A church Evaluation resource and an exploratory Toolkit to help engage with the Rhythm of Life have been published this week.
Originally launched in February 2023, the Diocese of York’s Rhythm of Life is a simple call of discipleship, enabling each of us to be intentional about growing in our faith through adopting certain habits. The Rhythm of Life is designed to be a creative and flexible framework for living, shaped around prayer, scripture, worship, loving one another, living generously, sharing faith with others, and having patterns of rest.
Recognising that Rhythms of Life are lived both individually and collectively in communities, the two new resources are designed to resource churches, helping to discern how we enable people to explore how faith influences the way we live.
The Everyday Faith Evaluation is designed for PCCs or church leadership teams, offered as a simple way of gauging how the church currently enables faith and discipleship to be nurtured. The simple form, comprising 14 questions, covers each area of the Rhythm of Life in turn, and could be done as an annual review of faith within the church community.
For churches who want to explore this more deeply, the Rhythm of Life Toolkit offers a broader approach. Asking open questions throughout, the Toolkit could be explored by whole church communities, discussing prayerfully what we already do to enable these practices of discipleship, as well as thinking about what could be done to enable these to grow.
Sammi Tooze, Diocesan Discipleship Adviser, comments,
“I’m so pleased to see these resources beginning to be used across our diocesan family of churches. As we grow in Living Christ’s Story, these new materials are a great opportunity for us to all engage in growing a culture of everyday faith, and for us to discern how the Rhythm of Life practices shape us as missional disciples.
“Looking ahead to the autumn, we’re looking forward to continuing to grow and embed the Rhythm of Life through producing a small group resource, worship materials, and a Collective Worship series for Primary Schools, so do keep your eyes open for those!”
Both resources are available as PDFs on the Rhythm of Life webpage, and any churches or deaneries who would like a printed copies or a conversation about Rhythm of Life can contact Sammi.
