Pioneer ministry

Training opportunities for lay and ordained pioneer ministers are increasing in the Church of England and the Methodist Church The following resources might be useful if you are thinking about pioneer ministry or just want to find out more. They mainly refer to the Church of England, but others may find the principles and ideas useful.

VentureFX: Pioneering Ministries in the Methodist Church (Methodist)

...aims to plant and nurture 20 viable groups of young adults who would not otherwise have engaged with the Church, establish a cohort of pioneers to be trainined and supported in cutting-edge work with young adults and to develop a group of experienced coach/mentors. Download the leaflet at the foot of the page or visit the VentureFX website.

Lay pioneer ministry (CofE)

In 2007 the House of Bishops approved a set of guidelines to encourage lay pioneer ministry in various forms, which you can download from the foot of the page.

It is now possible to explore and be equipped for this lay ministry nationally as a Church Army Evangelist and locally in an increasing number of dioceses.

Nationally the mission shaped ministry course is increasingly seen as basic training for lay people leading fresh expressions of church.

Ordained pioneer ministry (CofE)

We have published a DVD and booklet called on the edge: exploring ordained pioneer ministry in the church of england which features 14 ordained pioneer ministers telling their stories in different ways.

We also have a selection of courses and colleges offering ordained pioneer ministry training in the Church of England (CofE).

We also have several downloadable guides available from the foot of the page:

• Ordained pioneer ministry guidelines: In 2006 the House of Bishops approved these guidelines to encourage vocations to ordained pioneer ministry.
• Exploring pioneer ministry: a short guide responding to existing clergy who would like to explore pioneer ministry as part of their own calling to ordained ministry.
• Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure: Part V of this 2007 Measure (approved by the House of Bishops in 2008) deals with Bishops' Mission Orders, which bishops can use to endorse and provide recognition and oversight for new forms of Church developing alongside traditional ones.

  You can also find out more about this from the booklet Bishops' Mission Orders a beginner's guide, available from our shop, which explains in accessible language how they work.