UK Church Missionary Society Community Mission Facilitator Mark Berry will share the journey of faith communities in the UK who seek to draw on traditional and ecumenical sources to pattern their lives in the present day via his exciting and engaging full-day presentation, Fresh:Faith, which will be held at the Centre for Theology & Ministry on Thursday, 20 July, 2015.
New Monasticism is engaging young adults and adults in deeper pathways in communal discipleship. Mark has been part of the exploration of what has become known as New Monasticism for nearly twenty years. In the early years the conversation brought together searchers from the more Catholic expression of the Church, those inspired by South American liberation theology and some who wanted to drill deeper into the then growing fascination with pre-Roman/Celtic Christianity.
In the early days the conversation was somewhat underground but with the birth of communities like Safespace, Moot and Earlsfield Priory – along with the expansion of dispersed new-monastic expressions like the Northumbria community and the 24/7 prayer movement – New Monasticism has come to the attention of the wider Church.
Church of England Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Justin Welby, has placed the renewal of the religious life high on his agenda including hosting a Chemin Neuf community within Lambeth Palace and seeking to initiate a brand new community alongside it for young adults.
Over recent years the dialogue between emerging and traditional religious communities has grown and Mark has worked with the Anglican Religious Communities board to develop this ongoing relationship. In 2013, Mark co-authored a new-monastic handbook for Canterbury Press with Ian Mobsby of the Moot Community in London. During his Centre for Theology & Ministry session Mark will unpack some of the learning from this movement as well as sharing stories and practices from new-monastic communities in the UK.
Safespace developed into what has become known as a new-monastic community, seeking to base its life on spiritual disciplines and patterns of Christian discipleship. Mark speaks and teaches on New Monasticism, leadership for mission and contextual mission. He is co-author of ‘A New Monastic Handbook: From Vision to Practice’.
Speaker profile
Mark Berry is the Community Mission Facilitator with the Church Missionary Society in the UK. A former youth worker, Mark has worked with the Church of England in several roles, including developing an open spirituality space in a state secondary school. In 2005 he founded a missional community in Telford called Safespace and ran a night cafe for young adults. Mark’s current role with the Church Missionary Society is about developing every member mission and tools for missional living. Mark speaks and teaches on New Monasticism, leadership for mission and contextual mission.
Cost: $40 / $30 concession
Registrations close: Friday, 14 August 2015
Register now: https://ucavt.goregister.com.au/markberry2015/registration/