For four years now, the churches of the Harborough Anglican Team have committed to being a ‘Resourcing Church Team’. Our understanding of this has ebbed and flowed, often raising at least as many questions as it answers, but in short it can be summed up thus:
Former Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, once said the Church of England is the only organisation that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not yet its members rather than those who are. We seek to be communities of disciples of Jesus Christ who long for all in our communities to know the hope, love and calling of Jesus Christ. To do this we need many more new worshipping communities that reflect the beautiful diversity of all God has made. So over the past four years we have prayed, discerned and tried to notice how God is at work, and what he calls us to.
Out of this we have discerned a ‘planting plan’ to see around six new worshipping communities form, each responding to a gap in serving a particular neighbourhood (such as an area of new housing), network (such those who are more isolated) or need (such as space for young families to form community together). Some of these new worshipping communities might feel like new congregations meeting within existing church buildings (a plant within an existing church to serve a greater diversity), some more organic grass roots up communities gathering where appropriate and others will form alongside new community facilities.
The common focus is that everyone is needed to reach all peoples and that we want to stop those new to faith needing to convert twice (once to Jesus and once to church culture!). May we be shaped by those God is calling, not merely try to shape those he is calling to our existing shape of church. As we have already seen in the growth of the last four years, we are greatly blessed by the stories, perspectives, energies and gifts of those new to faith or church.
This planting plan, however, isn’t the end of the story but the start. As we have started to step out in faith, so we have seen more gaps, more opportunities, more need. Hopefully in the years and decades to come we will see many, many more new worshipping communities all across our town and villages, part of one big Harborough Anglican Team family.
As we start to emerge from lockdown (April 2021) this blog seeks to share more of these stories. That might include:
a video from the team leading thinking on a new youth focused, multi-generational church, which will be led across the Team and based at St Hugh, full of potential to connect our work supporting young people across the area
Or from Rob Leveritt as he moves on to the Airfield Development (Wellington Place) and continues to form a new team of what will be Harvest Road Church, a new church to serve the 4,000 people envisaged to live in Wellington Place.
Or it might be an update from what pre-lockdown was known as the 9:15am all age led worshipping community based at St Dionysius and over the past three years has already grown to a community of 60-90 people of all ages (it may get a new name now it is no longer meeting at 9:15am but 11:15am!).
Or the emerging thinking at Great Bowden church, with three emerging fresh expressions of Church, which we hope a new Team Vicar will help us lead further into being new worshipping communities in their own right.
Or many more beside. There is so much opportunity and need! What do you notice and how might you be part of the journey?!