Multiply – reaching those we currently don’t
Multiply is committed to seeing leaders and teams across the York Diocese engage with those in their 20s, 30s and 40s. To offer meaningful opportunities for them to connect, experience and explore faith in Jesus and to create new worshipping communities that meet at a time, place and in a form that enables this to happen.
Across the diocese in settings rural to urban, with everyone from students to families we have been encouraged by innovation and experimentation of the current leaders and their teams and the stories that are emerging of people exploring and coming to faith and new communities emerging and forming.
Multiply exists to inspire and equip leaders and teams to pioneer new communities which follow Jesus, particularly those in their 20s-40s.
There are three main strands to Multiply:
- Ministers: A team of full time ‘ministers’ in eleven locations who are pioneering new worshipping communities.
- Lay Leaders: Part-time and volunteer leaders with teams of ordinary people with extraordinary ambitions for reaching those that church currently doesn’t.
- Planting and revitalising: St Michael-le-Belfrey will train and equip an additional curate every two years to be sent out with a team to revitalise a parish or to plant a new church.
Since its launch in 2019 the Multiply Pioneers have reached hundreds of new people across the diocese and small but significant new worshipping communities of 20 – 50 people have emerged. The settings vary from rural to urban, families to young adults and students and in each location the missional work has been shaped and formed by listening to the contexts, individuals and communities. The starting point has always been prayer and often been through making connections, meeting for coffees and through acts of service in and often with the local community, everything from toddler groups, seasonal events, foodbanks and cafe spaces.
Spaces and opportunities have opened up for meaningful conversation and discussion around faith and life and these have evolved or led on to regular New Worshipping community gatherings often weekly sometimes monthly with smaller group settings being developed for discussing the bible, prayer and deepening discipleship.
There has been lots of experimenting and learning from success and “failures”. The work is often fragile initially and there have been challenges around the forming and sustaining of teams.
It has been an exciting journey with God and together as a multiply team of lay and ordained leaders and we look forward see more new worshipping communities started in the years ahead!