Claiborne (author, activist, Simple Way) will give next years address. Save the Date!
‘Taster Days in Winson Green’
These are an opportunity to connect and find out more about the ‘Community of Pioneers’ and the ‘Certificate in Pioneer Mission’ course that will be run by the ‘Newbigin Pioneering Hub’. The last interactive day was on Saturday 21 May led by Newbigin Pioneering Hub leader Rev Dr Ash Barker and CMS’s Jonny Baker with local ‘Stories of Hope’ in Winson Green. Watch this space for any future Taster Days.
‘The Church in each place is to be the sign, instrument and foretaste of the reign of God present in Christ for that place; a sign, planted in the midst of the present realities of the place but pointing beyond them to the future which God has promised; an instrument available for God’s use in the doing of his will for that place; a foretaste – manifesting and enjoying already in the midst of the messianic tribulations a genuine foretaste of the peace and joy of God’s reign.’ – Lesslie Newbigin
Would you join us in this new venture?
Fill in the application form to apply.
Application Closing Date : Friday 2 September 2022.
Course fees paid by : Saturday 10 September 2022.
Costs:
‘CMS Certificate of Pioneering’ programme: £600 includes six modules or £300 for an approved URC or Congregational Federation Participant.
‘Community of Pioneers’ community membership: £24 annually (free for programme contributors).
For help with funding and other support please talk to your local church, synod or apply for a Discipleship Development Fund grant
Newbigin Pioneering Hub,
Lodge Road Community Church,
143-4 Lodge Road, Winson Green,
Birmingham, B18 5BU.
My wife and I are interested in joining the course beginning in September. We have only just been told about it so it is a bit last minute for us.
We are away in September on the day of the induction, would this be a recorded session so that we would not miss out? Also the first zoom session on 12th September we would literally be getting back from holiday about 6pm as the session begins at 6.30. Hopefully we will make it! All other sessions we would be able to make. Would any of these be a problem for us or for you?
How much academic/ course work is involved as I work full time snd need to know that I would have time to fit everything in before we commit. Thank you