ReSource - Our Vision

Renewal for mission in the power of the Holy Spirit

• Working with denominations, dioceses, and churches to bring encouragement and spiritual renewal

• Facilitating mission and growth in the UK and beyond

• Developing written resources to support ministry

How we came into being

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 evangelism. As we see the Church move on into the new millennium, we believe that the time has come to broaden and deepen our understanding of 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 - renewal is for mission.

‘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

What we offer

We are aware that the Church finds herself facing a fast changing culture, and often lacks the confidence and the spiritual resources to respond creatively to the challenges and opportunities this presents.

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. 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. For more details please visit our page 'What do we do?'

Our work varies from speaking at conferences to hosting evenings for area church councils; from running cathedral renewal and prayer days to leading parish weekends; from facilitating clergy training days to working with dioceses to develop and support strategies for growth; and from talking about renewal for mission to rolling up our sleeves and doing it.

Topics we have been asked to cover include:

        • Spirituality for mission
        • Confidence in the gospel
      • Transformation
      • The Word of God – what does it mean?
    • Renewal for a mission-shaped church
    • Knowing God’s love
    • Developing prayer ministry in the local church
    • Encountering Jesus
      • Prophecy today
    • Science and spirituality – is Dawkins right?
      • Mission in Word and Spirit
    • The healing ministry
    • Being a Christian in the workplace

Supporting the church through written resources and locally shaped events

Our values

We come not as experts but as servants. We tend not to run our own conferences or events, but prefer to come and work with you in your location according to the agenda God has given you. We operate as a team of people with complementary giftings and experience, drawn from all over the country and including both practitioners and reflectors.

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.

Our publications

We offer a wide range of publications, developed always in response to the needs we find as we travel. We publish a termly full colour magazine (do email us for a free sample) and a constantly evolving series of booklets on topics as diverse as Fasting, the Word of God, Praying with Creation, The Unexpected Jesus and others. We have produced courses for Lent, on prayer and on the healing ministry, as well as the Rooted in Jesus discipleship course for Africa, now in use in 7 countries.

‘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

Our vision for the future

We like to think of ourselves as a part of God’s jigsaw, working alongside others to help communicate the gospel afresh in the UK and beyond. What do we hope to see as we look ahead? Well, this is what we are praying towards as we engage together at this challenging and exciting time in the life of the Church:

• A national network of diverse, confident and growing local churches, renewed by the Spirit and effective in mission.

• As the love of God flows out from each church, a spiritual and practical consequence in the communities in which they are set.

‘The logic of mission is this: the true meaning of the human story has been disclosed. Wherever the gospel is preached the question of the meaning of the human story - the universal story and the personal story of each human being - is posed. Thereafter the situation can never be the same’
– Lesslie Newbigin

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