CONTENTS 04 / INTRODUCTION 08 / HUBS & NETWORKS 12 / NATIONAL TEAM 15 / PIONEER OVERSEAS 16/ PIONEER CONNEXION 18 / TRAINING 22 / JOINING PIONEER

Transcription

1 VISION & VALUES

2 CONTENTS 04 / INTRODUCTION 08 / HUBS & NETWORKS 12 / NATIONAL TEAM 15 / PIONEER OVERSEAS 16/ PIONEER CONNEXION 18 / TRAINING 22 / JOINING PIONEER

3 WHAT IS PIONEER? Pioneer is a UK-based apostolic movement of churches and ministries. Pioneer is a UK-based apostolic movement of churches and ministries. Pioneer is served by a number of apostolic resource communities - hubs and networks - which either identify with a geographic region, relational OUR VISION connection or cultural distinctive. Pioneer churches work in over 50 nations partnering with churches and networks to serve and support projects, plant churches and train leaders. OUR STRATEGY Our strategy is to build strong and healthy churches that are served by apostolic resource communities that will support these individual church communities as they reach out beyond themselves into their towns, cities and regions. We believe that the release and development of the five-fold ministries seen in Ephesians 4 :11-13, reflecting the ministry of Jesus, are key to this process. In this respect we are seeking to re-contextualise the role of the Ephesians 4 ministry in contemporary culture. We recognise the breadth, richness and diversity that exists within the Body of Christ and welcome connection with and input from other ministries and networks. Changed lives. Transformed communities. Alongside others, we are committed to the re-evangelisation of our nation and to see the Kingdom of God expressed in every sphere of society and culture. We believe that the church is the primary, though not exclusive, agent of the Kingdom of God and our vision is to see strong, diverse and healthy churches planted and existing churches resourced and growing. 04 We acknowledge that Pioneer is a small cog in a much bigger wheel but we want to play our part strongly, securely and humbly. 05

4 OUR DISTINCTIVE RELATIONAL God is community and, we believe, it is only in community that we can see real and lasting fruit. We honour and celebrate diversity within the context of our relationships. We want to bring equality through the gospel: Neither Jew, Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. We value the contribution of both women and men at every level of leadership. We recognise that anointed leadership is a grace gift given to serve, with humility, in the context of community. CHARISMATIC Our life and faith is energised and informed by a living experience of the Holy Spirit both individually and corporately. We believe in a God who breaks into time and space by His Holy Spirit, bringing revelation, healing bodies, sharing spiritual gifts and performing miraculous signs. Our spiritual life is rooted in the Scriptures. We are inspired and informed by church history. The orientation of Pioneer is towards an expression of Biblical, Christ-centred, Trinitarian, non-religious Christianity that is pneumatic, or Holy Spirit energised, at its core. This means that whilst we value and appreciate other expressions of the Christian faith we are committed to the development of non-institutional and organic expressions of church. We acknowledge the importance of structure, organisation and church history but see the leading of the Holy Spirit, common vision and relational connection as the key threads that connect us to our past and lead us into the future. Being non-religious is not about being irreligious or non-spiritual. It is about being productive and fruitful, avoiding dead religious rituals, modern or old, which can become a hindrance to growing in our relationship with God and our obedience to Him. We celebrate life, creativity, and the arts. MISSIONAL The good news about Jesus needs to be presented in a way that is relevant to the context and time we live in. We believe this good news has power to transform lives and whole communities. We see ourselves as co-workers with God in His mission the reconciliation of all things under heaven and earth under Christ. We believe that the proclamation of the good news must be with our words, our actions and through a demonstration of God s miraculous power. KINGDOM ORIENTATION Because the earth is the Lords and everything in it, we believe that the whole of life and creation is sacred. We, therefore, look to express a culture and lifestyle of worship that has no sacred secular divide. We celebrate life, creativity and the arts. We believe that justice and social action are central to the message of Jesus. We are committed to the unity of the Body of Christ and will seek to partner with others wherever possible

5 THE MARKS OF APOSTOLIC RESOURCE COMMUNITIES HUBS AND NETWORKS PRESENCE MISSION GATHERING LEADERS TRAINING CATALYST FOR UNITY The word apostle means the sent one Paul was called to be an apostle, not by men but by God, (Gal. 1: 1). There is an apostolic grace that only comes from God. Our desire is to recognise this where it exists and serve those ministries in each context as they seek God s Kingdom and build church. Right at the heart of each hub or network should be a culture that practices the presence of God through prayer, worship and the expression of the supernatural signs of God s Kingdom coming to earth (2 Cor. 12:12). The word apostle means the sent one and in each hub and network we want to see a rich diversity of missional communities, evangelistic initiatives, church planting and local community projects all evidence of a mission orientated community. We are not looking to propagate particular models or theories of church and mission but to nurture its fruit in changed lives and transformed communities through whatever model or means is demanded by each context. Hubs and networks will be gathering places for leaders. This will be primarily relational for mutual support as well as aligning together for apostolic and prophetic purposes. TEAM DEVELOPMENT We want to see the development of Ephesians 4 ministries in each apostolic resource community working together out of relationship. We want to see each hub and network with a vision to train and equip the church in a multiplicity of ways through courses, teaching programmes, conferences, seminars and internships. We recognise that each apostolic resource community may carry a particular emphasis or flavour; we want these to enrich the whole network. At the core of Pioneer is a heart for unity in the Body of Christ. We anticipate that all our churches, hubs and networks will be engaged in local ecumenical relationships and will seek to serve and act in partnership with other churches and networks in accordance with our relational values

6 PIONEER HUBS AND NETWORKS Apostolic resource communities that we are currently seeking to develop 10 APOSTOLIC RESOURCE COMMUNITIES The following is a list of apostolic resource communities that we are currently seeking to develop. Some are well formed and functioning, while others are in the development stage. 01 / VIA, Midlands 02 / Open Heaven, Loughborough 03 / River Church, Thames Valley 04 / Pioneer Network, London 05 / Global Generation, Ramsgate 06 / New Generation, Sidcup 07 / City Gate, Brighton 08 / Revelation Church, Chichester 09 / New Community, Southampton 10 / Cornerstone, Swansea 11 / Emmanuel, Lurgan, Northern Ireland 12 / Kings Church, Manchester 11

7 PIONEER NATIONAL TEAM BILLY & CAROLINE KENNEDY TOOK RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAD PIONEER IN SINCE THAT TIME THEY HAVE DEVELOPED A STRATEGY AND BUILT A TEAM TO HELP IN THE OUTWORKING OF THAT STRATEGY. THE PIONEER NATIONAL TEAM WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO: Help each location develop a strategy for mission, develop useful resources and identify areas of expertise and good practice that can support local initiatives. Encourage the gathering of leaders in hubs and networks as well as recommending speakers and content where appropriate. Work with each hub and network to develop leadership training programmes as well as providing resources, training and opportunities for the growth of ministry within each hub and network. Oversee the development of each apostolic resource community or individual church that is not connected to one of the hubs or networks. Support the establishment of a rhythm of worship and prayer within each hub and network, working to establish prayer rooms and boiler room expressions of community where appropriate. Release breakthrough ministries to serve and support the churches and apostolic resource communities. Support the development of training in each hub and network, encouraging the development of courses, conferences, seminars and intern programmes; work across the network to link training initiatives and point toward other useful training initiatives and resources both within and outside of the network. Encourage partnerships to emerge where God joins hearts. Represent Pioneer nationally in a variety of settings

8 PIONEER OVERSEAS THE TEAM Pioneer churches are involved in over 50 nations supporting churches, projects and individual ministries. This is a key part of our collective mission, taking the good news about Jesus to all nations. These mission links are generally the initiative and responsibility of the local church, hub or network. As a network, we are also developing a number of international partnerships with apostolic networks and teams in other nations. It is our intention to work alongside and support these women and men as they seek to serve God in their particular sphere of ministry. And hub leaders TEAM HUB LEADERS 14 Carl Wills Bev Webb Mark Simpson Nigel Bailey Ryan Galpin Elaine Davidson Lee Button Billy & Caroline Kennedy Allan & Liz Cox Ness Wilson Paul Weston Roger Ellis Colin Barnes Linda Ward Andy Au Dan Slatter Andy Read Philip Emerson Simon & Bernie Trundle Julian & Sarah Richards Phil & Julie Stokes Richard & Judith Anniss Alain Emerson Nations where Pioneer are currently active: Albania Australia Belize Brazil Bulgaria Burundi Cambodia Canada Chad China Colombia Congo Denmark Ecuador Ethiopia France Gambia Germany Guyana Guatemala Haiti Hong Kong India Indonesia Kenya Kosova Kyrgyzstan Morocco Mozambique Nepal New Zealand Norway Outer Mongolia Peru Philippines Portugal Romania Russia Rwanda Saudi Arabia South Africa Somaliland Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Swaziland Switzerland Tanzania Thailand Turkey Uganda USA Zambia 15

9 Since 2010 Pioneer has been developing a relationship with the Methodist Church across the UK. We have established a number of mission partnerships, sharing resources and expertise to develop new missional initiatives. We are currently working with the following Methodist Districts: YORK & HULL CHESHIRE SOUTHAMPTON NEWCASTLE CORNWALL PLYMOUTH & EXETER LONDON SOUTH EAST MANCHESTER 16 17

10 IGNITE is a one year leadership training programme giving women and men of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to encounter God s passion for humanity. It will not only transform you as a person, but equip you with the skills required to impact individuals, cities and nations. You will be mentored by great leaders, inspired by powerful teaching and training, and given exposure to exciting church planting opportunities. TRAIN- ING Believing that God is who He says He is THE TRAINING IS BUILT AROUND THREE MODULES KINGDOM THEOLOGY IDENTITY MINISTRY TRAINING Believing that I am who God says I am The training (usually) takes place each week and runs over three terms with a Reading Week in the middle. There will also be a location learning experience at least one Saturday each term, which is a visit to a location that has some spiritual heritage (e.g. Moriah Chapel and the Welsh Revival). Ignite is currently running in various locations across the network. Details available on the Pioneer website. Believing that God can do what He said He could do 18 19

11 As previously stated, our goal is to see the development of strong and healthy churches, supported by apostolic resource communities that will serve their towns, cities and regions. We encourage these apostolic resource communities to work relationally with other churches and organisations to help achieve this aim. Not all of these churches or organisations will be part of Pioneer, and it will not be our expectation that they will automatically become Pioneer churches. 01 / BELONGING Being part of the Pioneer apostolic flow. The invitation is to join us on the journey giving a sense of belonging together. WHAT DOES JOINING PIONEER MEAN? 20 JOINING PIONEER However, some churches, hubs or networks may want to join Pioneer and be more closely aligned with us. If an existing hub or network wants to be more closely aligned with us and we recognize a joining of heart then we will seek to serve and support these hubs and networks to become all that God has called them to be. They will maintain their individual identity and begin to operate as a Pioneer linked apostolic resource community. If an individual church requests to join Pioneer, then, where possible, we will encourage that church to connect with one of the existing hubs or networks. This will be the place where they will find support, training and input. This may not work for every church for geographic reasons and in those cases a member of the Pioneer National Team will take responsibility to ensure that the right support is in place until a hub or network emerges - or they become one! 02 / SUPPORT Input, equipping and training either through a hub, network or Pioneer related ministries. We host a number of central gatherings each year our conference, school of theology and prayer days. Every hub and network will also have a programme of gatherings. 03 / ACCOUNTABILITY A safety net for churches and teams as we seek to lead safely and responsibly. We want to ensure that there is clarity of accountability and support for each apostolic resource community and individual church. This will be based on relationship and operate only by invitation from each hub, network and individual church. 04 / ACCESS Access to regular updates, international ministries that may be in the country and key partnerships, including those with the Methodists. 05 / REPRESENTATION Pioneer is represented on a number of national bodies and forums. We are members of the Evangelical Alliance, the Churches Together in England, the Fusion Student Council of Reference, the Charismatic and Evangelical Round Table, and Partners for Influence. As a Pioneer church, hub or network there is therefore representation in each of these forums. 21

12 WHAT DOES PIONEER EXPECT FROM A CHURCH, HUB, OR NETWORK? SHARED VISION & VALUES BUILD RELATIONALLY MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION GOOD PRACTICE BE OPEN TO INPUT A commitment to the outworking of our shared values as stated on pages 4 and 7. We are a relational network and only by investing time and energy in developing relationship can this be maintained. It is important, therefore, for each church and ministry to engage where they can by attending gatherings and inviting ministries to work alongside them. Only by being together can relationship develop. Being part of a family or community means that we all have the opportunity to make a contribution. It isn t all one-way traffic. There are skills, gifts and anointings that each individual or church has that can benefit the whole. We would ask that each church show generosity to those ministries that provide input and make a regular contribution to the ongoing running costs of Pioneer. We would ask that all churches and ministries linked to Pioneer have good legal and financial practices. We would also ask that transparent Child Protection and Safeguarding policies be in place. We would ask that all churches, hubs, networks and ministries, cultivate an openness to input and, in particular, initiate requests for wider involvement at times of major transition e.g. new strategic developments, major financial undertakings, leadership transition, eldership and leadership appointments, conflict resolution etc. 22 Moral and fiscal responsibility lies with local church elders, leaders and trustees. The Pioneer movement, expressed by the national team and related ministries, operates in a consultative way, bringing wisdom, experience and anointing. It does not carry the ultimate legal responsibility for churches or associated ministries. 23

13 24 25 The invitation is to join us on the journey.

14 THE INVITATION IS TO JOIN US ON THE JOURNEY

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