Growing Gifts is here to support the church in each place to respond to God's call to share in God's mission through recognising and celebrating the rich and varied gifting from God within the Church.
The programme provides a pathway through which lay people can be discerned, selected, formed, and trained to lead public worship or to preach on an occasional basis, and authorised locally to do so, across the breadth of Church of England Birmingham. It will normally be expected that either a licensed minister or a Churchwarden will be present when this ministry is exercised within the parish church (and its grounds) or in another building licensed for worship.
Who is it for?
These will be people who are identified as having a gift for leading worship or preaching that can be celebrated, nurtured and encouraged. They will be people who love God and have a sense of calling to share in this ministry. They will be people who love others and are fruitful in how they live out their faith. They will be people who are wise, open to new learning and have the potential to adapt and work with others.
How does it work?
Growing Gifts Groups will meet in venues across the Diocese. We can’t tell you where yet, or which evening of the week, because we want to respond to where people are and when they are available. Each session will be participative but no-one will be ‘put on the spot’. To help participants get the most out of each session they will be invited to complete some ‘linkwork’ between each of the sessions. The ‘linkwork’ may be a few simple questions to think about, a short podcast to listen to or some basic preparation work for the next session. Each ‘linkwork’ is intended to take no longer than 20-30 minutes.
When is it happening?
June - Nov 2024
Jan - June 2025
Sept 2025 - Nov 2026
The programme will run on a weekday evening, with an introductory session on a Saturday morning, and a full day gathering on a Saturday at the end.
We aim to run three groups at a time, in three locations across the Diocese, each on a different evening of the week. The groups will join together for Safeguarding training in late July at John Cadbury House and possibly for the final Saturday, which will include time for prayer and reflection.
Illustrative Timetable
Please note that dates, times, and venues are for illustration only.
Sat 8 June Introductions and Setting the Scene
Wed 12 June The Anglican Way: Scripture, Prayer, Theology and Discipleship
Wed 19 June Getting Prepared: Planning Worship or Preparing a ‘sermon’
Wed 3 July Elements of Worship or Elements of preaching
Wed 17 July The art/science of leading well or preaching well
Tues 23 July Safeguarding and Safe Practice in Ministry
PAUSE and time to ‘have a go’
Wed 18 Sept Tools for Reflection
Wed 16 Oct Worship or Preaching in particular contexts / communities
Sat 9 Nov Quiet morning, Sustaining and Growing
All sessions will take place in the evening, 7.30pm - 9.00pm at St Martha’s, ABC Heath except Session 6 which will take place at John Cadbury House, Birmingham City Centre, and possibly Sessions 9&10, which may take place in a venue more suitable for retreat time.
How do we start?
There is an Enrolment Form to complete for Growing Gifts alongside the Application Form for locally authorised ministry. Incumbents (or equivalent) will find a copy within the Growing Gifts Pack to complete once they have discerned that this is the right ministry for the person involved. The Application Form in the Growing Gifts Pack satisfies the PCC’s requirements for Safer Recruitment, and the original will be held locally. It includes an Incumbent’s nomination, an expression of PCC support, and assurance that core Safeguarding Training and an appropriate DBS check are in place.
What happens at the end?
During the final month of Growing Gifts participants work alongside Incumbents to finalise a Role Description, which must be agreed and approved by the PCC. At this point a date is identified for authorisation to be marked locally during worship. The final sessions of Growing Gifts include retreat time to support participants in preparing for this new stage in discipleship and ministry.
Want to find out more?
We are running a number of information sessions for Incumbents (or someone from a Ministry Team) when you can find out more about Growing Gifts and these locally authorised ministries.
There is both an afternoon and an evening session on Zoom on the following dates:
Thursday, 18 April 2024
7.30pm - 8.30pm
Wednesday 24 April
2024 2.00pm - 3.00pm
Who to contact
Email Catherine Grylls, Ministry Development Lead (Lay): catherine.grylls@cofebirmingham.com