How movements happen: Parish Collective and Pioneering Parishes

Tim Soerens and Tina Hodgett in conversation

Tina and Tim ponder their experience of the key drivers and dynamics of movements. Clue: it’s a lot to do with the Holy Spirit.

About the conversationalists

Tim Soerens is the co-founding executive director of the Parish Collective and an author based in Chicago. 

Tina Hodgett is co-creator of Pioneering Parishes with Greg Bakker. She works at Church Mission Society, training lay pioneers and clergy in the tools, practices, skills and postures of contextual mission and a mixed ecology of church.  

More from this issue

Transcript

Tina Hodgett [00:00:03] So, hi, Tim, I hear it’s snowing in March in Chicago.

Tim Soerens [00:00:08] It’s snowy in March, in Chicago, yes.

Tina Hodgett [00:00:13] And you look warm and sunny in March.

Tim Soerens [00:00:16] Well, thank you. Yes, I’ve got I’ve got good sun lights around here.

Tina Hodgett [00:00:21] It’s good to see you. We’re here to talk a bit about movement and how you make them. So you’re CEO of the Parish Collective, is that correct?

Tim Soerens [00:00:36] Yeah, executive director, same thing.

Tina Hodgett [00:00:38] Tell us about the Parish Collective.

Tim Soerens [00:00:42] The Parish Collective is a network based in the United States of congregations and small groups, missional communities, sometimes new monastic communities across a whole bunch of Christian denominations who all have one thing in common, which is that they are seeking to be the church in the neighbourhood. And that’s somewhat contrast with the major emphasis of getting people to go to church or getting people to count rally around the Sunday event. And so it’s essentially it’s a network. It’s a learning network and a national community of practice. And we’re trying to tell stories of how this is possible all across the country and with friends like you around the world. And we host convenings and learning communities. And we also have conferences and work with all kinds of denominations, but essentially we exist to connect people to be the church in the neighbourhood, and our long-shot dream is that we could help be a part of what we feel like God is doing to reimagine and reorganise the church around relationships that are pursuing shalom in their places.

Tina Hodgett [00:01:59] Yeah, and I got a bit of a flavour of that two, three years ago when I came to the Inhabit conference and met you all, which was really exciting and inspiring. And how long have you been going and what’s it been like trying to create an idea and make it a movement, take an idea and make a movement of people.

Tim Soerens [00:02:25] We don’t have an official start date, but we’re somewhere in the ballpark of 13, 14, 15 years old as an organisation. So more than 10 years for sure. We’ve been at this for a while. Yeah. And here’s how – I’m curious. I’m gonna put this back to you soon – but here’s how I think about movement making. I primarily don’t think that you make movements. I think that connect them. I think you listen closely and try and discern some, like, common desire, maybe some common language, yearning, which typically happens on the edges of institutions or places. And a lot of times, those people with a common desire or longing, I think like inspired very much from the Holy Spirit, can inherently feel a little bit out of place, or they can feel. Like they don’t know what they’re doing, or by nature of not going with the historic status quo, kind of the default system, it’s disorienting. And so when you meet other people like you, or even other congregations who seem to have a similar longing, it just, it is magical. So that connection, I think is at the heart and soul of what we’re trying to do, but I actually think that’s how all movements actually grow, is from the right connection with the right people at the right time. I would love for you to reply in the same way. Lots of people probably know about Pioneering Parishes and I’m a huge fan. But just in case people don’t or need a refresher, could you tell us a little bit about Pioneering Parishes? And then same question to you. How do you think about movement making or how movements could possibly be made?

Tina Hodgett [00:04:15] Yeah, so Pioneering Parishes feels like a kind of cousin to the parish in the neighbourhood. Our concern is that the parish isn’t defined by the people who show up on Sunday, but that we express God’s longing to be the church that expresses a desire to reach, connect with people who are unconnected across the whole parish. And to shift the, to unlock capacity in the parish church, to shift energy outwards towards the people who aren’t yet connected, and to join in with partnerships with people in the local area, because we’re a values-based organisation, and once we’ve established our values, very often those values can be shared by partners in our neighbourhood, and then we can agree together how we can serve the neighbourhood together and then work in partnership with that. So, it’s a lot of things, one of which is unlocking potential and capacity in congregations through having open and honest conversations, doing congregational discipleship, encouraging people to do congregational missional listening, work out what God’s calling us into and find the surprising God resources to move out into that. So we’re still finding the language for explaining what it is that we’re doing, I think. And I came into it from being primarily a pioneer in the Church of England, called into the Church Of England to join in with that movement of God’s Spirit, that deep movement of God’s Spirit. And as time went on with me having roles to set up pioneers in parish spaces and finding that they often didn’t flourish as well as they could have done because the parish wasn’t folding itself around what they were doing or wasn’t able to see what God was calling them to do, what the relationship was, a lot of parishes thought that the pioneers were there to create people to come to church on Sunday, which was never the intention – it was for them to create contextual forms of church for people who probably would never show up on a Sunday morning. So trying to create more of a symbiotic relationship between the mother church and the new baby churches. And that was when I met my colleague, Greg Baker, who’d been working on the parish end of this paradigm for a while. And when we got together, I thought, yeah, this is a good combination of the two of us to kind of work from a parish based and more pioneering outward perspective and see if we can create an ecosystem where everybody has a gift to give the other to help all the churches, the time honoured and the new ones to thrive and flourish together.

Tim Soerens [00:07:33] Beautiful. Okay, so then, I mean, I hear some movement language in that, but how do you think about movements and movement making and even like movement architecture or how, what, if you want to help create or connect a movement, what are the building blocks for how you’re thinking about your work?

Tina Hodgett [00:07:54] Well, I think some of it’s kind of standard, you know, we need a brand, we’ve got a really great digital comms officer, we needed to do the occasional dance on Instagram, which I love and Greg hates. But for me, the really deep thing is that often it feels as though the Spirit has already done the heart work in hearts and minds and created the desire. So we worked, we try and work in partnership with dioceses and early on we met, we had an advocate, so I think advocates are really vital, not very high in a diocesan organisational structure but she banged on the door and kept insisting that some of her colleagues listened to Greg and I talk about our work. And then they listened carefully, asked great questions. And then one lady who had been agnostic about anything to do with pioneering suddenly had this epiphany moment. And she went, I’ve been looking for a tool like this the whole time I’ve being the director of ministry in this diocese. This is exactly what I need. And then she opened all kinds of doors for us to show our wares, really. We did some training and she and all the people in that diocese have just unlocked so many doors for us including: we’ve just done some training with a partner with a next-door diocese to this one which went well because we’ve been learning and getting things wrong and readjusting and finding more language to explain what we’re about. So some of it’s just about allowing – the movement making is actually happening in us as we work out what is the gift we’re holding and where it’s best applied and how to talk about it. So we’re championed as well by Jonny Baker who’s my line manager at the Church Mission Society. He’s a great champion and so we’ve got champions in the pioneering CMS mission world and champions in the diocesan world. And then people come and are in the training session and often they’re people who know that what we’re offering is what they need. There’s just that sudden sense of oh these are the tools we need and if they could have stopped for a minute and thought about it, that’s what they would have said they wanted. I really love, in Winnie the Pooh, there’s a picture at the very first page of the book, where Christopher Robin’s coming down the stairs with Winnie the Pooh held by the leg, and Winnie is banging his head on every step. And he says, if only I could stop for a minute, I’m sure there’s a better way of doing this.

Tim Soerens [00:11:05] Hahahahahahahahahaha.

Tina Hodgett [00:11:08] And it feels as if the church is like moving so fast and it’s been doing things the same way for such a long time it’s like if only we could stop from it there must be a better way and I think – so we had a young priest the other day say, finish our training and go: these are the tools I need to go and do my thing. And it’s not like we’ve had original ideas, it’s almost as though the Holy Spirit has been preparing the way for the day when church leaders, through my colleague Greg working this stuff out over about 30 years and refining it more recently, it’s almost like it’s ready. It’s a ready package for us to bring it to the world and then for people to go, ah yeah, this is the thing I’ve been waiting for and the Holy Spirit’s going, well here you are, have it in your hand, but we’re still trying to articulate it. So it’s like receiving, receiving something, I think, for me. And then working out what it is, and then, working out how to use it.

Tim Soerens [00:12:12] I love that! A couple things that I’m hearing that are somewhat in common. One is that desire is the kind of raw material that we get to work with. And would you say that’s true?

Tina Hodgett [00:12:28] Yeah, always.

Tim Soerens [00:12:30] Right? That’s like, that’s the only thing that we have if we’re not going to try and, you know, do kind of power over or create a technique or just be in constant sales mode, that it always requires a posture of listening for the gift and the desire of others. And then I just really, and I firmly believe this too about what’s happening here: either the Holy Spirit is doing this work and then we pay attention to it and try and join or not. It’s kind of that simple at some level. It’s incredibly complex for how we go about that.

Tina Hodgett [00:13:05] Yeah.

Tim Soerens [00:13:06] If the Holy Spirit is not cultivating the work ahead of us, then it’s backbreaking work. It feels like, to the Winnie the Pooh metaphor, you know, we might even accidentally keep bringing Pooh down the stairs without meaning to.

Tina Hodgett [00:13:26] Yeah. And I don’t think I’d ever quite realised it until I said it then, that it’s been prepared way, way in advance. And it’s so much through people that God has visited and said, you’re going to be the person that spearheads this. You’re not… You’re the one I’m calling. And you see that pattern through the Scriptures, you know, God showing up with individuals often on the edges, and going – and often surprising – and God is going, you’re going to be the one that leads on this. And then you need the first follower. You need the people who can see God at work or see the genius in that person and go, well, I’m gonna, I can see this too, and I’m going to support you through it, which is probably in this particular situation, me, going: this stuff that Greg’s got, the church needs this. And, um… And we need to find ways to share it more widely and gather people round it.

Tim Soerens [00:14:32] Have you ever seen that short TED Talk that’s called How to Start a Movement, with the person at a music festival who’s dancing and then people start joining? That came to mind as you were talking because maybe that was Greg’s role was to kind of be the first person dancing for maybe a long time. It takes a lot of courage to dance by yourself but as the speaker in that TED Talk says, that’s not a movement, it’s you paying attention and having the courage to dance along and then others and then others. It’s a beautiful metaphor.

Tina Hodgett [00:15:13] Yeah. And that first person’s the first follower, and I think I’ve always wanted to be the mad person dancing, but actually, we’ve got to have the humility, haven’t we, to – and discernment – to join in with the person that’s the mad dancer and not see them as the mad dancer and think, how can we amplify this? And yeah, I think that whole role of the person who can join in and know all the people who can amplify because we wouldn’t be anywhere without a whole string of people who’ve opened doors for us in places we didn’t have access. So we have used our personal networks in the early days. I was just you know emailing everybody I knew and going: well we’ve got this thing and would you like to know a bit more about it and maybe you can contribute… Because what we found in having conversations with people was that we understood more and more, they were saying what they needed and we were going well yeah maybe we’ve got something that can help. So it was kind of like dough rising as well, that’s another metaphor.

Tim Soerens [00:16:27] I love that metaphor as well. Well, is there anything that’s on your mind right now as you, on behalf of Pioneering Parishes, are thinking about the future, as you’re thinking about the next faithful steps in trying to help cultivate a movement? Is there anything that springs to mind, a challenge, an opportunity, something you’re particularly excited about?

Tina Hodgett [00:16:50] What a lovely question. I feel I’ve been talking quite a lot. I’ll tell you there’s a book coming out. We’ve got a book coming out and I think that will be another kind of catalytic thing. You tell me a bit…

Tim Soerens [00:17:07] Does it have a title?

Tina Hodgett [00:17:08] Well, it’s called Into All The Parish: tools for… I can’t remember quite the rest, but Into All The Parish, yeah. And you’ve written books as well, have they helped your movement making?

Tim Soerens [00:17:25] Yeah, you know, we’ve talked about this in the past a little bit, but another visual that has been really animating for me and for our work is what has called the two-loops theory of change, where you have one loop that is a normal default or dominant system that tends to be in decline, and then an emergent system, and the beginning is naming and framing with language. And so I do think that writing and even conversations like this is really, really important because it is a kind of flag that we can wave to people that perhaps God has been speaking to or where there is desire and yearning, where there’s like, yes, you’re putting language to something that’s been swelling up within me -as well as all the incredible tools for folks that want to be resourced like you’re talking about. But yeah, with some friends, I wrote a book called The New Parish and – about seven or eight years ago – and then a follow-up that was more for everyday Christians called Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church Right Where You Are. And those publications have absolutely been catalytic and framing in meeting heaps of new friends and colleagues.

Tina Hodgett [00:18:39] Yeah, so in the last minute, if people want to join in with what God’s up to in the world and the church at the moment, how can they be part of movement making or movement connecting?

Tim Soerens [00:19:05] Well, my first invitation would be to… think about their actual lives and where those actual lives get played out. So I’m a big fan, obviously, of geography, of local places and spaces. And I think a powerful question to connect with God’s movement is to simply ask out loud and even better with a couple of friends and maybe other people that are following Jesus, maybe even people from your congregation, what might be some of God’s dreams for this place? And I think that question, and I do think it’s plural, probably not singular, I think asking that over and over again and being open to what might that look like, creates a whole new path for us. And I think the more of us that are asking, you could say, that question of what God is longing for, what does God desire, in a very real place with real people and real systems and real histories and real power dynamics and real complexities… I think taking action into that, even experimentally, is the way of the future, which is incredibly complex and chaotic in many ways. But I think that’s where the movement is. And then if we can share those stories of experimentation, whether things work or not, I think we’re all going to be able to tell our friends and our kids and nieces and nephews incredible stories of how we got to join what God was up to, at least in part, in our day. Final remarks for you, Tina. What would your, your advice be to join in movements?

Tina Hodgett [00:20:48] Yeah, I think I’d just match it with one of our core questions, which is, who do we aspire to be for God and our local community? And again, it’s place-based. And it’s in the now. And it’s very powerful.

Tim Soerens [00:21:06] Yes, it is.

Tina Hodgett [00:21:07] And it’s about the being as well as the doing and uniting them.

Tim Soerens [00:21:13] Yes.

Tina Hodgett [00:21:16] So I’m feeling very moved, so I think we should finish before I have to go.

Tim Soerens [00:21:22] I think you’re right.

Tina Hodgett [00:21:23] Really lovely to chat to you. Tim Soerens [00:21:26] Same, same to you now, what an honour. Thank you so much.

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Explore the challenges of the multicultural church, how we can overcome them and discover hope too.

About the webinar

The future of both the church and mission is undeniably multicultural – shaped by migration, global Christianity, and shifting cultural realities. Yet for many leaders, this future feels more complicated than hopeful. Why is that?

In this webinar, Harvey Kwiyani, CMS Pioneer Mission Training African Christianity Programme Lead and lecturer, explores the deeper challenges beneath the surface of “diversity,” including questions of power, belonging, leadership, and theology.

Drawing on his wider work on cultural diversity and decolonising mission, he will offer a fresh vision for understanding cultural difference not as a problem to solve, but as a gift to receive – alongside practical insights for leading churches into a more shared, participatory life in God’s mission.

Dr Harvey Kwiyani

Harvey is African Christianity Programme Lead and Acts 11 Centre Lead.

He is a Malawian missiologist and theologian who has lived, worked and studied in Europe and North America for the past 20 years.

He has researched African Christianity and African theology for his PhD, and taught African theology at Liverpool Hope University.

Harvey is also founder and executive director of Missio Africanus, a mission organisation established in 2014 as a learning community focused on releasing the missional potential of African and other minority ethnic Christians living in the UK.

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The post Webinar: The Future is Multicultural – So What’s the Problem? appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

John V Taylor, a former leader of CMS, once said, “Look to the fringes. Watch the things that are pushing out on the edge.”

Jesus intentionally sought out people on the margins and made them part of his story.

And today, the risen Jesus is still going to the edges: in the Middle East, in DR Congo, in Ukraine, across Britain and in so many other places and spaces.

It’s our great privilege to follow him and see him working, bringing new life. That’s why we love to say “There is life at the edges!”

Even when the world feels overwhelmed by shadow, new, living hope is rising where we least expect it.

Transcript

Hello friends and Happy Easter! He is risen!

I’ll say it again: He is risen!

Throughout Lent this year, CMS has been focusing on Jesus’ encounters with people at the edges, the edges of religious acceptability, the edges of society at the time, and the edges of many of the disciples’ comfort zones.

We’ve seen how Jesus intentionally welcomed people such as a severely disabled woman who could not even stand up straight, or people with leprosy, or outsiders like tax collectors, or others considered to be “sinners”.

Jesus paid special attention to these people, he brought healing to them and he made them part of his story.

So much so, that today, two thousand years later, we get to read about them and be challenged to keep the kind of company Jesus keeps.

A huge thank you to those of you who have been journeying with us in this, through our Lent email series, Fringe Dweller. We hope you have found it meaningful to look at these stories and consider how you might keep following Jesus to the edges in your life.

One thing that’s crucial to understand is that we are not called to the edges out of a sense of pity – we go to the edges out of a sense of possibility.

Jesus looked at someone like the Gerasene demoniac – and he saw a disciple, someone who, once healed, could take the good news of Jesus far and wide.

And it’s the same for us in CMS today.

We love to say there is life at the edges because it’s true.

We are seeing victims of horrendous violence become voices for peace in South Sudan and DR Congo.

We are seeing indigenous Christians in Latin America – once considered second-class citizens, rising up to become passionate leaders who are imparting the gospel to the next generation.

We are seeing marginalised women in the Middle East playing a key role helping others discover the love of Jesus.

And the list goes on and on. You see? There is life at the edges!

You might be looking at the state of the world right now, and be tempted to despair. Violence, poverty and oppression continue to push people to the edges. But new hope is rising, often where you might least expect to find it.

For example, just over a year ago we watched in horror as Goma, DR Congo was seized by the M23 rebel group, leading to chaos, bloodshed and fear. Yet, in the past year we have seen local Christians in DR Congo stepping up and bearing witness to Christ, offering help and hope to thousands. Our Easter appeal highlights this.

Yes, things are still incredibly difficult in Goma, but hope is breaking through. Because Jesus loves people at the edges.

I think of how after Jesus’ crucifixion, his disciples were devastated. Bewildered. Lost. And then – there he was!

It’s wonderful to remember that, just as he drew near to people at the edges before he died and rose again, Jesus continues to dwell with people on the fringes after his resurrection, too.

The first witnesses to the resurrection were women. He came to those who were broken in spirit and fearful, those who were full of doubt and traumatised, to Peter, who had denied him.

The risen Jesus still does this today.

He’s still choosing to appear to people at the edges and he’s still working through people at the edges to redeem the whole world back to wholeness.

A pastor and hip-hop artist called Trip Lee once wrote:

“I don’t know the future.
I don’t know the answers to every big question.
I don’t know why everything happens the way it does. But I know Jesus got up.
And that changes EVERYTHING.”

I pray that today, if you are struggling, you’ll allow the reality of Jesus’ resurrection to bring you profound joy.

Our struggles are not the end of the story. New hope is rising. We just have to know where to look.

As my predecessor John V Taylor advised: “Look to the fringes. Watch the things that are pushing out on the edge.”

I’ll close now with these words from Scripture; let’s read them together:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

Once again, happy Easter to you.

Truly, God is with us.

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The post New hope rising: Easter message from CMS CEO Andy Roberts appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

In many Western nations, politicians are lamenting the erosion of Christian values in society and calling for restricted immigration to prevent further erosion. They insist that a government’s first priority should be the care of its own citizens and that nations have the right to control their borders. This presentation will assess these claims by asking what a distinctively Christian approach to government and nationhood would look like, and then applying it to border control in order to propose a “Christian immigration policy.”

Guest speaker

Dr Barnabas Aspray, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at St Mary’s Seminary & University, Baltimore. He also writes a column for Seen & Unseen and hosts a podcast, Faith at the Frontiers.

Host: Tyler Horton

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The post Webinar: Immigration and the idea of a Christian nation appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Find out more about the stories mentioned in this month’s Hope from the Edges:

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Video transcript

Hello and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, CEO of CMS.

In the next few minutes, we’ll bring you inspiring news from three edges in our world – stories that you are making possible through your gifts and prayers.

First, we’ll go to Honduras and hear about a young woman who went from street life to full life. From there we’ll go to South Sudan where a former cattle rustler was steered towards a better path. Finally, we’ll turn the spotlight on a mission partner who has spent two decades in challenging work that has taken her across the globe.

But before we begin, I want to take some time to acknowledge an anniversary none of us would have wanted to commemorate.

By the time you receive this video, we will have crossed the four-year mark since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and I want to take a moment to ask for your prayers for our mission partner Alison Giblett, who has remained in Ukraine this whole time, faithfully sharing the light of Jesus – despite missile attacks, freezing winters and growing despair.

This is most definitely mission at the edges. Let’s go to God together and keep praying for peace to prevail.

And now, let’s hop over to Honduras for a story of hope nine years in the making.

The country of Honduras faces huge challenges including rampant gang warfare, poverty and corruption.

Many children in Honduras suffer from abuse or neglect and are drawn to life on the streets, which can be both cruel and dangerous.

In 2017, a young girl named Johanni was one of these at-risk children.

She recalls, “When I was eight years old, I spent most of my time out in the street. My parents didn’t send me to school. No one was looking out for me except myself.”

Johanni spent much of her time hanging out with other kids at a local park. She could see no real future for herself.

One day, she met some adults who were different – kind and interested. They listened to her struggles and told her Jesus loved her.

Over time, these people, CMS mission partners Lindsey and Steve Poulson, helped Johanni and 14 other children register for school. This was the beginning of a new life chapter for Johanni as well as the start of what would become a life-changing project for many children.

This group of 15 children were the beginning of Proyecto Alas, a programme that supports at-risk children to continue in education and make good choices for the future. A key part of this programme is that each child is assigned a mentor.

Johanni says, “My mentor listens to me, encourages me and helps me make positive decisions.”

Now 16 years old, Johanni is an aspiring nail artist. She says, “Most girls my age don’t make it to high school so I’m really proud of my achievement and growth.”

The Poulsons are grateful to have walked alongside Johanni these nine years and to have seen her and others reach their God-given potential.

We now journey to South Sudan.

In South Sudan livestock is highly prized. So, cattle raiding is big business.

In recent years, raids have become more intense, more violent and take place on a much larger scale. It’s a crime with a huge cost.

Makol was a cattle raider from Warrap State, South Sudan. He knew that stealing cattle was wrong and that people were getting hurt, but he was making too much money to stop. He also knew if he was caught, he could be executed.

One day Makol was caught in the act, arrested and put in a police car. He knew his fate was sealed.

What Makol didn’t know was this: that night a peace rally was scheduled to take place, led by Archbishop Moses Deng. Drawing on training he’d received from our colleagues in CMS-Africa, the Archbishop spoke to the community on the theme of love and forgiveness.

The governor of Warrap State, General Aleu Ayieny, attended this rally. Having heard about Makol’s crimes, he had planned for him to be publicly executed at the end of the peace rally.

Evening came and Makol found himself sitting in the back of the governor’s car, waiting for his punishment, while General Ayieny listened to Archbishop Moses’ message nearby.

When he had finished, the governor stood up and addressed him:

“Your Grace Moses, I have a living dead young man in the back of my car. I have brought him here to kill him in front of these crowds and multitudes by firing squad. We have spoken a lot against this practice of cattle raiding and today we could have been making an example out of this man…but because you have spoken of forgiveness and reconciliation command I have forgiven him.”

The governor went back to his car and instructed Makol to follow him. Makol followed slowly, walking to his death.

But standing there in front of his community, hanging his head, he heard the words, “You are forgiven.”

Makol was overwhelmed at this mercy and grace. It wasn’t long before he received Jesus and was baptised.

Four years later, his cattle raiding days are behind him. He and his family belong to a local church and Makol provides for his family by working as a prison warden.

Join us in giving thanks for this life that was changed and continue to pray for all CMS people in mission involved in making disciples in areas facing violent conflict.

Last but absolutely not least we want to congratulate a CMS mission partner who is marking 20 years since she first began responding to a huge call God placed on her life.

In 2005, while lamenting the suffering of millions of girls and women impacted by the practice of female genital mutilation (or FGM),

Ann-Marie Wilson asked God: “Who will help girls like this?” 

To her amazement, the answer came back as an audible voice: “You will.”

Two decades later, Ann-Marie is still answering that call. Through her international organisation, 28 Too Many, which merged with Orchid Project in 2022, she has gathered the stories of thousands of FGM survivors and built a global movement dedicated to ending FGM worldwide.

Ann-Marie and the Orchid Project team haven’t just changed individual lives; they’ve shifted global policy and fostered grassroots change across continents.

You can discover the remarkable story of Ann-Marie’s 20 years in this vital work by going to the Stories section of the CMS website.

Ann-Marie’s journey is a powerful testament to how a single person can spark profound global change.

And it all began with a simple, radical act of daring to ask, Who will help?

Thank you for joining me for these stories from the edges and for your prayerful support, which makes them possible.

Please share this video with your church, small group or anyone you think could use some fuel for their faith.

Until next time, we are so grateful for your gifts and prayers as together we go:

With Jesus
With each other
To the edges

ENDS

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The post Hope from the edges March 2026 appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Cathy Ross explores the theology and stories of those who have found lament to be the catalyst for healing and something new.

Lament is often associated with Lent but it can also be off-putting with many unsure of how to “get it right”.

Canon Dr Cathy Ross, lecturer and tutor with CMS Pioneer Mission Training, will help us understand the theology and how it informs our practice.

She will share case studies of those who have found lament to be the catalyst for healing and something new.

By the end of this webinar, you will you know how to reflect on areas of your own life or in the world which cause you pain, how to present those to God and how to allow him to renew your hope.

Canon Dr Cathy Ross

Canon Dr Cathy Ross is a lecturer and tutor with CMS Pioneer Mission Training and is a lecturer in mission at Regent’s Park College, Oxford.

She led CMS Pioneer Mission Training Oxford from 2019 to 2025, before handing over the reins to Dr James Butler.

Until 2016 she was the General Secretary of the International Association for Mission Studies.

She has previously worked in Rwanda, Congo and Uganda with NZCMS. Cathy is also canon theologian at Leicester Cathedral.

Her research interests are in the areas of contextual theologies, World Christianity, feminist theologies and hospitality.

She is married to Steve, a GP in Oxford and they have three children and five grandchildren. She enjoys tennis, swimming, coffee, travel and watching the All Blacks.

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A plenary session with Harvey Kwiyani, the author of Decolonizing Mission

Migration is reshaping Christianity – but are our theologies and mission practices keeping pace?

In this webinar, Harvey Kwiyani speaks with Nuam Hatzaw, Joseph Ola, and Tyler Horton on his book Decolonizing Mission to explore migration as one of the most urgent theological challenges of our time.

Reframing migration not as a problem to be managed but as a site of God’s mission, the webinar invites participants to imagine a decolonised missiology rooted in baptismal identity, hospitality, and solidarity with those on the move.

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The post Webinar: Migration and Mission in Decolonial Perspectives appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Christmas is a reminder that migration has always been woven into the story of salvation.

by Joseph Ola

22 December 2025

We know that Jesus enters the world into the margins: he was born away from home, visited by travellers from distant lands, and forced into exile as a refugee child. Through his birth and life, we see how God does not shy away from the precarity of human movement – in fact, God inhabits it.

The Yoruba have a proverb that offers a caution in this regard:

“Sún mọ́hùn-ún, a ó ṣorò ilé wa, tí kò jẹ́ kí àlejò di onílé.”

“Make room, we are about to perform our family ritual,”

which keeps the immigrant from ever becoming part of the household.

This proverb exposes a painful truth which has echoed loudly amid various migration policy conversations across the globe: communities can welcome migrants for a while, yet draw invisible lines when true belonging is at stake. A seat may be offered – but not a voice. Proximity – but not participation. Hospitality – but not home. Christmas confronts such boundaries!

In the incarnation, God does not stand at the doorway politely uninvited – he steps inside the human household. Jesus is not kept outside the rituals of belonging; he becomes the centre of the family story. He is not tolerated at the edge – he is welcomed by heaven and earth as Emmanuel: God with us.

So, as migration continues to shape our societies, Christmas asks us uncomfortable but necessary questions: Are we truly making room, or only appearing to? Do we allow the stranger to become kin, or merely a guest who must not get too close?

May we practise the kind of welcome where newcomers share not just the table but the story – where those on the move discover that, in Christ, they already belong. May we tear down the lines that keep others out. For in Jesus – the eternal outsider – we meet the One who makes us all at home.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, may we remember that God comes to us not in stability but in vulnerability; not from the centre but from the edges. May we find Christ anew in the migrant, the seeker, the stranger, the neighbour – and also in ourselves, as people continually invited to journey with God.

May the peace, joy, and hope of Christ be with you and those you love.

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Andy Roberts, CEO of Church Mission Society, ponders the possibility of “disruption” as we follow Jesus to the edges together.

We might not naturally enjoy being disrupted…yet sometimes it ends up being good for us. 

After all, God taking on human form with all our vulnerabilities and choosing to dwell directly among us – that is the ultimate holy disruption.

And it is for our sake and the sake of the world God is actively working to redeem and renew.

Stories from the Middle East…

Transcript

Christmas is a time to reflect and to thank God. As Christians, it’s also a time to embrace the celebrations for what they really are.

At the centre of it all, we’re celebrating a life-changing, world-saving disruption.

Now, disruption isn’t your traditional Christmas message, but I believe it’s a great description of Jesus. Jesus unsettled what was comfortable in order to call people into a deeper life with God.

And I believe CMS is being called into that same spirit-led disruption to be stirred, stretched and sent again.

We believe God is on the move, especially at the edges. At the edges of society, the edges at church.

Our Christmas Appeal tells a remarkable story of God on the move at the edges. Of the gospel breaking through in unlikely places. Thank you for giving to our appeal. Your generous donations are delivering discipleship and mission training in Middle East.

In the midst of upheaval across the Middle East, thousands of people are asking questions about Jesus. Many of the questions have been answered by faithful local women like Mariam.*

Mariam was raised as a devout Muslim in Syria. When civil war broke out, she fled to Lebanon where her family lived as refugees in shocking poverty. Feeling desperate, she went to a church for help. They offered her food, hygiene supplies, and prayer.

Maryam’s husband was furious when he saw the Bible she had been given. But Mariam kept reading in secret and she chose to follow Jesus herself, which cost her. Her husband tore up her Bible, beat her, and took her children away.

Mariam could have given up on her new faith, but she turned to Jesus, who gave her strength. She started teaching children in a local church, and a CMS partner invited her to take part in mission training. This training equipped Mariam to share her faith and to nurture new believers.

Today, Mariam leads a group for more than 80 women who have turned to the Jesus. I’m a missionary now, Mariam says.

There are many women, like Mariam, who are showing hundreds of others in the Middle East the way of Jesus. Your gifts this Christmas will help transform lives and communities. Please go to the CMS website to donate.

Just a few weeks ago, I was in Tanzania visiting CMS colleagues and projects. I met a woman whose story has really impacted me.

Imani is a small business owner who is part of a CMS women’s empowerment group. This group grew out of training which CMS-Africa recently ran in Imani’s community, a majority Muslim area.

Imani told me how previously she had turned to witchcraft to try and bring success to her business. But it wasn’t working. She started going to the Women’s Empowerment Group at the church and she ended up meeting Jesus.

Joining the group has given Imani new skills and tools to grow her business, but the real success is that she now knows Jesus.

CMS may have provided the people and the programme to minister to this woman, but it was Jesus who broke through the darkness surrounding her life to meet with her.

Jesus was already at the edges of our churches, our plans, our ideas, waiting for us to join him.

I was reminded this summer of how great it is to connect with you, our CMS family. It was our first summer gathering in August and marked my stepping into this new role.

More than 200 CMS people in mission, strategic partners, supporters and staff met together to share, learn, reflect, and celebrate God moving together. I look forward to more opportunities in 2026 to connect with more of you and hear your stories of how God is on the move in your lives, communities, churches, and countries.

CMS believes that God is the move. We see him moving in the Middle East with inspiring women like Mariam stepping out with God.

We see it in Tanzania where God is replacing darkness with light and hope.

And we see it with you, moving in your hearts, inspiring you to give time and prayer and financial support.

We’re stepping into 2026 with a confidence in God that as we follow him to the edges, daring to disrupt our ideals, our traditions and our norms, it’s then that we will see his kingdom come.

Happy Christmas. And thank you for sharing in God’s mission.

*Name changed

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Find out more about the stories mentioned in this month’s Hope from the Edges:

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Video transcript

Hello and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, the new CEO for CMS.

In the next few minutes, we’ll bring you inspiring news from three edges in our world. Stories that you’re making possible through your gifts and prayers.

First, we’ll go to Nepal, to meet a Christian who is not giving up despite being rejected and threatened for his faith.

From there we’ll go to DR Congo to see the incredible difference our supporters have made for victims of violence.

And then finally we’ll go to Somerset for tea, toast and a beautiful story of a cafe that became a church.

First, let’s meet Oman in Nepal whose name has been changed for security reasons.

Oman grew up following the majority religion, like his father and grandfathers before him. But from an early age, Oman had questions. When his father got sick, why couldn’t their gods help?

As a young adult Oman decided to follow Jesus. Because of this, his family threw him out of their home. People in this village called him a lunatic.

But Oman kept following Jesus and became an apprentice to a local pastor.

Seeing Oman’s gifts, his pastor recommended he get some leadership training at a long time CMS partner college.

Oman embarked on a three month intensive course to help him become a church leader.

Since completing this course, Oman has planted three house churches in his area and now looks after 150 believers.

But being a Christian in Nepal is not easy.

One day when Oman came out of a church meeting, a crowd of about 300 people was waiting to confront him. They wanted to beat him and smear him with ink.

In Nepal, throwing or smearing black ink on a person is a huge sign of disrespect.

It’s an act of public humiliation which declares, “You don’t belong here!”

God protected Oman that day. But like many Christians in Nepal, he understands things are getting tougher for people like him in a religious minority.

Still, he keeps going. Oman says,

“I recognise that God is there in the midst of these things. Jesus is alive. He will never give up. I also will not give up.”

CMS has launched an appeal to help Christians like Oman stay strong in their faith.

Go to churchmissionsociety.org/nepal to find out more.

Now, let’s go to Goma, DR Congo.

I’m grateful to report that CMS supporters’ generous respons to our emergency appeal for DR Congo has helped more than 10,000 victims of violence.

Residents of Goma have long known instability and bursts of violent conflict. Their city was consumed by violence in late January 2025 as M23 rebels took over.

People were traumatised for what they’d witnessed, with many left grieving for loved ones who had been killed.

Meanwhile electricity and water shortages, a lack of medical care and an increase in gender based attacks made life unbearable.

Thanks to generous gifts from CMS supporters, our partners on the ground were able to help more than 10,000 people through financial assistance, food and hygiene supplies and trauma counselling.

CMS Africa, the Anglican Diocese of Goma (led by mission partner Bishop Martin Gordon) and other partners, will continue to focus on helping people and communities to rebuild their livelihoods and strengthen their resilience for the long term.

Please pray for peace to prevail in this region.

Finally, let’s go to Somerset, UK for some tea and toast.

Tea and Toast is a cafe-style church gathering in a new town with a new housing estate called Haywood Village.

Tea and Toast was started by CMS pioneer Fiona Mayne. Fiona herself was once an atheist and today she enjoys connecting with people who might not immediately feel comfortable in a traditional church.

Tea and Toast is an informal time where people get together and where they can ask open and honest questions about faith.

Attendance has grown for this and other gatherings Fiona has initiated in the area with older people, younger people, families and people with special needs becoming part of the community.

Recently, someone who works as a carer for a churchgoer with special needs found herself drawn to Jesus and she has now been baptised.

Now this growing church is working to create a community hub while preparing to build a more permanent meeting space on a plot of land that has been acquired nearby.

Fiona is now an ordained pioneer minister in the Church of England, having trained on the job while studying at CMS.

She said recently in an interview: “CMS is an outstanding place to learn and meet other like-minded people. As a pioneer I don’t think there is anywhere else I personally could even consider wanting to go.”

The CMS Pioneer Mission Training programme is now on the lookout for who will be our 1,000th pioneer!

Since beginning in 2010 we have journeyed with more than 980 Pioneer Mission students.

Could you or someone you know be number 1,000?

To find out more and join this thriving learning community, visit churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer.

Thank you for joining me for these stories from the edges and for your prayerful support, which makes them all possible.

Please share this video with your church, small group or anyone you think could use some fuel for their faith.

Until next time, we are so grateful for your gifts and prayers as together we go:

With Jesus
With each other
To the edges

ENDS

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As we launch our new Intercultural MA this autumn, our Conversations Day on 21 October will provide an opportunity to reflect on current missiological discourse at the intersection of world Christianity and postcolonial studies.

This is part of a study day for CMS MA students, but is also open to interested members of the public.

The day will centre on two important books published in the summer of 2025: Decolonising Mission by Harvey Kwiyani and God or Mammon: The Critical Choice Facing World Christianity by David Smith.

Both authors will join us for a thoughtful and timely dialogue on the evolving relationships between mission, imperialism, and global Christianity.

This conversation is particularly relevant in light of the shifting dynamics of global witness – shaped by the growth of world Christianity and the corresponding decline of Western imperial influence and traditional missionary frameworks. In this context, mission itself is being reimagined, and mission education must also evolve.

This Conversations Day offers a space to begin discerning what that change might look like as we seek to engage faithfully with a rapidly transforming global church.

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