These are few resources to help Facilitators promote and launch Greenhouse.
You might like to re-watch Video 20 in the facilltation Training for a reminder about recruiting Teams.
Tip: Ask how your Communications Adviser and perhaps even your Vocations Adviser and/or Lay Ministries Adviser could help get the word out too.
Recruiting Teams
Reaching lay Christians
The text in this version is written with lay Christians in mind who just want to ‘do something’ to reach out to people in their community with the love and good news of Jesus, but may not know what they want to do, or how to start.
They may be involved in community action projects, special interest groups, support groups, hobby groups, but don’t know how to reveal Jesus in that context. Or, they just have a ‘spiritual itch’ to begin something new for God. They may sense that traditional Church isn’t yet reaching the people they have on their heart.
Create a 'teaser ad' in digital media
Share the Godsend ‘Called’ video below in online media, such as e-newsletters, websites and relevant social media groups. (Click on the arrow top left of the video for ways to share.)
Add a ‘call to action’ as part of the ad by adding some text along with the video, such as:
If this film strikes a chord with you, God might be calling you to something new, creative, and exciting which could grow His church in limitless ways. Contact me on (add in your details) to talk about this, and find out more at churchofengland.org/greenhouse/called.
Create a 'teaser ad' in printed media
Use the text below in printed leaflets, newsletters, magazines. You can also use it online if you just want to use text and don’t want to embed the video. Feel free to put a suitable photo with the text if you have one.
Itching to share your faith, but in a different way?
Do you sometimes think you were put on this planet for a deeper purpose? Do you wish you could impact the world for good? Are you looking for a ‘different’ way to share your faith among people who don’t yet know Jesus where you live, work and have friends? If you’re saying ‘yes’ to these questions, God might be calling you to something new, creative, exciting and which could grow His church in limitless ways. For more information about following this call, visit churchofengland.org/greenhouse/called, or contact me [add your name and contact details].
Reaching clergy
This group may be either:
Clergy who seem to be looking for an outlet for their spiritual energy. They know ‘traditional’ Church is not reaching certain people and want to try a different approach, but may not know where to start. Examples might include curates, defined pioneer roles, chaplains, associate/assistant priests, new incumbents, or those who appear to have a particular interest in mission.
Clergy who feel they need to be ‘doing mission’ but don’t where to start or simply feel they don’t have the time/energy to give to it.
Create an ad for clergy mailings
You could use the text below in your usual diocesan news channels (diocesan mailings, e-mailings, magazine and website), plus deanery mailings.
Simmering on a new kind of call?
If you have a sense of being re-called in your ministry to reach people that deep down, you know traditional church can’t reach yet, the Holy Spirit might be leading you to try an exciting pioneering kind of ministry that grows completely new congregations in your context. New/pioneering and time-honoured parish mission can work in synergy, enriching each other with resources, learning and ideas. A diocesan-supported network called ‘Greenhouse’ comprises several teams of Christians, lay and ordained, who want to establish and grow new, robust Christian communities among people who don’t yet know Jesus where they live, work and have friends. It’s well-resourced through the national Church of England, it’s tried and tested and it’s already growing in this diocese. For more information and details of how to join in, speak to [add in facilitator name and contact details].
If you wish, you could include a video to support the text if you’re placing the ad online – it offers a small taste of what Greenhouse is about. If you’d like to view the video, follow this link.
Create an ad for the mission pages on a diocesan website
The text below, which includes a video embed, might be suitable for the mission section of a diocesan website or similar. Anyone looking for mission resources would see it.
Struggling to start a new mission project?
We all want to grow God’s church and make new disciples, but how do we know if it’s our call, or someone else’s in our church? How do we get mission projects off the ground and make all those dreams for new, robust Christian communities come to life? And how do we keep it going when there’s so much else to do?
You don't have to do this on your own. A diocesan-supported network called ‘Greenhouse’ comprises several teams of Christians, lay or ordained, who want to establish and grow new Christian communities among people who don’t yet know Jesus. The focus is on team-working, so the responsibilities, ideas and tasks for that mission are all shared. It works something like this:-
Greenhouse is well-resourced through the national Church of England, it’s tried and tested and it’s already growing in this diocese. For more information and details of how to join in, speak to [facilitator name and contact details].
Running an Invite or Launch event
An Invite event helps people who are curious about Greenhouse to find out more. It's an opportunity to present the basic principles of growing new Christian communities and how Greenhouse helps with that. A Launch event is another information event about your Greenhouse for Teams who have signed up, (although some who attend might still be on the fence about joining).
If you'd like to run one or both of these events, these resources may help
You might want to talk about Greenhouse in all sorts of contexts - with diocesan colleagues, or at a Deanery Chapter, or as part of an Invite event. The video below may be helpful for this. It gives a brief overview of what Greenhouse can do, and who it is for.
NB: If you want to share this video, please share the direct URL: https://streamable.com/e/bvsgxv?loop=0 , rather than sharing the URL of this web page.
