Agenda Volume 3 - Methodist Conference

57. The Fruitful Field Project
“the Church’s resources for formation
should be set within the context of
the whole Church growing in faithful
understanding of God. Just as Jesus
prepared the Twelve for their ministry
by keeping them in close fellowship
with him, so too discipleship today
is typically learnt in a community
environment by people committed to
his fellowship and hence to fellowship
with each other. The essential
principle is that communities of faith,
devotion and shared learning are the
normal context for formation. The
Church, as a community of learning
and understanding, must share with
the academy; as a community of
service it must be deeply engaged
with the life and needs of society;
and as a community of mission it
must know and understand the world
in which it has to reveal the world to
come.” Work in this area will need to
draw on current strengths and good
practice across the Connexion, as
well as identifying necessary cultural
and organisational changes. 17
128.2 Designing and implementing new
pathways, opportunities, programmes
and resources for Local Preachers
and Worship Leaders – see
paragraphs 132-147 below.
128.3 Supporting full-time, residential
pathways and part-time pathways for
those preparing for ordained ministry,
alongside the development of
practice-based formational pathways
for a number of those preparing for
ordained ministry. As a submission
made by a learning institution during
the consultation period noted, “we
believe that the ordained ministers
of the Methodist Church as it is
currently constituted are its key
strategic leaders, its core teachers
of sacred memory, and its essential
space-makers for holy imagination.
We believe that to station ministers
in local communities entrusts those
individuals with a great deal of power
and with the authority to act in the
name of the Methodist Church and of
God in Christ. We believe that to fail
to train adequately such ministers not
only potentially stunts the mission
of the Church but puts at risk those
whom the Church seeks to serve
in the world.” Alongside this strong
commitment to the importance of
robust pathways for those preparing
for ordained ministry is the need
to ensure that such pathways are
accessible and enable a diverse
range of people to hear and act on
God’s call. As noted in paragraphs
17
The 2009 Conference, in Notice of Motion 228 (entitled “Centres of Excellence”), noted that “alongside
the welcome support within the Connexion to develop fresh expressions of church and areas for pioneer
ministry, the Conference is concerned also to promote the excellent work being undertaken in Methodism’s
traditional strengths, for example, preaching, social action and discipleship. Such work serves to showcase
Methodism to the wider world, provides hope and encouragement to other Methodists, and opens new
opportunities for engagement and mission. The Conference wishes to honour and support such excellence
and is therefore concerned that Circuit structures and the stationing system promote and do not undermine
this work.” Supporting the development of Learning Circuits and Local Churches as beacons of excellence
forms part of the commitment expressed in the Notice of Motion.
Conference Agenda 2012 695