Discipleship
Resources promoting understanding of what it means to follow Jesus, and helping those who choose to do so.
You may also be interested in Holy Habits: Missional discipleship resources for churches.
{"id":2439785447524,"title":"Followers of the Way: Ancient discipleship for modern Christians","handle":"followers-of-the-way","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf discipleship is about connecting more deeply with God and connecting God with the whole of life, Simon Reed argues, we’re looking at a lifelong process that requires long-term skills rather than short-term courses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Celtic and Desert Christians, drawing on Old and New Testament practices, modelled how to do this through the practice of living by a Way of Life. In this updated edition, \u003ci\u003eFollowers of the Way \u003c\/i\u003eexplores how we can look to Celtic Christianity to inspire authentic Christian discipleship today.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘Enables busy contemporary Christian people to discover a more authentically Christian way of life for themselves as individuals and as a gathered community.’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStephen Skuce, District Superintendent, North Western District of the Methodist Church in Ireland\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor Info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimon Reed is an Anglican minister with two churches in Ealing, London. He is also one of the three Guardians of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, an international and cross-denominational network of Christians who draw inspiration from Celtic spirituality for the renewal of today’s church. His first book for BRF, \u003ci\u003eCreating Community, \u003c\/i\u003eshowed how today’s churches can become living communities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTransforming Ministry Summer 2023. Review by Jane Slinger\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn our journey as followers of Jesus Christ, do we know how to integrate and sustain discipleship in all areas of our life? Reed, a Guardian of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, answers by showing us a ‘way of life’ inspired by the ancient wisdom and practice of Celtic Christianity. Like following a map, we need help and direction to know where we are going. In each chapter he explains and discusses different practices to enable us to ‘set out on a lifelong journey to connect more deeply with God and to connect God with the whole of life.’ I particularly liked the chapters on healing and prayer. Thus, by following this way of life, ‘we must become better people, living better lives in a better world.’ What more could we wish to achieve? The book is warmly and personally written, particularly relevant today as we have so few answers to the many seemingly insurmountable problems in our lives. There is a great need to bring healing and wholeness to the whole of creation. I thoroughly recommend this enjoyable book. R\u003cem\u003eeviewed by Jane Slinger \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e \u003c\/h5\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:22:51+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:22:53+00:00","vendor":"Simon Reed","type":"Paperback","tags":["Celtic Christianity","Devotional","Discipleship","Glassboxx","Prayer","Spirituality"],"price":999,"price_min":999,"price_max":999,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":21769564061796,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9781800391628","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":{"id":32966801621183,"product_id":2439785447524,"position":1,"created_at":"2022-07-28T16:28:07+01:00","updated_at":"2022-07-28T16:28:08+01:00","alt":null,"width":1535,"height":2339,"src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/FollowersoftheWay.jpg?v=1659022088","variant_ids":[21769564061796]},"available":true,"name":"Followers of the Way: Ancient discipleship for modern Christians - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":999,"weight":270,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9781800391628","featured_media":{"alt":null,"id":25541547524287,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.656,"height":2339,"width":1535,"src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/FollowersoftheWay.jpg?v=1659022088"}},"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/FollowersoftheWay.jpg?v=1659022088"],"featured_image":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/FollowersoftheWay.jpg?v=1659022088","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":25541547524287,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.656,"height":2339,"width":1535,"src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/FollowersoftheWay.jpg?v=1659022088"},"aspect_ratio":0.656,"height":2339,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/FollowersoftheWay.jpg?v=1659022088","width":1535}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cp\u003eIf discipleship is about connecting more deeply with God and connecting God with the whole of life, Simon Reed argues, we’re looking at a lifelong process that requires long-term skills rather than short-term courses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Celtic and Desert Christians, drawing on Old and New Testament practices, modelled how to do this through the practice of living by a Way of Life. In this updated edition, \u003ci\u003eFollowers of the Way \u003c\/i\u003eexplores how we can look to Celtic Christianity to inspire authentic Christian discipleship today.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘Enables busy contemporary Christian people to discover a more authentically Christian way of life for themselves as individuals and as a gathered community.’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStephen Skuce, District Superintendent, North Western District of the Methodist Church in Ireland\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor Info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimon Reed is an Anglican minister with two churches in Ealing, London. He is also one of the three Guardians of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, an international and cross-denominational network of Christians who draw inspiration from Celtic spirituality for the renewal of today’s church. His first book for BRF, \u003ci\u003eCreating Community, \u003c\/i\u003eshowed how today’s churches can become living communities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTransforming Ministry Summer 2023. Review by Jane Slinger\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn our journey as followers of Jesus Christ, do we know how to integrate and sustain discipleship in all areas of our life? Reed, a Guardian of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, answers by showing us a ‘way of life’ inspired by the ancient wisdom and practice of Celtic Christianity. Like following a map, we need help and direction to know where we are going. In each chapter he explains and discusses different practices to enable us to ‘set out on a lifelong journey to connect more deeply with God and to connect God with the whole of life.’ I particularly liked the chapters on healing and prayer. Thus, by following this way of life, ‘we must become better people, living better lives in a better world.’ What more could we wish to achieve? The book is warmly and personally written, particularly relevant today as we have so few answers to the many seemingly insurmountable problems in our lives. There is a great need to bring healing and wholeness to the whole of creation. I thoroughly recommend this enjoyable book. R\u003cem\u003eeviewed by Jane Slinger \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e \u003c\/h5\u003e"}
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Followers of the Way: Ancient discipleship for modern Christians
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If discipleship is about connecting more deeply with God and connecting God with the whole of life, Simon Reed argues,...
{"id":2439744979044,"title":"Making Disciples in Messy Church: Growing faith in an all-age community","handle":"making-disciples-in-messy-church-growing-faith-in-an-all-age-community","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDigital eBook Only - \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eMessy Church has been widely and enthusiastically adopted as a proven and effective way of introducing families to an experience of Christian community and the good news of Jesus. Sceptics ask, 'Are people becoming Christians through Messy Church?' The evidence is clear that they are. But the next challenging question is, 'Can Messy Church also nurture their faith and make these converts into disciples?'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe aim of this book, by telling stories, analysing the journey to faith, and reflecting on what being a disciple means and the various methods of making disciples found in scripture and church tradition, is to encourage ministers and lay leaders to see how their Messy Church can be an intentional disciple-making community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaul Moore writes...\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was a Thursday afternoon back in 2004 when the first ever Messy Church took place at St Wilfrid's Church in Cowplain, near Portsmouth, where I am vicar. Our prayer was to introduce people to Jesus by providing a positive, fun-filled experience of Christian community for families who rarely, if ever, go to a traditional church service. Back then, we had no idea that Messy Church would develop and spread the way it has done from Shetland to Cornwall and from Alaska to Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut it's one thing to be able to draw a crowd; are people becoming Christians through Messy Church? Praise God, the answer is definitely, 'Yes'. The key challenging question is, 'Can Messy Church nurture the faith of these new believers and make them into disciples?'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn my new book \u003cem\u003eMaking Disciples in Messy Church\u003c\/em\u003e I aim to\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ehelp church leaders to grasp how Messy Church really can become a disciple-making community, provided we go about it in a deliberate way. To help us become more intentional, the book contains insightful stories and tips from the experience of Messy Churches in the UK and abroad. It provides some tools to enable us to chart what may be a long journey towards faith for families who have little or no Christian background, so that we can offer people the right support and encouragement at the various stages of their journey into discipleship. It also explores what becoming and growing as a disciple means today, looking at the different ways in which disciples were made in Old and New Testament times and later in the history of the church in various contexts. Out of this come recommendations for leaders and questions for further thought and creativity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt's amazing to see how God is using Messy Church to bless people and draw them to Jesus. I hope this book will be an encouragement to all who are involved in leading and helping in Messy Churches to reflect on the wonderful stuff God is doing\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003ePaul Moore\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContents\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIs Messy Church making disciples?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat are disciples and how are they made?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOld Testament discipleship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJesus and discipleship in the Gospels: kingdom community\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisciples in Acts\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisciple - making in the Epistles and Revelation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA community discipleship curriculum\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn alternative - catechesis then and now\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIntergenerational discipleship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiscipleship and faith at home\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForeword\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMessy Church is a gift from God, one of the Holy Spirit's wonderful surprises, where a step of faith by one very ordinary church has opened the way for more than a thousand others to engage with families who had no serious connection to a church. No one anticipated that the story publicised in the first Fresh Expressions DVD in 2006 would take on such a life of its own. Messy Church is now a movement in its own right, within the wider Fresh Expressions movement. This book, from Paul Moore, the vicar of that church, presents insights from the oldest member of this young family of churches. They are insights from which all who are committed to disciple-making can benefit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose who have been unsure of Messy Church, who would like it to be less messy, and who wonder if it really is church, have frequently raised the question of discipleship. How can you possibly make disciples among all that mess, especially if you meet just once per month? On the contrary, I have always believed that Messy Church is as valid a fresh expression of church as any of the many other models and examples. Because of this, I have always been convinced that the secrets of making disciples through Messy Church lay within the gift itself, in the DNA of the original idea given by the Holy Spirit, and that they would emerge over time. The temptation to bolt on ideas from a different model in order to answer questions or solve apparent problems about disciple-making has always been misguided. It is also evidence of impatience. As the gift of Messy Church has been unwrapped during its early years, the secrets have begun to be revealed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Messy Church world is not closed to learning from other sources. Paul draws helpfully from Scripture, from ancient tradition, from other mission practitioners and researchers, from educational theory and from the worldwide Messy family. But, above all, he draws from the underlying values of Messy Church. He tells us not so much how to make disciples through Messy Church as how to create Messy Church as a disciple-making culture, which is much more important.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe sets realistic expectations about the time it takes to journey from no church connection to active faith. He robustly defends intergenerational learning. He wants parents equipped to take responsibility for their children's spiritual development, and team members to see Messy Church as their church, not just the place where they volunteer once a month.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI suspect that there may be even more to be unpacked from this surprising gift over the coming years, but for now this will do very well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBishop Graham Cray\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArchbishops' Missioner and Leader of the Fresh Expressions Team\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten with clarity and conviction, Making Disciples in Messy Church is a timely and helpful book for a movement that is deeply serious about discipleship. Drawing on biblical, monastic and catechetical approaches, the book contains much wisdom and inspiration for those seeking to make disciples in all forms of church, not just the phenomenon that is Messy Church. The affirmation of the places of family and community in discipleship formation is especially welcome. I warmly and wholeheartedly commend this book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Andrew Roberts, Methodist Minister and Director of Training for Fresh Expressions \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiscipleship is probably the biggest single issue the Church needs to grapple with in our present times. This book has some vital things to say on this central issue, not only to those interested in Messy Church but to all churches. My advice would be: read it, think about what you read and then apply it in your own situation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e David Male, Director of the Centre for Pioneer Learning, Cambridge \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMessy Church is growing from a single fresh expression of church into a whole movement of mission. Making Disciples in Messy Church brings vital wisdom culled from scripture and from experience to all involved in making disciples. Its lessons are vital for all those engaged in Messy Church and for all those involved in making disciples.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Steven Croft, Bishop of Sheffield \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Messy Church movement is fantastic, helping connect people to Christ and his church through community and creativity. Paul has been on the journey with Messy Church since the start, and in this fascinating book shows how Messy Church is not only reaching people with the Gospel, it is raising up disciples across the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Canon Mark Russell, CEO Church Army \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA joy to read and a contemporary Epistle from a Paul of our time, Making Disciples in Messy Church is a timely and essential read for all who are serious about building upon the good connections to the local community made through Messy Church and seeking how to making disciples in our contemporary age.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Stephen Lindridge, Fresh Expressions Methodist Connexional Missioner \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Moore writes out of first-hand experience. To this he brings deeper and wider thought. The book brings disparate things together in one place: various frameworks to assess progress in discipleship, lively material from a wide range of Scripture, some ecumenical perspectives and sensible questions to ponder. It ends with solid practical suggestions and knocks on the head the critique that Messy Church has no answers to questions of discipleship. It deserves to be read and applied.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e George Lings, Director of the Sheffield Centre\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Moore is a member of the team that launched Messy Church in 2004. Paul is Archdeacon for Mission Development in Winchester Diocese.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMinistry Today - July 2016\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis interesting book delves further into the thorny issue of whether Messy Church really makes disciples. To do this, Paul Moore asks what disciples are and how they are really made, as well as showing how Messy Church moves people onto the discipleship journey. He then carries out a survey of discipleship in the Bible, applying the models he finds there to the practice of Messy Church. It's a good attempt to drill down into a difficult area in order to make sure that Messy Church is not only fun but fruitful. Once again, the connections for All Age Worship of every kind are obvious.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSometimes the balance between describing discipleship patterns in the Bible and actually applying them to Messy Church is too heavily weighted in favour of the former. As a book simply on biblical patterns of discipleship, it is not really sufficient. The real value lies in the application to Messy Church, and I feel more space and depth of analysis could have been given to that application. Each chapter ends with questions for further reflection. 3.5\/5.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard Dormandy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Magnet Summer 2014\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Moore was part of the team that launched the first Messy Church in 2004. Since then Messy Church has spread worldwide as an intergenerational movement. Bishop Graham Cray in his foreword says, 'As the gift of Messy Church has been unwrapped during its early years the secrets have begun to be revealed.' Moore reveals some of these 'secrets' and shows how Messy Church has become a disciple-making phenomenon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor those sceptical about the worth of Messy Church, this book should be read. Paul convincingly explores the journey of discipleship through biblical, monastic and early church material and draws on various frameworks to assess progress in discipleship. After much thoughtful and clearly stated discussion on this important issue he concludes. 'I believe there are lots of good reasons why age-segregated discipleship groups is not necessarily the best way to go. I believe we should persevere with intentional intergenerational disciple-making in our Messy Churches and see how God makes us grow as disciples together'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Tania Brosnan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview from Simon Martin in Country Way - January 2014\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an important book, not least because messy churches, and church leaders more widely, are increasingly asking questions like:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAre people coming to faith through Messy Church?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIs it making disciples?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCan it justify its claim to be a church?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOr is it just a form of pre - evangelism - a bridge to something deeper, perhaps an Alpha course, and then graduation to Sunday church attendance?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(Of course, these questions are just as urgent and relevant for traditional or inherited forms of church!)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the key things considered in Making Disciples in Messy Church is what discipleship looks like for people with messy lives, as Messy Churches are genuinely attracting large numbers of non - churchgoers. Not just children, but teenagers and adults - both the children's family members and others; not just fringe members - but people who have never been to a church. As Messy Church grows, collectively and individually those involved are having to face up to the need for nurture and discipleship for this disparate group of would - be believers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn terms of discipleship in the contemporary world, rural people and communities are not much different to those in this book. There are recognised issues to do with the nature of small, relatively close - knit communities that may affect the way rural churches engage in evangelism and mission; but most of the key elements of the process of Messy Discipleship outlined above are very important in rural circumstances: suspicion of traditional church, a need to identify and become involved, a desire to support something that is of clear benefit to their children, an appreciation of the holistic and communal elements of becoming part of a Messy Church 'family'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a great deal more to this book than just these things. It considers several potential models of discipleship that might be appropriate (community discipleship, a catechetical approach, intergenerational discipleship, and discipleship within the family); and it lays firm biblical foundations for discipleship from both Old and New Testaments. There is also some more theoretical background on how people come to faith and how their faith develops. Making Disciples in Messy Church is not the whole answer, but it is a vital and readable tool in helping all of us work out what is appropriate in our own places. Read it!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Childrenswork magazine - December 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaking Disciples in Messy Church\u003c\/em\u003e provides wisdom and theological support for the successful movement of Messy Church. If those two words (Messy Church) don't mean anything to you then I'd encourage you to read the book and learn more about a God-given strategy for doing all-age church. For those of you, like myself, who are already involved in leading some form of Messy Church expression, then you might find this reasonably light read useful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCertainly, some of the questions posed at the end of every chapter are provocative and helpful. However, I often found myself asking, who is this book written for? Children's workers? Clergy? Or just those who work at Messy Church HQ? But for a quick read and a book that starts and finishes well, I'd recommend it. Certainly if you're asking the question, 'How do we pass our faith on from one generation to another?' - then it's for you. And if you're not asking that question, perhaps you should be!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Diocese of Gloucester Clergy Bulletin - July 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the questions often asked about 'Messy Church' are 'Is it really church?' 'Doesn't it just entertain people on the fringes of the church?' 'How can such a simple approach actually help people become disciples?' Paul Moore, who with his wife Lucy began Messy Church at St Wilfred's, Cowplain, seeks to address these questions in this book. It's very readable and straight-forward but has some very profound things to say about how people become disciples with lessons on making disciples whether or not you are doing 'Messy Church'. He presents a very helpful overview of how the Bible shows disciples being made in a variety of contexts. He also looks at ideas such as catechesis and inter-generational discipleship. Along the way there are helpful insights into the ways people come to faith, the importance of relationships and involvement in helping people learn and grow, how different learning styles need to be considered. He argues that the Messy Church approach addresses many of these challenges. This book will help those doing 'Messy Church' to think through what they are doing and how it can make disciples but it will help everyone think about how we are seeking to make disciples too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Revd Brian Parfitt\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom \u003cem\u003eChurch Times\u003c\/em\u003e - 2 August 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen a Christian community begins to form, requests for baptism and possibly holy communion often follow. Requests for support in growing disciples in an all-age community has resulted in \u003cem\u003eMaking Disciples in Messy Church\u003c\/em\u003e by Paul Moore. He responds to the claim that messy churches are not real church communities with examples of how families have come to faith through messy church, although some would unfairly question his definition of church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA significant number of those attending messy church have little or no church background. Moore offers a helpful beginners' guide to faith development, as participants move through stages of openness to, and spiritual awareness of, God. He makes a strong biblical case for the part played by the all-age community of the church in discipleship and formation, while recognising the substantial commitment of time and resources that effective discipleship demands. \u003cem\u003eMaking Disciples in Messy Church\u003c\/em\u003e would be an excellent resource for PCC members who are engaging with issues of mission and evangelism in general, as well as required reading for those who lead a messy church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Revd Dana Delap is Assistant Curate of St James and St Basil, Fenham, in the diocese of Newcastle.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Pobl Dewi - June 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book of 120 pages divides into three. The first section looks at what it means to be growing as disciples of Jesus and where this might be happening in Messy Church. The second considers discipleship in scripture and how that might affect Messy Church. The third offers recommendations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrototype disciples\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are familiar with models of discipleship, the first section will probably offer little that is new, and 'success' stories from elsewhere are not always encouraging. The central section gives much food for thought: Abraham and Sarah as prototype disciples and the messiness of their situations; how, in the Old Testament, growing in discipleship was done with others, as a people. Community is a recurring strand, and the 'doing together' element of Messy Church does help to build relationships.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow do we grow a community of disciples, rather than concentrating on the individual? Jesus and the apostles formed a community that teaches us to model discipleship where responsibility is given early, and where learning is, initially, largely through experience and doing. Similarly in Acts, it is argued, baptism comes early to the disciple, followed quickly by doing and serving; catechesis comes only later. Does Messy Church mirror that of the epistles in being more rooted in the everyday and less- focussed on 'the special'? It's not just about Sunday morning - there is a space for hospitality and serving and not just for worship services.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe conclusions are well drawn and they are valid for all work across generations. If you are not a fan of Messy Church, the book's subtitle, 'Growing faith in an all age community' is surely something we are all interested in. However good the recommendations, the temptation to jump straight to the end and miss out the central discussion is worth resisting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMelting pot\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI admit to having been predisposed to recommend this book. I was already convinced that the principles of Messy Church are simple, achievable by most congregations, and that they can create the melting pot of church and community in which disciples might grow. I was hoping for ideas to add to my Messy Church to encourage that growing of disciples. (And the book did challenge me about the need to be 'intentional about faith building.') So, did I get some ideas? Yes. Very much so. The book assumes that there is a core team overseeing the Messy Church. I need to identify that core team. If we can study this book together, the accompanying thought, discussion and prayer might, God-willing, move on our Messy Church from being a melting pot into a crucible in which faith is forged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Revd Alan Chadwick\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:20:19+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:20:20+00:00","vendor":"Paul Moore","type":"eBook","tags":["Discipleship","Glassboxx","Messy Church books"],"price":799,"price_min":799,"price_max":799,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":21769014771812,"title":"eBook","option1":"eBook","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9781800390638","requires_shipping":false,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Making Disciples in Messy Church: Growing faith in an all-age community - eBook","public_title":"eBook","options":["eBook"],"price":799,"weight":133,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9781800390638","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/files\/408.png?v=1742380471","\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/files\/409.png?v=1742380426"],"featured_image":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/files\/408.png?v=1742380471","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":64201600631164,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":2000,"width":1303,"src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/files\/408.png?v=1742380471"},"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":2000,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/files\/408.png?v=1742380471","width":1303},{"alt":null,"id":64201596436860,"position":2,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":2000,"width":1303,"src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/files\/409.png?v=1742380426"},"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":2000,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/files\/409.png?v=1742380426","width":1303}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDigital eBook Only - \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eMessy Church has been widely and enthusiastically adopted as a proven and effective way of introducing families to an experience of Christian community and the good news of Jesus. Sceptics ask, 'Are people becoming Christians through Messy Church?' The evidence is clear that they are. But the next challenging question is, 'Can Messy Church also nurture their faith and make these converts into disciples?'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe aim of this book, by telling stories, analysing the journey to faith, and reflecting on what being a disciple means and the various methods of making disciples found in scripture and church tradition, is to encourage ministers and lay leaders to see how their Messy Church can be an intentional disciple-making community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaul Moore writes...\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was a Thursday afternoon back in 2004 when the first ever Messy Church took place at St Wilfrid's Church in Cowplain, near Portsmouth, where I am vicar. Our prayer was to introduce people to Jesus by providing a positive, fun-filled experience of Christian community for families who rarely, if ever, go to a traditional church service. Back then, we had no idea that Messy Church would develop and spread the way it has done from Shetland to Cornwall and from Alaska to Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut it's one thing to be able to draw a crowd; are people becoming Christians through Messy Church? Praise God, the answer is definitely, 'Yes'. The key challenging question is, 'Can Messy Church nurture the faith of these new believers and make them into disciples?'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn my new book \u003cem\u003eMaking Disciples in Messy Church\u003c\/em\u003e I aim to\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ehelp church leaders to grasp how Messy Church really can become a disciple-making community, provided we go about it in a deliberate way. To help us become more intentional, the book contains insightful stories and tips from the experience of Messy Churches in the UK and abroad. It provides some tools to enable us to chart what may be a long journey towards faith for families who have little or no Christian background, so that we can offer people the right support and encouragement at the various stages of their journey into discipleship. It also explores what becoming and growing as a disciple means today, looking at the different ways in which disciples were made in Old and New Testament times and later in the history of the church in various contexts. Out of this come recommendations for leaders and questions for further thought and creativity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt's amazing to see how God is using Messy Church to bless people and draw them to Jesus. I hope this book will be an encouragement to all who are involved in leading and helping in Messy Churches to reflect on the wonderful stuff God is doing\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003ePaul Moore\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContents\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIs Messy Church making disciples?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat are disciples and how are they made?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOld Testament discipleship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJesus and discipleship in the Gospels: kingdom community\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisciples in Acts\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisciple - making in the Epistles and Revelation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA community discipleship curriculum\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn alternative - catechesis then and now\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIntergenerational discipleship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiscipleship and faith at home\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForeword\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMessy Church is a gift from God, one of the Holy Spirit's wonderful surprises, where a step of faith by one very ordinary church has opened the way for more than a thousand others to engage with families who had no serious connection to a church. No one anticipated that the story publicised in the first Fresh Expressions DVD in 2006 would take on such a life of its own. Messy Church is now a movement in its own right, within the wider Fresh Expressions movement. This book, from Paul Moore, the vicar of that church, presents insights from the oldest member of this young family of churches. They are insights from which all who are committed to disciple-making can benefit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose who have been unsure of Messy Church, who would like it to be less messy, and who wonder if it really is church, have frequently raised the question of discipleship. How can you possibly make disciples among all that mess, especially if you meet just once per month? On the contrary, I have always believed that Messy Church is as valid a fresh expression of church as any of the many other models and examples. Because of this, I have always been convinced that the secrets of making disciples through Messy Church lay within the gift itself, in the DNA of the original idea given by the Holy Spirit, and that they would emerge over time. The temptation to bolt on ideas from a different model in order to answer questions or solve apparent problems about disciple-making has always been misguided. It is also evidence of impatience. As the gift of Messy Church has been unwrapped during its early years, the secrets have begun to be revealed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Messy Church world is not closed to learning from other sources. Paul draws helpfully from Scripture, from ancient tradition, from other mission practitioners and researchers, from educational theory and from the worldwide Messy family. But, above all, he draws from the underlying values of Messy Church. He tells us not so much how to make disciples through Messy Church as how to create Messy Church as a disciple-making culture, which is much more important.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe sets realistic expectations about the time it takes to journey from no church connection to active faith. He robustly defends intergenerational learning. He wants parents equipped to take responsibility for their children's spiritual development, and team members to see Messy Church as their church, not just the place where they volunteer once a month.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI suspect that there may be even more to be unpacked from this surprising gift over the coming years, but for now this will do very well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBishop Graham Cray\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArchbishops' Missioner and Leader of the Fresh Expressions Team\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEndorsements\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten with clarity and conviction, Making Disciples in Messy Church is a timely and helpful book for a movement that is deeply serious about discipleship. Drawing on biblical, monastic and catechetical approaches, the book contains much wisdom and inspiration for those seeking to make disciples in all forms of church, not just the phenomenon that is Messy Church. The affirmation of the places of family and community in discipleship formation is especially welcome. I warmly and wholeheartedly commend this book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Andrew Roberts, Methodist Minister and Director of Training for Fresh Expressions \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiscipleship is probably the biggest single issue the Church needs to grapple with in our present times. This book has some vital things to say on this central issue, not only to those interested in Messy Church but to all churches. My advice would be: read it, think about what you read and then apply it in your own situation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e David Male, Director of the Centre for Pioneer Learning, Cambridge \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMessy Church is growing from a single fresh expression of church into a whole movement of mission. Making Disciples in Messy Church brings vital wisdom culled from scripture and from experience to all involved in making disciples. Its lessons are vital for all those engaged in Messy Church and for all those involved in making disciples.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Steven Croft, Bishop of Sheffield \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Messy Church movement is fantastic, helping connect people to Christ and his church through community and creativity. Paul has been on the journey with Messy Church since the start, and in this fascinating book shows how Messy Church is not only reaching people with the Gospel, it is raising up disciples across the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Canon Mark Russell, CEO Church Army \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA joy to read and a contemporary Epistle from a Paul of our time, Making Disciples in Messy Church is a timely and essential read for all who are serious about building upon the good connections to the local community made through Messy Church and seeking how to making disciples in our contemporary age.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Stephen Lindridge, Fresh Expressions Methodist Connexional Missioner \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Moore writes out of first-hand experience. To this he brings deeper and wider thought. The book brings disparate things together in one place: various frameworks to assess progress in discipleship, lively material from a wide range of Scripture, some ecumenical perspectives and sensible questions to ponder. It ends with solid practical suggestions and knocks on the head the critique that Messy Church has no answers to questions of discipleship. It deserves to be read and applied.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e George Lings, Director of the Sheffield Centre\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Moore is a member of the team that launched Messy Church in 2004. Paul is Archdeacon for Mission Development in Winchester Diocese.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMinistry Today - July 2016\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis interesting book delves further into the thorny issue of whether Messy Church really makes disciples. To do this, Paul Moore asks what disciples are and how they are really made, as well as showing how Messy Church moves people onto the discipleship journey. He then carries out a survey of discipleship in the Bible, applying the models he finds there to the practice of Messy Church. It's a good attempt to drill down into a difficult area in order to make sure that Messy Church is not only fun but fruitful. Once again, the connections for All Age Worship of every kind are obvious.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSometimes the balance between describing discipleship patterns in the Bible and actually applying them to Messy Church is too heavily weighted in favour of the former. As a book simply on biblical patterns of discipleship, it is not really sufficient. The real value lies in the application to Messy Church, and I feel more space and depth of analysis could have been given to that application. Each chapter ends with questions for further reflection. 3.5\/5.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard Dormandy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Magnet Summer 2014\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Moore was part of the team that launched the first Messy Church in 2004. Since then Messy Church has spread worldwide as an intergenerational movement. Bishop Graham Cray in his foreword says, 'As the gift of Messy Church has been unwrapped during its early years the secrets have begun to be revealed.' Moore reveals some of these 'secrets' and shows how Messy Church has become a disciple-making phenomenon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor those sceptical about the worth of Messy Church, this book should be read. Paul convincingly explores the journey of discipleship through biblical, monastic and early church material and draws on various frameworks to assess progress in discipleship. After much thoughtful and clearly stated discussion on this important issue he concludes. 'I believe there are lots of good reasons why age-segregated discipleship groups is not necessarily the best way to go. I believe we should persevere with intentional intergenerational disciple-making in our Messy Churches and see how God makes us grow as disciples together'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Tania Brosnan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview from Simon Martin in Country Way - January 2014\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an important book, not least because messy churches, and church leaders more widely, are increasingly asking questions like:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAre people coming to faith through Messy Church?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIs it making disciples?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCan it justify its claim to be a church?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOr is it just a form of pre - evangelism - a bridge to something deeper, perhaps an Alpha course, and then graduation to Sunday church attendance?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(Of course, these questions are just as urgent and relevant for traditional or inherited forms of church!)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the key things considered in Making Disciples in Messy Church is what discipleship looks like for people with messy lives, as Messy Churches are genuinely attracting large numbers of non - churchgoers. Not just children, but teenagers and adults - both the children's family members and others; not just fringe members - but people who have never been to a church. As Messy Church grows, collectively and individually those involved are having to face up to the need for nurture and discipleship for this disparate group of would - be believers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn terms of discipleship in the contemporary world, rural people and communities are not much different to those in this book. There are recognised issues to do with the nature of small, relatively close - knit communities that may affect the way rural churches engage in evangelism and mission; but most of the key elements of the process of Messy Discipleship outlined above are very important in rural circumstances: suspicion of traditional church, a need to identify and become involved, a desire to support something that is of clear benefit to their children, an appreciation of the holistic and communal elements of becoming part of a Messy Church 'family'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a great deal more to this book than just these things. It considers several potential models of discipleship that might be appropriate (community discipleship, a catechetical approach, intergenerational discipleship, and discipleship within the family); and it lays firm biblical foundations for discipleship from both Old and New Testaments. There is also some more theoretical background on how people come to faith and how their faith develops. Making Disciples in Messy Church is not the whole answer, but it is a vital and readable tool in helping all of us work out what is appropriate in our own places. Read it!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Childrenswork magazine - December 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaking Disciples in Messy Church\u003c\/em\u003e provides wisdom and theological support for the successful movement of Messy Church. If those two words (Messy Church) don't mean anything to you then I'd encourage you to read the book and learn more about a God-given strategy for doing all-age church. For those of you, like myself, who are already involved in leading some form of Messy Church expression, then you might find this reasonably light read useful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCertainly, some of the questions posed at the end of every chapter are provocative and helpful. However, I often found myself asking, who is this book written for? Children's workers? Clergy? Or just those who work at Messy Church HQ? But for a quick read and a book that starts and finishes well, I'd recommend it. Certainly if you're asking the question, 'How do we pass our faith on from one generation to another?' - then it's for you. And if you're not asking that question, perhaps you should be!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Diocese of Gloucester Clergy Bulletin - July 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the questions often asked about 'Messy Church' are 'Is it really church?' 'Doesn't it just entertain people on the fringes of the church?' 'How can such a simple approach actually help people become disciples?' Paul Moore, who with his wife Lucy began Messy Church at St Wilfred's, Cowplain, seeks to address these questions in this book. It's very readable and straight-forward but has some very profound things to say about how people become disciples with lessons on making disciples whether or not you are doing 'Messy Church'. He presents a very helpful overview of how the Bible shows disciples being made in a variety of contexts. He also looks at ideas such as catechesis and inter-generational discipleship. Along the way there are helpful insights into the ways people come to faith, the importance of relationships and involvement in helping people learn and grow, how different learning styles need to be considered. He argues that the Messy Church approach addresses many of these challenges. This book will help those doing 'Messy Church' to think through what they are doing and how it can make disciples but it will help everyone think about how we are seeking to make disciples too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Revd Brian Parfitt\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom \u003cem\u003eChurch Times\u003c\/em\u003e - 2 August 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen a Christian community begins to form, requests for baptism and possibly holy communion often follow. Requests for support in growing disciples in an all-age community has resulted in \u003cem\u003eMaking Disciples in Messy Church\u003c\/em\u003e by Paul Moore. He responds to the claim that messy churches are not real church communities with examples of how families have come to faith through messy church, although some would unfairly question his definition of church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA significant number of those attending messy church have little or no church background. Moore offers a helpful beginners' guide to faith development, as participants move through stages of openness to, and spiritual awareness of, God. He makes a strong biblical case for the part played by the all-age community of the church in discipleship and formation, while recognising the substantial commitment of time and resources that effective discipleship demands. \u003cem\u003eMaking Disciples in Messy Church\u003c\/em\u003e would be an excellent resource for PCC members who are engaging with issues of mission and evangelism in general, as well as required reading for those who lead a messy church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Revd Dana Delap is Assistant Curate of St James and St Basil, Fenham, in the diocese of Newcastle.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom Pobl Dewi - June 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book of 120 pages divides into three. The first section looks at what it means to be growing as disciples of Jesus and where this might be happening in Messy Church. The second considers discipleship in scripture and how that might affect Messy Church. The third offers recommendations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrototype disciples\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are familiar with models of discipleship, the first section will probably offer little that is new, and 'success' stories from elsewhere are not always encouraging. The central section gives much food for thought: Abraham and Sarah as prototype disciples and the messiness of their situations; how, in the Old Testament, growing in discipleship was done with others, as a people. Community is a recurring strand, and the 'doing together' element of Messy Church does help to build relationships.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow do we grow a community of disciples, rather than concentrating on the individual? Jesus and the apostles formed a community that teaches us to model discipleship where responsibility is given early, and where learning is, initially, largely through experience and doing. Similarly in Acts, it is argued, baptism comes early to the disciple, followed quickly by doing and serving; catechesis comes only later. Does Messy Church mirror that of the epistles in being more rooted in the everyday and less- focussed on 'the special'? It's not just about Sunday morning - there is a space for hospitality and serving and not just for worship services.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe conclusions are well drawn and they are valid for all work across generations. If you are not a fan of Messy Church, the book's subtitle, 'Growing faith in an all age community' is surely something we are all interested in. However good the recommendations, the temptation to jump straight to the end and miss out the central discussion is worth resisting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMelting pot\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI admit to having been predisposed to recommend this book. I was already convinced that the principles of Messy Church are simple, achievable by most congregations, and that they can create the melting pot of church and community in which disciples might grow. I was hoping for ideas to add to my Messy Church to encourage that growing of disciples. (And the book did challenge me about the need to be 'intentional about faith building.') So, did I get some ideas? Yes. Very much so. The book assumes that there is a core team overseeing the Messy Church. I need to identify that core team. If we can study this book together, the accompanying thought, discussion and prayer might, God-willing, move on our Messy Church from being a melting pot into a crucible in which faith is forged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Revd Alan Chadwick\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Making Disciples in Messy Church: Growing faith in an all-age community
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{"id":2439740391524,"title":"Creating Community: Ancient ways for modern churches","handle":"creating-community-ancient-ways-for-modern-churches","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere is much talk today of 'new ways of being church' and 'new monastic spirituality'. As Simon Reed explored the Celtic roots of the Christian faith, in community with others who drew inspiration from our spiritual ancestors in the British Isles, he came to realise that the third millennium church has much in common with the first millennium church, and more importantly, much to learn from it.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn Creating Community, he introduces us to a new but at the same time very old way of being church which is based upon three core elements: a Way of Life, a network of Soul Friends, and a rhythm of prayer. The book shows how the rediscovery of these elements by Christians today offers a vital key that opens up an ancient way for modern churches, one which not only helps to bring believers to lasting maturity but creates genuine and much-needed community in an increasingly fragmented world.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForeword\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis book could be titled From the Ordinary Church: a Way of Life. Its author share the vision that the local church is the hope of the world and that each church can find its distinctive vocation. He observes that whereas many contemporary churches try to attract a crowd and then turn it into a community, the early churches in Celtic lands started as small communities and then gathered wider numbers.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut can our long-established small churches become living communities? From his own experience Simon argues that they can if they adopt three practices - a way of life, a network of soul friends and a rhythm of prayer. He establishes that a way of life coheres with New Testament practice and explores how to develop these.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eI know Simon as a friend and colleague in The Community of Aidan and Hilda, which has Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical members. He tells his personal story from within his own tradition. Always - and this is so refreshing - he is more concerned with the product than with the label.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is timely for, as the author points out, the moral disintegration which underlies the unravelling of community and society could herald a new dark age. Winston Churchill, when his country had its back to the wall in World War Two, famously said 'Give us the tools and we will finish the job'. Simon gives us some tools. Let us, the readers, help to finish the job.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRay Simpson\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eHoly Island of Lindisfarne | \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.raysimpson.org\" target=\"blank\"\u003ewww.raysimpson.org\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\nSimon Reed is an Anglican minister with two churches in Ealing, West London. He is also one of the three Guardians of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, an international and cross-denominational network of Christians who draw inspiration from the Celtic saints for the renewal of today's church. He has written regularly for Scripture Union's Closer to God Bible Notes for over ten years. Recently he contributed a chapter to Ray Simpson's book High Street Monasteries, giving a biblical perspective on this insightful introduction to contemporary 'new monasticism'. He has been a seminar speaker at Spring Harvest and been involved in leading their reflective worship stream.\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet me pay tribute to Simon's \u003cem\u003eCreating Community\u003c\/em\u003e. I think a great deal of contemporary Celtic Christian interest has reduced Celtic Christianity to an individual interest and those individuals come together to form communities, but that is a long way from what we might think about authentic Celtic community. What attracted me to Simon's book (and its one of a small number I point all Celtic mission students to) is the attempt to make Celtic Christian insights work for an existing community.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRev Dr Stephen Skuce, Research Programme Leader (Director of Scholarship, Research and Innovation for the British Methodist Church), Cliff College\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhat the world (and the church) needs now more than anything else is a sense of community. Starting with the author's excellent summary of Aladair Mcintyre's After Virtue at the end of this excellent guidebook on building purposeful Christian community this is a 'How To' book which has the potential to transform the small village congregation, the burgeoning suburban church and the tentative Fresh Expression.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on his experience as a church minister and his membership of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, Simon lays out the building blocks which can transform any gathering of Christians into the world changing community Christ means it to be.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAnd simple steps they are as well. A shared Way of Life (sometimes called a Rule), A commitment to journeying with a Soul Friend (sometimes called a Spiritual Director), and a decision to have a set Rhythm of Prayer (sometimes called keeping the Divine Office).\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eToo often the pattern for Christian community, tried and tested and proven effective down the ages, has been seen to be the preserve of the professional monk or nun instead of the inheritance of every Christian. So there is a deliberate down playing of language, without a diminishing of commitment.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book, taken seriously - especially by the leadership of a church - will transform relationships and bring the gospel to life amongst the congregation who chooses to take its programme seriously.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt is worthwhile to summarise the consequence of putting these three principles into practice - aims to which many churches aspire:\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCommunity, not just congregation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRhythms of prayer, not just places of worship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRelationships, not just activity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpiritual life, not just structural maintenance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrganism, not just organisation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConnection, not isolation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Revd Andrew Dotchin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom \u003cem\u003eCountry Way\u003c\/em\u003e - October to December 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThat looks like my cup of tea, I said seeing this book on a colleague's desk. Which proves one shouldn't judge a book by its cover or title. I assumed this would be about the church engaging with the local community. Instead it's about how the church builds itself into a community. John Pritchard in Living Faithfully suggests that the church is too often concerned with itself, its structure and inward life, and he calls the church to make connections with neighbourhoods. Misjudging the intention of Creating Community I became disappointed, for it is about something else.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eSimon Reed provides an apologia for a particular view of the church as a community, based on a Celtic way of the Community of Aidan and Hilda. He introduces three core elements of being church: a way of life; a network of soul friendship; and a rhythm of prayer. He writes in a chatty style. I read it mostly on a series of train journeys and felt his companionship through his thoughts and ideas. He makes short shrift of other ways of being church that he disagrees with or where his experiences are negative. He is best describing and working through the core elements and there are some helpful passages particularly concerning prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eI found his notion of praying through the day retrospectively a helpful corrective to constantly looking ahead to the next diary entries. Ideally a second volume would move from focusing on the church's internal community to how the core elements help build an external community that grows the kingdom in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Glyn Evans\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom The Good Bookstall - April 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis book works on so many levels! In fact I almost want to just say this book works - read it, find that out for yourself. But then that wouldn't be a very helpful review would it? Whatever words I say here probably won't do it justice - just so we are clear...\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a foundational guide to doing church, to becoming community and more importantly to living community - something it could perhaps be said we have lost a little. This book guides the reader back onto the track of experiential living, where everything is community rooted and where everything is in its own way an act of prayer, where we live not only our lives but our faith together - even when we are apart!\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt's a guide book for individuals and a study book for churches and real communities - it reflects on ancient ways, yes, but it pulls in the very real and modern life we live using solid examples from the Community of Aidan \u0026amp; Hilda, and also reflection from other communities including the Northumbria Community, L'Arche, The Franciscan Third Order and others - demonstrating the pull towards community, the need for it and the lessons we can learn from it.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSo ok perhaps I'm a tad biased, I'm a member of a new, small but real, fresh expressions community here in Lincoln called Luminous... but I still think that this book works and will talk to many, even those that aren't community-centric already because the heart of our gospel, our faith, is community and this book helps lead us into that journey and insight.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Melanie Carroll\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWaves of enthusiasm for all things 'Celtic' have swept across Irish and British shores at various points in modern history. It seems this ancient tide is here again. In Creating Community, London vicar Simon Reed cracks open this old indigenous stream of spirituality. It was for his own congregations - the Church of the Ascension and St Mary's Church in Ealing - that he needed to find a pathway to growth. He found it in the early church of these islands. 'One feature of the church in Britain in the fourth to eighth centuries was that it held together many of the strands of Christianity which today have become separated,' he writes. 'The Celtic church had an Evangelical emphasis upon the Scriptures and upon mission, a Catholic sense of the importance of incarnation and sacrament, a Pentecostal - charismatic experience of the work of the Holy Spirit, and an Orthodox vision of God as Trinity.' As a 'guardian' of a new monastic movement, the Community of Aidan and Hilda, the author encourages us to learn from former ways of 'doing church'. These are mainly: a rule of life, a way of connecting with God and others; a rhythm of prayer, simple patterns of worship, prayer and Bible reading; and soul friendship (anam cara), a process of spiritual mentoring. SIMON SAYS, 'BE CELTIC'! W JULY - SEP 2013 VOX 43 Simon's explanation of a 'rule of life' is one of the clearest and most concise I have seen. He puts it into three basic principles of simplicity, purity and obedience, to develop 'a disciplined spirituality', as he puts it. I'm inspired by soul friendship but also hesitant because of its darker modern counterpart, the heavy shepherding movement. Still, we should be open to the healthier notion of soul friends, if we're to be fully human. Linked to this, the author shares helpful and practical pointers about prayer and reflection as a community - including an astonishing experience of welcoming a Muslim into his church who wanted sacred space. Throughout the book, Simon uses the phrase 'ordinary Christians', drawing everyone into this journey. He concludes that a new monasticism with old roots will be the salvation of our broken society. Simon shows the message of Celtic Christianity has outlasted the trendy years. Practical and profound, Creating Community is recommended reading for church leaders everywhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Clive Price from Vox Magazine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2019-01-18T15:20:01+00:00","created_at":"2019-01-18T15:20:03+00:00","vendor":"Simon Reed","type":"Paperback","tags":["Apr-13","Celtic Christianity","Discipleship","For churches","Spirituality"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":21768957657188,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780857460097","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Creating Community: Ancient ways for modern churches - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":899,"weight":167,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780857460097","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/9780857460097-l.jpg?v=1549043179"],"featured_image":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/9780857460097-l.jpg?v=1549043179","options":["Format"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":3238874480779,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.656,"height":561,"width":368,"src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/9780857460097-l.jpg?v=1549043179"},"aspect_ratio":0.656,"height":561,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.brfonline.org.uk\/cdn\/shop\/products\/9780857460097-l.jpg?v=1549043179","width":368}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cp\u003eThere is much talk today of 'new ways of being church' and 'new monastic spirituality'. As Simon Reed explored the Celtic roots of the Christian faith, in community with others who drew inspiration from our spiritual ancestors in the British Isles, he came to realise that the third millennium church has much in common with the first millennium church, and more importantly, much to learn from it.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn Creating Community, he introduces us to a new but at the same time very old way of being church which is based upon three core elements: a Way of Life, a network of Soul Friends, and a rhythm of prayer. The book shows how the rediscovery of these elements by Christians today offers a vital key that opens up an ancient way for modern churches, one which not only helps to bring believers to lasting maturity but creates genuine and much-needed community in an increasingly fragmented world.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForeword\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis book could be titled From the Ordinary Church: a Way of Life. Its author share the vision that the local church is the hope of the world and that each church can find its distinctive vocation. He observes that whereas many contemporary churches try to attract a crowd and then turn it into a community, the early churches in Celtic lands started as small communities and then gathered wider numbers.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut can our long-established small churches become living communities? From his own experience Simon argues that they can if they adopt three practices - a way of life, a network of soul friends and a rhythm of prayer. He establishes that a way of life coheres with New Testament practice and explores how to develop these.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eI know Simon as a friend and colleague in The Community of Aidan and Hilda, which has Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical members. He tells his personal story from within his own tradition. Always - and this is so refreshing - he is more concerned with the product than with the label.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is timely for, as the author points out, the moral disintegration which underlies the unravelling of community and society could herald a new dark age. Winston Churchill, when his country had its back to the wall in World War Two, famously said 'Give us the tools and we will finish the job'. Simon gives us some tools. Let us, the readers, help to finish the job.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRay Simpson\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eHoly Island of Lindisfarne | \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.raysimpson.org\" target=\"blank\"\u003ewww.raysimpson.org\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor info\u003c\/h5\u003e\nSimon Reed is an Anglican minister with two churches in Ealing, West London. He is also one of the three Guardians of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, an international and cross-denominational network of Christians who draw inspiration from the Celtic saints for the renewal of today's church. He has written regularly for Scripture Union's Closer to God Bible Notes for over ten years. Recently he contributed a chapter to Ray Simpson's book High Street Monasteries, giving a biblical perspective on this insightful introduction to contemporary 'new monasticism'. He has been a seminar speaker at Spring Harvest and been involved in leading their reflective worship stream.\n\u003ch5\u003eMedia reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet me pay tribute to Simon's \u003cem\u003eCreating Community\u003c\/em\u003e. I think a great deal of contemporary Celtic Christian interest has reduced Celtic Christianity to an individual interest and those individuals come together to form communities, but that is a long way from what we might think about authentic Celtic community. What attracted me to Simon's book (and its one of a small number I point all Celtic mission students to) is the attempt to make Celtic Christian insights work for an existing community.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRev Dr Stephen Skuce, Research Programme Leader (Director of Scholarship, Research and Innovation for the British Methodist Church), Cliff College\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhat the world (and the church) needs now more than anything else is a sense of community. Starting with the author's excellent summary of Aladair Mcintyre's After Virtue at the end of this excellent guidebook on building purposeful Christian community this is a 'How To' book which has the potential to transform the small village congregation, the burgeoning suburban church and the tentative Fresh Expression.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on his experience as a church minister and his membership of the Community of Aidan and Hilda, Simon lays out the building blocks which can transform any gathering of Christians into the world changing community Christ means it to be.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAnd simple steps they are as well. A shared Way of Life (sometimes called a Rule), A commitment to journeying with a Soul Friend (sometimes called a Spiritual Director), and a decision to have a set Rhythm of Prayer (sometimes called keeping the Divine Office).\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eToo often the pattern for Christian community, tried and tested and proven effective down the ages, has been seen to be the preserve of the professional monk or nun instead of the inheritance of every Christian. So there is a deliberate down playing of language, without a diminishing of commitment.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book, taken seriously - especially by the leadership of a church - will transform relationships and bring the gospel to life amongst the congregation who chooses to take its programme seriously.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt is worthwhile to summarise the consequence of putting these three principles into practice - aims to which many churches aspire:\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCommunity, not just congregation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRhythms of prayer, not just places of worship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRelationships, not just activity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpiritual life, not just structural maintenance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrganism, not just organisation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConnection, not isolation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Revd Andrew Dotchin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom \u003cem\u003eCountry Way\u003c\/em\u003e - October to December 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThat looks like my cup of tea, I said seeing this book on a colleague's desk. Which proves one shouldn't judge a book by its cover or title. I assumed this would be about the church engaging with the local community. Instead it's about how the church builds itself into a community. John Pritchard in Living Faithfully suggests that the church is too often concerned with itself, its structure and inward life, and he calls the church to make connections with neighbourhoods. Misjudging the intention of Creating Community I became disappointed, for it is about something else.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eSimon Reed provides an apologia for a particular view of the church as a community, based on a Celtic way of the Community of Aidan and Hilda. He introduces three core elements of being church: a way of life; a network of soul friendship; and a rhythm of prayer. He writes in a chatty style. I read it mostly on a series of train journeys and felt his companionship through his thoughts and ideas. He makes short shrift of other ways of being church that he disagrees with or where his experiences are negative. He is best describing and working through the core elements and there are some helpful passages particularly concerning prayer.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eI found his notion of praying through the day retrospectively a helpful corrective to constantly looking ahead to the next diary entries. Ideally a second volume would move from focusing on the church's internal community to how the core elements help build an external community that grows the kingdom in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Glyn Evans\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom The Good Bookstall - April 2013\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis book works on so many levels! In fact I almost want to just say this book works - read it, find that out for yourself. But then that wouldn't be a very helpful review would it? Whatever words I say here probably won't do it justice - just so we are clear...\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a foundational guide to doing church, to becoming community and more importantly to living community - something it could perhaps be said we have lost a little. This book guides the reader back onto the track of experiential living, where everything is community rooted and where everything is in its own way an act of prayer, where we live not only our lives but our faith together - even when we are apart!\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt's a guide book for individuals and a study book for churches and real communities - it reflects on ancient ways, yes, but it pulls in the very real and modern life we live using solid examples from the Community of Aidan \u0026amp; Hilda, and also reflection from other communities including the Northumbria Community, L'Arche, The Franciscan Third Order and others - demonstrating the pull towards community, the need for it and the lessons we can learn from it.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSo ok perhaps I'm a tad biased, I'm a member of a new, small but real, fresh expressions community here in Lincoln called Luminous... but I still think that this book works and will talk to many, even those that aren't community-centric already because the heart of our gospel, our faith, is community and this book helps lead us into that journey and insight.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Melanie Carroll\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWaves of enthusiasm for all things 'Celtic' have swept across Irish and British shores at various points in modern history. It seems this ancient tide is here again. In Creating Community, London vicar Simon Reed cracks open this old indigenous stream of spirituality. It was for his own congregations - the Church of the Ascension and St Mary's Church in Ealing - that he needed to find a pathway to growth. He found it in the early church of these islands. 'One feature of the church in Britain in the fourth to eighth centuries was that it held together many of the strands of Christianity which today have become separated,' he writes. 'The Celtic church had an Evangelical emphasis upon the Scriptures and upon mission, a Catholic sense of the importance of incarnation and sacrament, a Pentecostal - charismatic experience of the work of the Holy Spirit, and an Orthodox vision of God as Trinity.' As a 'guardian' of a new monastic movement, the Community of Aidan and Hilda, the author encourages us to learn from former ways of 'doing church'. These are mainly: a rule of life, a way of connecting with God and others; a rhythm of prayer, simple patterns of worship, prayer and Bible reading; and soul friendship (anam cara), a process of spiritual mentoring. SIMON SAYS, 'BE CELTIC'! W JULY - SEP 2013 VOX 43 Simon's explanation of a 'rule of life' is one of the clearest and most concise I have seen. He puts it into three basic principles of simplicity, purity and obedience, to develop 'a disciplined spirituality', as he puts it. I'm inspired by soul friendship but also hesitant because of its darker modern counterpart, the heavy shepherding movement. Still, we should be open to the healthier notion of soul friends, if we're to be fully human. Linked to this, the author shares helpful and practical pointers about prayer and reflection as a community - including an astonishing experience of welcoming a Muslim into his church who wanted sacred space. Throughout the book, Simon uses the phrase 'ordinary Christians', drawing everyone into this journey. He concludes that a new monasticism with old roots will be the salvation of our broken society. Simon shows the message of Celtic Christianity has outlasted the trendy years. Practical and profound, Creating Community is recommended reading for church leaders everywhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Clive Price from Vox Magazine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}
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Creating Community: Ancient ways for modern churches
£8.99
There is much talk today of 'new ways of being church' and 'new monastic spirituality'. As Simon Reed explored the...