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Churches encouraged to lend an ear for mission

31 October 2006

New audit material gives parishes pointers for exploring growth opportunities

A new guide published today urges churches to become ‘multi-listeners’, tuning both ears to God, to their local communities, and to wider society when they are planning new activities.

Listening for Mission is the third in a series of pioneering practical guides, written to inspire and support those thinking of starting a ‘Fresh Expression’ – the name given to the development of contemporary forms of church alongside more traditional ones within the Church of England and the Methodist Church. These already include examples such as a congregation in Essex that uses skateboards and BMX bikes to help young people express their faith, and a café church in Staffordshire designed to help churches reach out into the ‘coffee culture’ of the town.

The new 16-page guide encourages a process termed ‘360-degree listening’ to help churches conduct both initial research into the real needs of the community they are seeking to serve, and more in-depth listening tools to capture the experiences, aspirations and concerns of the local area. The booklet is designed for use by church councils, deanery synods, circuit meetings or house groups, and includes a set of relevant Bible studies written to bring a scriptural perspective to the process of discerning God’s will within local settings.

It is designed for use alongside expressions: the DVD and the booklet Starting a Fresh Expression, both also published by Church House Publishing.

The Revd Steven Croft, Archbishops’ Missioner – a role created to encourage evangelism across the Church, especially through Fresh Expressions – believes that the small guide punches above its weight: “Listening isn’t always easy, but needn’t be complicated. To listen to God and to other people we need to set aside our own ideas for a time and prepare to be radically changed by what we hear.

“Only by being open to such a shift of understanding will we ‘get in the right zone’ for forging new ways of bringing God’s message to the widest range of people today,” he concludes.

Listening for Mission: Mission audit for Fresh Expressions (ISBN 0-7151-4099-X) is priced £5.00 for a pack of 5 and available from Christian bookshops including Church House Bookshop, 31 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BN, tel. 020-7898 1300, email bookshop@c-of-e.org.uk, or on the web (mail order available).