On Saturday 9th October, five churches from the EMBA and the regional team met together for our last session of the current Re:imagine.
Re:imagine is our learning community that allows church leadership teams to journey and reflect together around issues of change, culture, leadership, discipleship and mission, and to plan projects and experiments (based on these areas), with the intention of helping the church grow and develop in its mission and ministry.
After entering a pastoral vacancy, one church leader reflected on their Re:imagine journey over the last 18 months and said: ‘Our leadership team could have easily slipped into just running the church activities on a weekly rota. So when we were invited to join the Re:Imagine cohort we all agreed that this would be a good way to help us think outside the box and review our way forward’. As part of the process they have initiated new missional activities and feel that there is a re-connection and engagement with the local community.
Another church leader commented that ‘things simply cannot stay the same and [that Re:imagine] is about a change of culture’. They further reflect that ‘this has been a very helpful journey for the church leadership team to have travelled together’.
As a regional team we have enjoyed journeying with the churches during this Re:imagine and we have been encouraged and excited to see what God has done and continues to do through these churches.
Whilst the current cohort has drawn to a close, the EMBA regional team are looking to start the journey with new some new churches in the spring of 2024! If this might be you and your church, please get in contact with your regional minister and have an initial conversation.