Sharing best practice: Andy Freeman(Photo: © Jonny Baker/CMS)A UK first as South Central Regional Training Partnership creates paid post to coordinate networking and training of Pioneers
Five dioceses of the Church of England, along with the Methodist and United Reformed churches in their region, have taken a unique step to establish a hub for training pioneer mission leaders – in collaboration with the Church Mission Society.
Andy Freeman, a member of a 24/7 prayer community in Reading and himself in training as an Ordained Pioneer Minister, has been appointed to a new role to coordinate the networking and training of pioneers in the dioceses of Oxford, Portsmouth, Winchester, Guildford and Salisbury, which make up the South Central Regional Training Partnership.
Working out of the CMS centre in Oxford, Andy will ensure that the highest standards of practice are attained and then shared across the South Central region.
The Regional Training Partnership has asked CMS to manage this role, in recognition of CMS as the member group most innovatively engaged in training and networking with pioneers in a significant way in the region. CMS has trained pioneers in mission for more than 200 hundred years.
Leader of the CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Team, Jonny Baker, said of the appointment, "The church has recognised that to start new mission projects, Christian communities and churches require leaders with different gifts and skill sets – pioneers. But as with all change it has brought challenges and questions, so it's wonderful that the region has invested in a post to help the church navigate this exciting new area of ministry.
"It is also significant that this is not a role at the margins but an appointment made through the central regional structures. Currently this appointment is unique in the country and we hope that as good policy and practice is developed regionally it will be able to be shared more widely."
Andy, who is currently training at St Mellitus, a C of E Theological College, took up this role on 1 June.
To find out more about the opportunities for training as a Pioneer with CMS, go to its website:
pioneer.cms-uk.org.
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Contact
For further information contact Jonny Baker, CMS pioneer leadership team leader, jonnybaker@btopenworld.com 07957639393; Rev Jane Charman, chair of the RTP Pioneer working group, jane.charman@salisbury.anglican.org 01722411944; Canon Keith Lamdin, RTP development worker, klamdin@sarum.ac.uk 01722 424808
Note to editors
The South Central Regional Training Partnership is a group set up to develop thinking, practice and collaborative working in the areas of training and theological education. Through it the Church of England, Methodist and United Reformed Churches work together in the region to cover a range of colleges and courses.
Hi-res image available on request