Formation for Mission in Urban Britain: The Birmingham Mission Apprentice Scheme

Abstract

The Birmingham Mission Apprentice Scheme is an innovative initiative of Church of England Birmingham, designed to offer an alternative pathway into missional leadership within challenging urban parishes. Mission Apprentices learn by growing an area of mission within their own parish context and also by meeting together for a fortnightly learning programme. This article evaluates the experience of the Scheme in relation to three areas of educational research: first, what constitutes effective formation for missional leadership; second, the nature of contemporary “apprenticeships”; and third, the nature and function of “communities of practice”. In each case, the article explores the extent to which the Birmingham Mission Apprentice Scheme reflects current thinking, but also considers in what ways these three bodies of research suggest possible improvements to the Scheme. In so doing, it highlights some of the critical success factors in what was achieved — including the value of forming Mission Apprentices into a learning community, and the critical importance of learning through responsibility and experimentation. The experience of the Scheme also raises questions about processes for training and deployment of leaders for highly urbanised parishes.

keywords:

• apprenticeship
• church of England Birmingham (UK)
• communities of practice
• discipleship
• formation
• urban mission

Acknowledgments

The main funding for the Mission Apprentices was from the Church Commissioners’ “Developing Church Growth in Deprived Areas” Fund. St Peter's Saltley Trust funded the learning programme for the Apprentices and a research programme to evaluate the Scheme. Other funders were the Mr Willats charity, Church of England Birmingham Transforming Church Fund and the participating parishes.

Notes

1 The Fresh Expressions organisation, which champions and supports new forms of church in the UK, defines a pioneer minister as a lay or ordained person who ‘has the necessary vision and gifts to be a missionary entrepreneur: withthe capacity to form and lead fresh expressions and new forms of church appropriate to a particular culture’ [https://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/pioneerministry, accessed 5 January 2016].

2 Based on scores given in termly learning programme feedback forms.

3 MA2, termly feedback (December 2012).

4 AR/B/3 (March 2015).

5 MA7, termly reflection (March 2014).

6 MA4, termly reflection (July 2013).

7 MA 2, termly reflection (July 2013).

8 MA7, context presentation 4 (January 2014), researcher's notes.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andy Jolley

Andy Jolley is Archdeacon of Bradford. He was vicar of Aston and Nechells in Birmingham and chaired the Birmingham Mission Apprentice Scheme steering group until December 2015.

Ian Jones

Ian Jones is Director of St Peter's Saltley Trust, a charity supporting religious and theological education in the West Midlands, UK (http://www.saltleytrust.org.uk).