Mission and Discipleship Council

MISSION AND EVANGELISM

Overview

Alex Millar

The Council's Associate Secretary, with responsibility for mission and evangelism, is the Rev Alex Millar.

The Mission and Evangelism TaskGroup is responsible for encouraging new initiatives and offering access to expertise, research, development and training. It is also charged with working - collaboratively - locally, nationally and ecumenically. The Task Group aims to respond to new mission opportunities in contemporary Scotland and be alert to larger trends in theology and spirituality, operating with the following remit:

(a) to ENCOURAGE local initiatives;
(b) to OFFER expertise, research, development and training;
(c) to ASSIST local churches to be mission-focussed;
(d) to be ALERT to new opportunities in today's Scotland; and lastly,
(e) to IDENTIFY those shifts occurring in theological thinking and reflection that hint at something new, and to consider how appropriate or otherwise they are in a Scottish context.

Areas of work

Emerging Church
How do we communicate faith in a fast-changing and ever-adjusting culture? Are our traditional patterns of 'church' sufficient and, if not, how do we promote the new alongside the old and give permission for pioneers in 'emerging church' to test what is possible and sustainable? David Currie, Development Officer (New and Emerging Ministries) - a post financed jointly by the Mission and Discipleship and the Ministries Councils, is a specialist practitioner in the area of new models and fresh expressions of church, and can offer reflection on the practical and strategic implications for ministry, mission and deployment. This joint appointment sends out a strong signal that the Church of Scotland is keen to continue to develop a 'mixed economy church', where traditional church is valued, and yet there is room for experimenta-tion in new mdoels or fresh expressions of church. Read more about Emerging Church, Emerging Ministries here.

Faith-sharing and Evangelism
The Regional Development Officer with this specialism is Lesley Hamilton-Messer, whose principal aim is to help and resource churches and individuals to share faith confidently. A training programme is available on building confidence in personal witness and faith sharing, entitled "You're an Angel! Being Yourself and Sharing Your Faith".

iMPACT
iMPACT (formerly known as Summer Mission):
(a) ORGANISES mission events (including a summer programme, usually with a small CORE team available for the whole period, mission weeks, Youth Club planting and participation in the Crossover youth event);
(b) OFFERS training events to its team of volunteers (usually including a Mission Leaders' Conference, a Mission Lleaders' Training Programme (MLTP) and an Annual Leaders' Retreat);
(c) PROVIDES SUPPORT in discipleship (which has included the 'wee impact group' (WIG), ENGAGE, Bigger iMPACT, a regular Forum and a Prayer Group); and
(d) PARTICIPATES with others in, for example, past involvement in The Big Saturday and planning for a Season of Mission in Glasgow in 2006. The Regional Development Officer with a particular emphasis on iMPACT is Graham Allison.

Inter-Faith
Iain Stewart, Inter-Faith Support Worker, is a specialist practitioner in inter-faith relations with particular responsibility for engaging with local congregations. He is available to offer advice and expertise to local churches with a view to:
(a) ENCOURAGING a greater understanding of neighbours of other faiths;
(b) PROMOTING positive and healthy relationships;
(c) RESPONDING with confidence and with integrity; and
(d) COMMITTING where appropriate to common action.

Iain also writes the monthly newsletter, Relations With Other Faiths, giving information on different religions and events throughout the country.

The Inter-Faith Forum, with representation from the Council and other agencies of the Church, provides a regular place for common reflection and the exchange of information and experience in engaging with neighbours of other faiths.

Mission Accompaniment
Through Robin McAlpine, Regional Development Officer, and a planned programme of accompaniment, the Task Group offers access to expertise and resources that help local churches to assess their present circumstances and plan for the future. The resources available to the Council to help churches audit across a broad range of themes their present circumstances, and to plan a response appropriate to the context in which they operate, have been enchanced by the launch of Future Focus: a way forward for congregations in 2008. This flexible and facilitated approach offers a variety of entry points and shorter or longer term engagement with the material, depending upon the congregation's development needs.

The Task Group also has responsibility for the following project:

The Well Information and Advice Centre
The Well is a drop-in centre administered by Glasgow Presbytery, with three staff members and a team of volunteers drawn from local churches. It offers advice and information to Glasgow's Asian communities as a means of facilitating relationships between the Christian staff and their neighbours of other faiths. While The Well has a clear commitment to mission, its ethos is very much based on listening to people and accepting people for who they are as an integral part of Christian witness. The Well has expanded over the last few years, with activities diversifying to include English classes, computer tuition, a craft group, home visits, summer outings and a Bible correspondence course.
The Well also has a remit to encourage churches to build good relationships with their neighbours of other faiths and as such, staff members are often asked to take part in conferences and speaking engagements For more information and contact details, visit www.thewell.org.uk .