ReSource - Our Vision
Our history
ReSource has been running in its present shape since 2004. Our
roots
are in Anglican Renewal Ministries, founded in 1982 to encourage
individuals and churches to embrace spiritual renewal , and in
Springboard, the Archbishops’ initiative for the Decade of Evangelism.
ReSource is directed by Martin Cavender, working with a small core team
based in Wells and a much wider dispersed team of people with
complementary experience and gifting who travel with us on the road.
Our strapline is renewal for mission in the power of the
Spirit. A generation after the celebrated rediscovery of the
gifts of the Spirit in the church, we believe that the time has now
come to broaden and deepen our understanding of spiritual renewal, and
in particular to embrace its missionary dynamic. Renewal of the church
is not an end in itself, but part of God's purposes in building his
kingdom.
‘The Holy Spirit was not given so that we might enjoy the spiritual equivalent of a day at Alton Towers, but in order to take the victory of the cross into the world’ - Tom Wright
Our vision
Our vision is to help build a church which is diverse, local,
renewed in the Spirit and effective in mission.
We think of ourselves as a part of God’s jigsaw, working alongside
other agencies to support the local church in her task of communicating
the gospel afresh in the UK and beyond.
|
What do we hope to see as we look to the future?
|
 |
We have a simple prayer: ‘Lord, transform your world, renew your Church, and start with me.’
‘ ‘If ever there was a time to rediscover Jesus the Messiah, it is now.’ Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch
Our values
Our aim is to facilitate fresh vision, strengthened relationships and renewed energy wherever we go.
|
 |
We get about a lot, and as we travel it seems to us
that
‘confidence’ is the underlying theme of church life today. Everywhere
we go we find that people are asking questions - ‘Does this stuff
really work? Can we have confidence in this ancient faith of ours? Do
we really have something which people out there need and want?’ We are
convinced that we can have full confidence in the gospel – and that
there are many ways of growing and developing in that confidence.
We live in a time of change, and change can be painful, uneasy. How
will we respond? Our desire is to travel with the local church
according to its God-given vision, working together to bring about
spiritual growth and a renewed impetus for mission. Our aim is to
facilitate fresh vision, strengthened relationships and renewed
dependence upon the Holy Spirit wherever we go.
Relationships matter. We always start by listening, and shape our
contribution according to what we hear. We offer not blueprints but
resources – human, written and spiritual. We work with the little, the
local and the ordinary, and perhaps especially with those who for
spiritual, cultural or geographical reasons do not readily identify
with existing renewal movements and agencies. We come as servants,
travelling to work with you in your location according to the agenda
God has given you.
‘The Christian church should know nothing of novelty; what it must know about is renewal and updating and uncluttering, and the presentation of gospel gifts sensitive to the context’ – Lindsay Urwin
What we offer
Our aim is to offer encouragement and support to ordinary local
churches who want to grow spiritually and become effective in mission,
but who may not identify with the big networks. We do this through
parish renewal weekends and missions, retreats and quiet days, day
conferences and seminars on specific topics, and by developing written
resources which we are able to support locally. We don’t have a set
‘package’ – we believe each church is different. Our desire is to help
bring significant change to each church we work with.
In addition to our local ministry, we also operate regionally and
nationally, working with deaneries, mission partnerships, area
groupings, networks and dioceses to increase confidence and support
growth. We do this through retreats for clergy within a deanery,
mission partnership or cluster, through CME or other training days, and
through seminars and speakers at diocesan and other conferences for
church leaders. We run a clergy mentoring programme called EQUIP, and
offer consultancy at parish or deanery level. We offer regional and
local support and training for the healing ministry and for mission and
evangelism. And we work to support local PCCs.
For more details and for specific examples of the kind of things we do
please click here.
For feedback on our work please click here.
For details on how to contact us please click here.
‘ ‘If you want to build a ship, don’t summon people to buy wood, prepare tools, distribute jobs, and organize the work, rather teach people the yearning for the wide, boundless ocean’ – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
