The Report

The Report you are about to view was adopted by the Conference of the Methodist Church in Ireland for the purpose of helping the Connexion move "from dreams to action". The report is based on the presentation of the Dreams enthusiastically welcomed by Methodist congregations throughout Ireland in 1999-2000.

• Download the ConneXions Report - leftclick to view in a new window, rightclick to save to your hard-drive (Adobe pdf files - click the button to visit their website and download the free Reader):
  • Introduction (History/Why ConneXions?) - 894k
  • Proposals (Bringing the dreams to reality) - 433k
  • Developing the ideas (including Church Councils) - 490k
  • Appendices (the way forward/book list/etc) - 431k
• Order a hard copy from No 9 Resource Centre in Belfast for free (postage extra)
• View the Key Emphases of ConneXions in this series of helpful images - click HERE.
• A summary of the thinking behind ConneXions is below:

The Challenge of Change

So why do we need to change things now? There are six reasons, any one of which might be sufficient to justify the programme now being recommended.

• God is doing a new thing
  and we are called to be partners with him
  Isaiah ch 43 v 19; ch 42 v 9
  
• Society is changing
  and the church must take culture seriously
  Psalm 137 v 1; Jeremiah ch 29 v 7
  
• We obey Christ's commission
  and as he leads us to unexpected places, he also prepares the way
  Acts ch 8 v 28-40
  
• With others, we are the Body of Christ
  whose Spirit empowers us to continue his ministry by finding and using the gifts he has given. In such a process we discover joy in his will
  Psalm 40 v 8; Corinthians ch 12 v 27; Acts ch 2 v 42-47
  
• Different places demand different types of church
  so we need to ease the burden of administration by playing to people's strengths and allowing flexibility in structure
  Ephesians ch 4 v 11-14
  
• Change brings fresh opportunities
  and is often invigorating
  Nehemiah ch 6 v 15-16; Haggai; Acts ch 11 v 19-20

Often God's word in Scripture echoes strongly in our time and place and the references above are offered not as proofs, but as invitations to reflect on God's activity.

Worship and Witness

A Statement on Worship

Public worship is the coming together of those who wish to offer themselves to God through praise, returning thanks, confessing sin and receiving forgiveness, hearing God's word and responding to it, by praying for others and dedicating ourselves to serve.

A Statement on Witness

We serve by sharing God's love with others. As God has come to us in our need, in Christ, so we become involved with those who are in need. We do this by sharing faith through what we say and do, in serving in the local community and reaching into the world to share its pain and bring hope and healing.

Purpose Statement

Has your Church a statement which helps everyone to know what your purpose is? It should be portable - easily carried in the memory of everyone

For example- Dublin Central Mission in 1992 adopted the following;

"This is a welcoming Church, seeking to make more followers of Jesus and seeking a healing ministry"

Send in your church's Mission/Purpose Statement for all to see on this website - go to the Have Your Say section. Want to develop a Mission/Purpose Statement for your congregation? You need the Picture of your church course - see The Menu.