In January 2024 a New Worshipping Community (NWC) Learning Pathway pilot will be starting. It’s not too late to sign-up if you are thinking of starting a New Worshipping Community, or have begun one but would value some input, and are interested in joining a supportive community with other church teams looking to do the same. 
Our diocesan vision is to grow as Kingdom People, sharing the good news of Jesus’ love in Worcestershire and Dudley through churches that are growing in health and sustainability. One of our priorities for 2023-2030 is to create 100 New Worshipping Communities to ensure we are offering a range of ways for people to come to faith and worship God.
There are already several New Worshipping Communities in the Diocese. Arts, Walking, Forest, and Café churches are just some examples of how churches are reaching out to their local communities in new ways. Through these more informal forms of church, NWCs are succeeding in reaching new people with God’s love.
Nikki Groarke, Archdeacon and Diocesan Lead for Transformation and Change said:
“The idea behind the NWC Learning Pathway is that it brings together church leaders and teams on the same journey. They’re all embarking on a new direction together, perhaps unsure of what may be the best format for a new worshipping community, but willing to try different ways of doing things. It’s about seeing what works and feeding back so that everyone can learn from each other and find clarity as to the best way forward.”
After a well-attended taster evening was held in July ’23 where trainers Myriad presented the vision for the learning pathway, almost 40 people have signed up for the NWC Learning Pathway launching in January, but there are more spaces available.
The Diocese has partnered with Myriad to deliver this new learning pathway over 2.5 years. Myriad is part of the Gregory Centre for church multiplication. Through the NWC learning pathway each church running or looking to create a NWC will come with their own small leadership team of 2-6 people and journey together with up to 10 other teams with a shared vision and calling, encouraging, and learning from each other along the way.
They will gather every six months for testimony, celebration, input, reflection, prayer, and making action plans. In between they will all have access to online learning tailored to NWC teams and leaders leaders with busy lifestyles. There will also be regular mentoring sessions with an experienced practitioner, who will walk alongside the team throughout their journey.
By the end, the hope is that participants will feel confident leading their New Worshipping Communities and will be reaching new people in new ways, with the good news of Jesus.
The learning pathway will start in January 2024 – Friday evening 26 Jan and all day Saturday 27 Jan. It will continue with similar gatherings every six months, with learning and peer support in between.
To register your team, please email lmckinnon@cofe-worcester.org.uk
