Agenda Volume 3 - Methodist Conference

57. The Fruitful Field Project
witness. Across the Connexion
over recent years, Circuits have
mapped the size and growth of
Local Churches, and considered
the demography and mission needs
of their communities. Having then
reflected on the stewardship of the
resources in their care, many Circuits
have changed their structures so
that they can better share in God’s
mission with their members, with
those seeking Christ, and with the
world. Such a willingness to reflect
and to change should also mark our
connexional structures.
23 This desire and intention to serve
the Lord and “serve the present age”
resulted in a third priority identified
by the Conference in 2008. It is a
priority to structure “the provision
of training and learning resources
so as best to serve the mission of
the Church as a whole. This means
in practice clustering resources
regionally in a connexional and
ecumenical context. It means making
use of the resources for training and
learning available outside the Church.
It necessitates a flexible approach
to boundaries within the Church in
order to make the best use of scarce
resources.” 9
24 This report echoes that priority,
taking seriously the injunction in the
passage in Romans about ardency
of faith, zeal in doing God’s will, and
resolve to serve Christ, here and now.
In the present context this manifests
itself in an owned responsibility of the
Conference to challenge and equip
Circuits and Local Churches as they
change and grow as mission-focused
Christian communities of faith, hope
and love. The responsibility to change
and to develop our connexional
structures and resources to meet the
contemporary needs of Methodism
and better serve the Lord is also
taken with the utmost seriousness.
Section C: Our Processes
The origins of The Fruitful Field project
25 In 2010 the Conference received
the report Ministries, Learning and
Development. The report noted that
activities in the fields of formation,
learning, training, theological
education, scholarship, research and
development had:
demanded a great deal of the
Methodist Conference’s attention
over recent years. For example,
proposals regarding the institutions
at which student ministers
undertake initial ministerial learning
programmes were considered
at length by the Conference in
2006, and again in 2007.
It is, however, clear that this
area of the Church’s life does
not lend itself to fallow years.
Indeed in the report presented
to the 2006 Conference,
Future Use and Configuration
9 Stirring up the Spark of Grace: Connexional Training Strategies, Agenda 2008, 1.1
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