Mixed Ecology of Church

This week I attended Multiply: 2020 Church Planting Conference online.

I drew this image as part of the initial session.
The words are the steps to pioneering new ways of being church - pray, join, ask, listen, act, pray.

There were many great take aways from the conference but the main one was the address by the (soon to be) Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell about the need for a mixed ecology of church.

My reflection on that is....

A mixed ecology needs a mixed group of people with a range of callings and skills.  It needs everyone to know that no one can do it alone and that everyone grows together only when there is balance and cooperation.  As a lay Pioneer I would not have been able to flourish in my ministry without supportive priests, bishops and lay supporters who trusted me, equipped me, enabled me, mentored me and prayed for me.

I really hope that when lockdown is over conferences will keep providing online access so that those of us who struggle to attend in person can still attend