About Us
Welcome to Seedbeds, a global community committed to releasing the unique potential of local people and places around the world. As Seedbeds, we recognise that every local community has the potential to flourish, and we believe that the key to unlocking that potential lies in the growth of its local leaders and community builders.
About Us
Welcome to Seedbeds, a global community committed to releasing the unique potential of local people and places around the world. As Seedbeds, we recognise that every local community has the potential to flourish, and we believe that the key to unlocking that potential lies in the growth of its local leaders and community builders.
From Seedbeds Founder, Rev Dr. Ash Barker
In 2014, in a humid food court in Kuala Lumpur, I met Dr. John Perkins—the legendary civil rights leader, author, and founder of the Christian Community Development Association. As I shared my vision for the next stage of my life, he gave me the language I needed: Seedbeds.
“You wanna offer fertile soil,” he said. “Help new shoots grow where they normally wouldn’t. Some will be replanted, but you wanna grow seedbeds.“
He was right.
Just months later, we moved to Winson Green, Birmingham, UK, with little more than this dream. The journey was tough—it nearly buried us. But over time, local leaders, programmes, and partnerships emerged. Today, Seedbeds is growing local leaders and communities into fullness of life across the UK, Myanmar, Thailand, Australia, and Ukraine—all planted from Winson Green. And yet, we feel we are only just beginning.
The Seedbeds Dream: People. Places. Potential.
We dream of a world where every local community flourishes. Every neighbourhood holds the seeds of transformation, and the key to growth lies in discovering, connecting, and releasing the unique gifts and talents of local people and places.
Just as a seedbed nurtures life, we create environments where God’s Shalom—God, people, and place living in harmony—can take root and thrive. Through a growing movement of Seedbeds partners, we cultivate leaders who grow local communities of hope and possibility.
Could You Join Us in 2025?
So much more is possible if we multiply the Seedbeds ecosystem—creating places where leadership, learning, and incubation grow together.
Your partnership will help expand this growing movement:
🌱 Seedbeds National Affiliates & Partnerships – Equipping grassroots Change Makers and Pioneers in places like East London, Birmingham (UK), Geelong, Mornington Peninsula, Brisbane, and Townsville (Australia), while strengthening leadership and project incubators in Myanmar and Thailand.
🌱 Seedbeds Commons – Bringing the Seedbeds movement together for pilgrimages, train-the-trainer and coaching programs, and resources that multiply local leaders within their communities.
🌱 Seedbeds School for Shalom – A new collaboration with Nazarene Theological College (University of Manchester) offering BA, MA, and PhD pathways in social and community transformation.
This is just the beginning. We invite you to be part of this movement—to help plant and cultivate new Seedbeds of possibility in the places that need it most.
We would love you to join us?
Let’s grow together.
Shalom,
Rev Dr Ashley Barker
Executive Director,
Seedbeds – Growing leaders, Growing communities
Seedbeds.org
1. Our Vision
We long to live in a world where every local community can flourish in God’s love and Shalom.
2. Our Mission
To grow people and places into fullness of life by releasing local potential.
3. Our Values
People
Starting with ourselves, we seek to reflect on and channel our experiences, passion and strengths, help others to realise and unlock their potential and work WITH people (not to or for them) together in teams, to inspire, support and encourage each other.
Places
We believe God gave us to places to bring hope and transformation, so that they can become seedbeds for individuals and communities to flourish, living in the power of God’s love.
Potential
Jesus came to give us life to the full (Shalom). God has limitless resources, so we focus on potentials and possibilities, nurturing what’s strong in people and places to address what’s wrong.
4. Our Programmes and Areas
Change Makers
Local community leadership development. The focus is on growing critical qualities of compassion, innovation and resilience, as well as building life-long connections, self-awareness and skills for change. Currently there are Change Makers programmes in UK & Australia.
Change Incubators
In Myanmar to see dreams for change happen through enterprise and income generation. In partnership with the National Unity Government of Myanmar and the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Pioneers
Host and lead “Newbigin Pioneering Hub” to discover, nurture, empower & release a new Community of Pioneers. This includes CMS Certificate in Pioneering, Pioneering Community, Pioneers Collective.
Pilgrims
Sacred walks on St Cuthbert’s Way, Camino de Santiago and Winson Green pilgrimages for growing awareness and connections.
Scholars
MA & PhD programmes with Nazarene Theological College (University of Manchester) and MA programmes with Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Equippers
Local people and communities trained and coached to run Seedbeds programmes.
Communications
Inspires & informs hope and growth in community building and engagement. Speaking, publishing and media to help mobilise a new generation of local community leaders.
4. Our Programmes and Areas
Change Makers
Local community leadership development. The focus is on growing critical qualities of compassion, innovation and resilience, as well as building life-long connections, self-awareness and skills for change. Currently there are Change Makers programmes in UK & Australia.
Change Incubators
In Myanmar to see dreams for change happen through enterprise and income generation. In partnership with the National Unity Government of Myanmar and the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Pioneers
Host and lead “Newbigin Pioneering Hub” to discover, nurture, empower & release a new Community of Pioneers. This includes CMS Certificate in Pioneering, Pioneering Community, Pioneers Collective.
Pilgrims
Sacred walks on St Cuthbert’s Way, Camino de Santiago and Winson Green pilgrimages for growing awareness and connections.
Scholars
MA & PhD programmes with Nazarene Theological College (University of Manchester) and MA programmes with Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Equippers
Local people and communities trained and coached to run Seedbeds programmes.
Communications
Inspires & informs hope and growth in community building and engagement. Speaking, publishing and media to help mobilise a new generation of local community leaders.
5. Our Nations
A) United Kingdom and Ireland
Seedbeds began as a collaboration between 4 urban neighbourhoods in Birmingham and East London in 2016 with our first Change Makers cohort. In 2024 we will offer the following programmes around the UK:
- Change Makers
- Pilgrims
- Pioneers
- Scholars
- Equippers
- Communications
Seedbeds also has two bases and centres in the UK:
C) Myanmar
In 2020 our friends from within the Myanmar National Unity Government requested help to support the 350,000 workers involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement who cannot work in their regular jobs because of the Military Dictatorship. Based on Seedbeds’ MA and Change Makers community leaders programmes, we designed a ‘Change Incubators’ process so that some of these leaders can grow their hopes for change into reality with online training and coaching that culminates in a pitch for change to a resource panel.
In April 2022 and 2023 we piloted the ‘Seedbeds Change Incubators’ programme with 120 community leaders handpicked by the NUG. We could quickly take on 2,000 more if we had the capacity. Seedbeds Equippers, a Seedbeds marketplace as well as Change Incubators will be developed in 2024 and 2025.
D) Ukraine
In 2018 Seedbeds had a request for the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary to help with the design and delivery of a Masters in Urban Ministry. The initial connection was a mutual love for Leslie Newbigin and a concern to see Christians make a difference in local urban communities. In 2019 our first intensive MA units began with Dave and Sally Mann and Ash Barker visiting the UETS campus in Kyiv. The Covid pandemic and then the Russian invasion restricted access, but zoom and personal visits persisted. In 2024 there will be two units delivered in Kyiv as part of our Scholars programme with discussions for a pilot of Change Incubators in 2025.
Support can be given to UETS here.
E) Germany
In 2016 Ash taught an MA programme with NTC on urban ministry in Frankfurt hosted by Church in Action (KIA). Relationships have grown with our Scholars programme and Alumni including Pilgrimages to Winson Green and Bangkok. In 2024 the book launch for No Wastelands and the Change Makers taster day will be offered in Frankfurt.
G) Thailand
For more information please contact
Dave Mann at dave.mann@seedbeds.org
or Ash Barker at ash.barker@seedbeds.org
‘Seedbeds’ is the new public name for
‘The Newbigin School for Urban Leadership’ (CIC).