Rural Renewal Learning Community

for multi-parish benefices and other groups of churches

June 2025 - June 2027

A learning community to renew and envision rural churches

With most rural churches grouped in benefices or teams of anything from three to more than twenty churches, it is virtually impossible for clergy to fulfil the expectations of a ‘traditional vicar’. Meanwhile lay people don’t always receive the training or encouragement to enable them to fulfil their potential in local church leadership.

There is a crying need to reimagine these patterns of mission and ministry.

This Learning Community enables a church or churches from a multi-parish or multi-church group to go on a two year journey of renewal, alongside others from similar backgrounds regionally. Our aim is that participants will discover new hope and courage, enabling them to reimagine their ministry, while giving them new confidence for mission.

The aims of the Learning Community are summarised in these three ways:

Renewal

  • Churches experiencing fresh encounters with God,

  • confident in the work of the Holy Spirit among them,

  • and filled with hope and inspiration for the future.


    Reimagining

  • God’s people confident in their call to serve Jesus not just in the church but in all the spheres of everyday life,

  • churches led by teams bound together by friendship and common purpose,

  • and clergy relieved of an impossible task and able to focus on their own

    gifts and calling.


    Resourcing

  • Churches engage with ReSource’s three core courses: Saints Alive, Alive in Christ and Your SHAPE for God’s Service, using them locally as appropriate.

  • They also follow the eight key steps of David Heywood’s Reimagining Ministry programme, enabling a transition to a pattern of shared ministry rooted in dependence on Christ and friendship with one another.

  • Clergy and lay leaders have the opportunity of one-to-one support through ReSource’s Alongside Scheme

  • Our network of ReSource Ministers offer tailored support to local churches, leading ‘Sanctuary Days’, retreats or other events

  • The Learning Community guides churches through this two year period of renewal and reimagining, providing advice and facilitating mutual support and accountability.

Outline timetable

The Learning Community involves two residentials, four day meetings, and a commissioning event, between JUNE 2025 and June 2027.

Gathering 1 - one-night residential (all churches in Learning Community) 27-28 June 2025 at Yarnfield Park, Staffordshire

Gathering 2 – locally-hosted day meeting (local/regional groups of churches) September 2025

Gathering 3 – locally-hosted day meeting (local/regional groups of churches) January 2026

Gathering 4- locally-hosted day meeting (local/regional groups of churches) May 2026

Gathering 5 – one-night residential (all churches in Learning Community) September 2026

Gathering 6 – locally-hosted day meeting (local/regional groups of churches) January 2027

Gathering 7 – local celebrations / commissioning April/May/June 2027

How much will it cost?

ReSource receives no central funding for its ministry, and works on an ‘expenses plus donation’ model. In faith, we hope to extend this approach to the life of the Learning Community.

We hope that PCCs, dioceses or local trusts may be willing to support local churches in the cost. We envisage that individuals taking part may also make donations.

The five single-day gatherings will be hosted regionally, perhaps at a venue provided by one of the churches involved. We would expect the churches involved to share the costs of catering and local travel.

The two 36-hour gatherings to be held at conference or retreat centres, at locations which suit the geography of the Learning Community, represent the main additional costs.

ReSource therefore asks for a donation of at least £495 per person attending the residential gatherings, paid in three instalments of at least £165: at the beginning of the programme, before the 2026 residential, and in early 2027.

This donation covers the cost of full-board accommodation at the two residential gatherings, and ReSource’s input throughout the duration of the Learning Community.

(Clergy and key leaders such as Lay Readers or Focal Ministers would need to attend the residential gatherings. If some other lay leaders wished to engage only with the local elements of the Learning Community, we would ask for a total donation of £125+ per participant, or £310 if they opted also to attend the second residential).

The Trustees of ReSource have created a bursary fund for churches who are otherwise unable to raise the suggested level of donations to join the Learning Community. Please contact us if you would like to find out more about this support. 

Who is this for?

We aim to gather groups of clergy and lay leaders from different rural multi-parish benefices (or similar), willing to learn from each other as they journey through the life of the Learning Community.

We would expect that all the clergy in these benefices would be involved, alongside lay leaders from those churches within the benefices/groups that are ready to benefit from the programme.

This process will be particularly suited to benefices/groups seeking to grow lay leadership. We recognise that this is often in the context of a reduction in clergy provision, or adjusting to additional parishes joining a group.

ReSource seeks to serve the breadth of the church, but it will be helpful for churches to understand and appreciate our approach to spiritual renewal as they consider whether the programme is suitable for them.

How do I find out more or express interest?

The Learning Community is led by Revd Dr David Heywood, with additional input from other ReSource staff, ReSource Ministers and Alongside Companions.

Is there a deadline?

We hope to finalise the membership of the initial cohort by May 2025.

To find out more or register interest, please email David or call the ReSource office on 01952 371300