Rev TC and I have been discussing a couple of projects we are involved in. The project I am involved in is called Church on the edge (working title) and is a partnership project between FYT, CMS, and Local churches. It has always been part of the plan to blog the journey, so I have borrowed Rev TCs term, Missional Anthropology as a category title for this section, as the church on the edge title is only a working one and I hope to broaden this section out as we get others’ insights.

A sample from the project outline is below. The project came about through reflecting on the links between the detached work I have done before which resulted in what we then called relational based expressions of church, developing stuff like the FaSt game and how since the growth in the emerging church scene peoples understanding around what is church had changed and that it was time to look at what we can learn from one another (missional youth workers and emerging church). It connected with some my questions about the how truly missional in nature of some the emerging expressions were which is why I love Rev TC’s phrase and nicked it.

So the shape for the next few posts are:-
Introduction to the Detached Process
Update on the story so far
5 or so Posts on the process we are looking at
A Contacting Community
A Growing Community
A Connecting Community
An Exploring Community
An Ecclesial Community

A unique approach to emerging church and young people at risk that has at its’ heart the intentionality of growing church with young people on the edge as a missionary endeavour.

Aim:
Building on the partners strengths and knowledge of working with young people on the edge of society to develop a fresh approach to challenging young people’s behaviour through good youth work processes with the critical intention to grow a relevant expression of church with marginalized young people.

To identify the key issues in establishing church with marginalized young people through the process and disseminate this through the Christian community in the UK to facilitate locally grounded and resource light expressions of church.

The project will to seek to work within a professional framework and believe good youth work is participatory, empowering, educative and promotes equality of opportunity. We seek to enhance the personal, social, emotional and spiritual development of young people that they may realise their full potential.

Objectives:
1. To build meaningful and purposeful relationships with young people in three areas through detached youth work and/or a mobile drop in facility.
2. To build a sense of community with the young people through a variety of means including, regular contact, mutual support, activities and trips, and residential experiences.
3. To identify and develop a second step project, where young people go through (with the worker) a wilderness or rite of passage experience, that consolidates them as a group and develops a sense of openness to one another and desire to change/grow.
4. To work with the young people through action research to develop a culturally relevant expression of church.