transform.church Profile

 

Core Background

During Covid, many churches transferred aspects of their ministry and mission online. After the lockdowns, some continued with a hybrid offering, while many returned to gathering just as they had before. During this season, a conversation began among a few Baptists about the possibility of a fully digital expression of church, leading to a series of three ‘Digital Pentecost’ conversations in Spring 2023. A number of those who took part in these discussions came together around the vision for transform.church and became its trustees. 

The ‘digital revolution’ is one of six priority areas within Baptists Together, and the trustees of transform.church are all involved in the Digital Round Table, which seeks to explore, encourage and develop the church’s understanding and use of the internet as a mission field.

Over the last eighteen months, the trustees have been meeting regularly to  prayerfully refine this vision, working with others to address key issues such as safeguarding and securing funding. We are now in a position to recruit a minister for a one day per week, home-based, Mission Enabler role to join our team as we launch our missional communities. Note: this position is currently funded for 1 year, but our expectation is that this pioneering role will extend beyond then.
 

"Every single username is a person that God loves, and we get to be part of their stories."

transform.church could be described as a multi-congregational digital Baptist church, or as a network of missional communities. It will be served by shared vision and governance and connected through an online platform and training hub. The vision is grounded in a deep commitment to holistic discipleship that understands our participation in the mission of God in four key dimensions:
 

• With God: Knowing and following Jesus, doing the will of the Father, and living in the power of the Spirit.
• With People: Loving our neighbours, pursuing justice, and embodying grace and mercy.
• With the Planet: Practicing good stewardship of creation with a generous gratitude for the natural world.
• With Ourselves: Developing our character, discerning our calling, and making our unique contribution. 

• This missional discipleship is paired with a commitment to kingdom growth in the two directions of discipleship:
• Inwardly: Personal transformation, deepening our relationship with Jesus in the four dimensions mentioned above.
• Outwardly: Offering transformation to others through opportunities to encounter and follow Jesus.
   

Core Activities

There are two main places where transform.church seeks to disciple:

(i) as a training hub, and (ii) in missional communities.

(i) Training Hub
 

"There's such a hunger for spirituality... and I can't wait to see the church step into that space and go, 'Hey, we're here. God's here. He loves you.'"

This incorporates our website and the rest of our digital content, and the online spaces where we gather, either synchronously or asynchronously. The hub serves as:
 

• A place to communicate and express our commitment to the shared vision.
• The home of, or a signpost to, the content we’ve created or other relevant online resources, including YouTube videos, podcasts, blog posts and social media.
• A platform for engagement and discussion.
• A training space, equipping people in the four dimensions and two directions of missional discipleship.
• A home for the monthly ‘transform groups’, which connect people from the different missional communities, and train those who are:
  • Exploring faith​
  • New believers
  • In a missional community
  • Not yet in a missional community
  • Seeking support in setting up a missional community
• A space where testimonies and information about missional communities are shared.
• A call to action, inviting members to take the next step towards starting their own new missional communities.

(ii) Missional Communities

The life of each missional community is informed by the fresh expressions journey. This identifies that new Christian communities are often formed through engagement (not always in a sequential order) of the following key steps: 


As each missional community matures into a distinct congregation within transform.church it will show evidence of four deepening relationships:
 

• In – through fellowship with one another,
• Out – through participation in the mission of God,
• Up – through God’s Word and a life of worship,
• Of – through its connection with the wider church.
   

"Jesus stepped out of where he was to come down to where the people are. Digital ministry gives us the opportunity to do the same."

The missional communities will usually gather at least 2 or 3 times per month, and are:
 

• Digital or physical spaces for relational ministry (In, Out, Up, Of).
• Focused on nurturing belonging and community (In).
• Outward-looking and welcoming to new participants (Out).
• Exploring worship and engagement with God’s word (Up).
• Encouraging wider participation in the missional training hub (Of).
• Gathered around shared interests or experiences.
• Small and capable of multiplying as needed.
   

"The mission is more important than ever, and technology is not going away."

 

 

Core Stewardship

Stewardship (our name for membership) is expressed through active participation in a team starting or nurturing a missional community and engagement in the relevant ‘transform groups.’

Stewardship includes commitments to:
 

• Baptism as a sign of following Jesus.
• The four dimensions and two directions of discipleship.
• Regular participation in a missional community and transform groups.
• Coming together online at least four times a year to discern the mind of Christ for the life and direction of the church.
• Contributing financially to the ministry and mission of transform.church.

Income will be directed toward:

• The costs of the enablers.​
• The training hub.
• Supporting missional communities.
• Charitable giving (e.g., Home Mission, BMS).
• A fund for innovation and other aligned activities.
   

Ministry Team

We are now working towards building a ministry team which is essential to the success of transform.church. Our desire is to have three part-time roles, each contributing uniquely to the life of transform.church. However, we are initially seeking to recruit a Mission Enabler (1 day per week). Although we are not yet in the position to financially support a Digital Enabler or Community Enabler, it is part of our vision, and we encourage anyone who feels called to these positions to contact us.

Mission Enabler – Serving the formation and growth of new missional communities.

Digital Enabler – Supporting the online infrastructure, content creation, and digital engagement.

Community Enabler – Nurturing the transform.church community and fostering deeper connections among members.
 

"Don't be afraid of the future. And the truth is – this isn’t even the future. It’s really the present."

 

Role descriptions

All roles will be expected to embed the vision and values of T.C as expressed through the 4 dimensions and 2 directions above.

All roles will be expected to work as a team, supporting each other and be both teacher and learner. This is particularly important in a team with a diverse skill set, such as within T.C.

All applicants must be adept with technology and willing to learn new skills as technology, and theology, advances. All staff members will be encouraged in their own discipleship and will be invited to join T.C network groups for accountability and support.
 

Mission Enabler

T.C believes that all Christians are called to mission. One of the key ways that is outworked within T.C is through missional communities. Each community will be run by church members, and all members will be encouraged to participate in a community.

Key Responsibilities during the first 3 months:
 

• Coordinate and  create training courses to allow members to learn how to be missional community leaders.
• Disciple and assist church members in understanding how missional communities work, and equip members to start and lead new communities.
• Network with individuals and raise the profile of T.C within BUGB
• Identify others to join the transform.church team.
• Source and complete funding applications to sustain the ministry of T.C

Key Responsibilities during the first year:
 

• Lead the first missional community.
• Facilitate the creation of 3 communities.
• Document the journey of the missional communities to celebrate successes and improve future training.

Future Responsibilities:
 

• Conduct established training for new missional community leaders.
• Support the discipleship journey of all missional community leaders
• Establish and chair a committee deciding which new communities to launch
• Network beyond T.C
• Contribute to digital content that will be distributed through social media and the website, particularly focusing on mission, including missional theology.

Other Responsibilities:

T.C is passionate about training and we aim to invite those with different skill sets and ministers in training into the staff team. In the future, the Mission Enabler might also be asked to support other team members, particularly if they are a minister in training, or have no formal ministerial experience. However, please note that we expect these other team members to also have much to teach, so the Mission Enabler will also need to be willing to learn. 

Although the Mission Enabler post is open to all, we especially invite applications from experienced Baptist ministers/ pioneers.

We hope that you’ll be inspired enough to join us at transform.church as we respond to this missional opportunity. As Matt Souza says: "There are hundreds of millions of people every single day that have no intentions of walking into our physical churches... and we have the opportunity to go where they are and reach people for Christ."

 

Application Process

Please email Eleanor at treasurer@transform.church with your profile. Include details of your experience in pioneering and missional church roles, along with a link to any training material you have created. Please also indicate your availability for an interview on the evening of 21 January. The deadline for applications is 14 January.

This role is subject to a DBS check, and applicants must declare that they have the right to work in the UK.

If you are interested in other, as yet unfunded, positions or in joining the wider team at Transform Church, please also email Eleanor at treasurer@transform.church, clarifying your current role and the position you are interested in.

This job profile an also be accessed as a pdf here.