One year in to our two year journey and the first Black Country Church Growth Academy continues to deliver quality & inspiring teaching to the CGA delegates from Amblecote, Calvary, Chawn Hill, Junction 10 and Zion. Meeting monthly as a borough-wide group, it is so exciting to see the enthusiasm, the desire to learn and the passion to be come increasingly effective at reaching the lost world in which God has placed us. Encouraging networking across the churches has taken place, individuals feel a sense of ownership and involvement in the bigger picture of church in this area and mutual encouragement and endorsement pervades. Many delegates have celebrated this chance of getting together with like-minded, kindred spirits who are passionate to see their churches mission saturated and church growth come through new believers.
New intakes: February saw a new intake of delegates from a new church joining the academy – Kings Community Church, Brandhall and some additional delegates from Zion…with our next expected intake date in the Autumn as other churches are currently looking to join. There is indeed HOPE for the Black Country and this team of evangelists, placed as catalysts within their churches, are part of the answer.
- Churches currently involved with The Net CGA:
- Amblecote Christian Centre, Stourbridge (Dudley)
- Calvary Church, Kingswinford (Dudley)
- Chawn Hill Church, Stourbridge (Dudley)
- Kings Community Church, Oldbury (Sandwell)
- The church @ Junction 10, Walsall (Walsall)
- Zion Christian Centre, Halesowen (Dudley)
The Net is committed to resourcing and supporting local churches and if you think your church could get involved, then please contact Phil Collins at Saltmine Trust or Janet Whitehead at Zion Christian Centre and they will be happy to talk to you about how your church can get involved in this exciting programme. Already hundreds of churches have been affected by the Church Growth Academy across Bristol and Cardiff and now into Lincolnshire
For more information on Church Growth Academy please contact Phil Collins at Saltmine Trust, St James House, Trinity Road, Dudley, West Midlands, DY1 1JB. Telephone: 01384 454860 or email: philc@saltmine.org
It has been estimated that, in any given church, around 5% of the members have a significant measure of evangelistic gifting. That gift can be expressed in different ways. With some it can come across in loud, brash and dynamic ways; with others it can be a quiet but passionate heart that is easier to overlook. But it is always there. Long term growth can only really be sustained by people at the grass roots of church life who have a firm hold of the vision, and can help inspire it in the lives of those around them. It’s here where those evangelistically gifted individuals are key. In the right circumstances, they can prove powerful catalysts for outreach, prayer and growth. Ironically, they are often the people that pastorally motivated leaders find more difficult to connect with and engage. The church growth academy has been designed to help develop those key individuals and empower them to coordinate outreach at the heart of church life. It’s a 2 year process of training, development and mentoring that provides skills, principles and resources. Delegates are then increasingly able to function as ‘outreach coordinators’ within the framework and strategy set with the church leadership. churchgrowthacademy includes : 3 Core Strands of Teaching : Action Learning Sets :
Peer mentoring groups where delegates feedback, discuss and learn from simple, practical assignments. Development comes through step-by-step on the job training.
11 Session per year :
Including 8 Keynote Sessions, with 3 in-house sessions for evaluation, feedback and church-specific planning.
Direct Feedback into Church Life :
A wide range of monthly resources, including Small Group Studies, Creative Prayer Ideas, Good News/Good Practice, and dozens of Outreach Ideas to drip feed back into group life. |
