There are some interesting discussions going on about discipleship all over the world. Andrew Smith from New Zealand recommends a good book and has some good thoughts:
This is Andrew, chaplain to messy NZ !
‘I’ve just completed a quick read of George Lings’ ‘Encounters on the Edge’, no 46 Messy Church: Ideal for all ages? … A very positive critique, I feel. George draws out the challenge of messy discipleship very fairly and squarely.
‘Do you know of Mike Breen’s LifeShapes, which emerged from his time, quite a number of years ago now, at St Thomas’, Crookes, Sheffield? I find myself constantly going back to the discipleship principles that Mike expounds (spelled out in A Passionate Life, ISBN 978-0-7814-4269-5). Myself, I find the term ‘apprentice(ship)’ more useful and notice with interest that George Lings refers to this on page 33, ‘I myself wonder about the apprentice approach, which is messier (!)…’ Mike has also co-authored a book with Bob Hopkins called, Clusters: creative mid-sized missional communities, ISBN 978-1-932503-67-8, which I have as a PDF copy. Interestingly, chapter 13 of that book, ‘children, clusters and inter-generational community’ espouses much that I’m sure will warm your heart.’
You may also like
Messy Momentum – Mission Log: Summer 2026
29th Jul 2026Space, the final frontier – these are the voyages of the Messy Momentum pilot, our two-year mission: to explore and bold...
FLOURISH Summer Gathering July 2026
15th Jul 2026Aike, Jane and Sophie were supporting the FLOURISH Summer Gathering at St. John’s Church Hackney, welcoming secondary and primary schools from across the country, representing their FLOURISH worshipping communities in school settings.
Messy Momentum – Mission Log: Spring 2026
14th Apr 2026The first term of our Messy Momentum pilots has flown by, and the first shoots of life have sprung up in the spring term!
Welcome for all – Belonging without Barriers
16th Mar 2026Read all about Messy Church SEND Pioneer, Trish Hahn's, top tips on welcoming all into Messy Churches!