A roadmap for the adventure of the future of church.
You can start right now with your 'six word mission statement'
Most ministers know that church feels harder.
They just don’t know what to do about it.
That’s why Free Range Priest exists - and especially Cage Free Ministry.
Since I started my own ministry in 2016, I’ve been thinking:
there has to be a better way.
So I’ve developed a multi-faceted ministry around sharing what I’ve learned about what is working for sustainable, joyful ministry:
For clergy and lay leaders
For members of congregations
For denominations and dioceses
For those who are Christian (or want to be!) who want less of the ‘stuff’ of traditional church - and more of the Good Stuff
For all of us who want to live a life bound by practices and beliefs that bring us closer in relationship with God - thus closer to love, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, purpose, and JOY.
If you’re ready for the adventure of what the future of church could look like - and how to grow in your own Cage Free Ministry, this is what it could look like…
Start right now: your six-word mission statement
Earnest Hemingway was famously asked to write a six-word novel.
This is what he came up with:
For sale.
Baby shoes.
Never worn.
Being forced into a narrow framework helps us get to the essence of who we are and what we are trying to do.
It’s hard, though! But also fun.
Create a six-word mission statement for your ministry - in fact, see if you can create a few of them. Maybe even 10 or so.
Don’t worry if it makes grammatical sense. Just reach for the most specific and meaningful words you can find.
A lot of congregations and ministries create ‘mission statements’ that are really descriptions (‘we’re an open and joyful community of faith’’).
Your mission statement should have a good action verb in there somewhere!
Free Range Priest is reimagining ministry in the digital age.
Substack Seminary is building the future of church - together. (technically seven words, but tiny words like ‘and’, ‘the’ and ‘of’ can be snuck in to make it make sense!)
Trexo: a gym for your soul is ancient Christian practice for modern life.
Now it’s your turn! See how many you can come up with for your own ministry.
(if you share yours with me - and you can share as many as you like - I’ll keep an archive of them (anonymously!), and give feedback on them as I can).
Develop your Cage Free Ministry by using one or more of these ‘lenses’ to make small, practical changes for more ministry JOY…
the System
How we organize ourselves as the church
Vision: Agile, Networked, Technology-based, focused on Christian Practice and small Worshiping Communities.
Find your way towards understanding how the wider system of organization, administration, and communication
impacts your ministry.
Then learn which small changes you can make in your context to serve sustainably inside, outside, our alongside the institutional church.
the Community
What we do and believe as the church.
Vision: Welcome, Belonging, Formation, and Practice.
Find your own community here - practice the faith with others, give - and get - support for innovative ministry, meet other ‘weirdo’ pastors who might be collaborators - or friends.
Then apply what you’re learning to how you’re sharing ministry with others.
the Minister
How lay and ordained leaders serve God and the church together.
Vision: GRIT!!
God (Wondering where God is in the midst of all this)
Root (Focusing on the ‘root’ over the ‘fruit’ of Christian faith)
In charge (Not being ‘in charge’ of congregations)
Task-based contracts (Not doing ‘everything’)
!! (…and giving up trying to save the institution!)
Find new ways to serve ministry together - clergy and lay, communities and pastors - beyond the ‘standard’ vision of one salaried minister in charge of one set group of people, a building, and some programs.
Then see how even the simplest change in expectations can yield profound spiritual - and church - growth.
It's still ministry, it just tastes better
Break out of institutional gridlock and bring church to people. Become a Cage Free Minister.
The church is changing in unprecedented ways.
Ministry is no longer working the way it used to.
We need to learn to bridge the 1st and the 21st centuries.
We need to learn to bring church to people.
We need to break out of the cage of the 20th century model that is collapsing.
We need more ministry JOY.
We need Cage Free Ministry.
At Free Range Priest, we’re bringing church to people.
Bite-sized ways that YOU can re-imagine ministry and get ‘unstuck’.
Subscribe to re-discover ministry JOY.
Sign up for the Newletters - and manage your preferences HERE.
