Starting New Christian Communities

Starting new Christian communities is generally considered one of the most effective means of connecting new people, new people groups, and new residents to Christian exploration, community and discipleship. They give us opportunity to engage with people who we are unlikely to reach through our existing churches. Starting new Christian communities makes it easier for us to change our narrative from "come and join us" to "let's journey together", to explore life in all its fullness in new forms moulded in trusting relationships.

These new congregations bring learning from experimental research and development, identify and strengthen emerging leaders, and help our circuits and existing churches renew and reimagine our callings.

For these reasons facilitating the development of many new Christian communities (also known as "New Places for New People") is a core component of the Connexional God for All strategy for evangelism and growth.

Our strategy for resourcing mission For Such A Time As This highlighted the importance of supporting identification, development and releasing potential of new innovative forms of church. Starting something new and unique can be energising, but also isolating, frustrating, lonely and disconcerting. Your district is ready to support you on this journey.

Our long established congregations can and do undertake all manner of excellent outreach to successfully extend invitation to new people. Some of the resources in these pages may also prove helpful for this. However new Christian communities are intentionally new independent congregations that will become recognised as "churches" in their own right as part of the Methodist family, rather then being a stepping stone into a congregation which already exists.