In Mark 4, Jesus calmed a storm after inviting His disciples to cross to the ‘other side’ of the lake. Beneath this miracle is a quiet movement of transformation that we see often in our Seedbeds cohorts. Before the wind and waves are stilled, something deeper is stirred: a shift from crowd to communitas, and then to resilient, healing community. At Seedbeds, this journey mirrors why we need Cohorts—not just content, but context; not just learners, but fellow travellers.
From the Crowds – Leaving the Familiar
Jesus called his disciples away from the crowd—not to abandon others, but to go deeper. It’s the first movement of leadership formation: choosing transformation over applause, depth over performance, capacity building over production.
Our cohorts—whether as Pilgrims, Change Makers, Pioneers, Incubators or Scholars—offer this kind of experience. They are intentional acts of stepping away from the noise and busyness to journey more deeply with Christ and with one another. They offer time to reflect: What “crowds” do I need to leave behind? Where is Jesus inviting me to go deeper?
Through Communitas – Formed in the Storm
In the boat, the storm stripped away hierarchy. Fear and vulnerability bind the disciples together—not in theory, but in lived experience. This is communitas, the kind of connection that can only be born through shared risk, uncertainty, and mutual dependence. The storms and the wind obey Jesus, but will the disciples?
Cohorts help Seedbeds bond people together. Our Pilgrims walk together, literally, often through sacred landscapes and inner storms. Our Pioneers navigate the tensions of leading change in complex places. Our Change Makers discover their talents to tentatively own and share in their neighbourhood. Our Inclubators participant explore with their business models in a war zone. Our Scholars wrestle with ideas that challenge the status quo of church and society. Each group forms a “boat,” small enough for deep trust, strong enough for honest questioning, and real enough for transformation.
In these liminal spaces, titles fade and true connection forms. We’re not just learning skills—we’re learning how to be human and hopeful together.
Into Community – Landing Transformed
By the time the boat landed on the ‘other side’ something had shifted. The disciples are no longer just a group following a teacher; they are a community shaped by storm, grace, and revelation. Jesus has not only calmed the sea—He has revealed something about Himself and about where their faith depended. They needed this lived experience as they get out of the boat to face a man afflicted by demons and hurting himself. Jesus not only calmed the storm for the disciples but healed on the ‘other side’.
Every Seedbeds cohort needs to find their ‘other side’. Not just information shared, but lives changed. Not just leaders equipped, but communities cultivated. Whether it’s the Change Maker pitching a community project, Pioneers creating a new opportunity to experience God’s love, the Pilgrim returning home with new courage, Incubator participant starting their enterprise or the Scholar discovering a more integrated theology of place and justice—each journey is a preparation for leadership that is connected, self-aware, and ready for what lies ahead.
Why Cohorts?
Because real formation doesn’t happen in the crowd. Because leadership is forged not just in the classroom, but in the boat. Because our future depends on local leaders who are not only equipped, but deeply connected, alert and spiritually grounded.
In a world that often prizes charisma over character and isolation over intimacy, Seedbeds cohorts call us to another way: a path of pilgrimage, a storm-bonded communitas, and a shalom-filled local community.
Step Into a Seedbeds Cohort This Year
If you’re ready to move from the crowd to community—to grow in connection, self-awareness, and leadership planted in place—then join a Seedbeds cohort this academic year.
- Pilgrims – Walk sacred paths, deepen your faith, and rediscover God’s presence in the ordinary and extraordinary. St Cuthbert’s Way and Winter Camino are forming now.
- Pioneers – Be equipped and supported as you create new ways to see change in complex places. The next Newbigin Pioneering Hub cohort is forming now in the UK.
- Change Makers – Discover your strengths and how to share them in your local community. The next cohorts are forming in the UK and Australia.
- Change Incubators – Stand with our Burmese colleagues as they pitch their income generation idea to support their families in war zones. Online and in person panels are forming now to offer cash, constructive comments, coaching and connections.
- Scholars – Engage in deeper theological reflection that integrates head, heart, and hands for real-world transformation. New cohorts of MA students are forming with our Seedbeds School for Shalom in partnership with Nazarene Theological College (validated by the University of Manchester).
Each cohort offers a rich mix of learning, shared journeying, and spiritual formation alongside others who are stepping into the storm, finding faith, and heading for new shores.
Let’s go deeper and further—together.
Shalom,
Ash
International Director,
Seedbeds: Growing leaders, Growing Communities.
PS. Help Seedbeds Grow Our Ecosystem
So much more is possible as we multiply the Seedbeds ecosystem—creating places where leadership, learning, and incubation grow together.
🌱 National Affiliates & Partnerships Equipping grassroots Change Makers and Pioneers in the United Kingdom (Birmingham, East London) and Australia (Geelong, Mornington Peninsula, Townsville), and strengthening leadership incubators in Burma and Thailand.
🌱 Seedbeds Commons Shared formation through pilgrimages, coaching, and “train-the-trainer” resources that multiply local leaders in local places.
🌱 Seedbeds School for Shalom Our new partnership with Nazarene Theological College (validated by the University of Manchester) offering BA, MA, and PhD pathways in social and community transformation.
Be Part of This Growing Seedbeds Movement
If you’re moved by this vision, we’d love you to walk with us—through prayer, participation, or practical giving. Your support can help us form more cohorts, equip more local leaders, and cultivate communities of shalom wherever we are invited.
- Donate to Seedbeds here
- Join a Cohort in UK, Australia, Myanmar or Ukraine with contact details at seedbeds.org
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