1. Holy Habits living discipleship Deborah Humphries and Andrew Roberts

2. Outfits that are second to nun
Holy Habits
Outfits that are second to nun
Issue 1
The tills are alive, so order your new habit today!

3. HOLY HOBBITS Why not have a Took? Features all the precious hobbits
Comes with a free Baggins
See notes on Slide 2.

4. A Creative Reimagining of Living Discipleship
So what is Holy Habits about?
It is a creative reimaging of living discipleship. An exploration of how we can live adventurously in response to the call of Jesus to follow, both personally and as part of the community we call Church.

5. St Luke
Guido Reni

6. Acts
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

7. James Dunn

8. James Dunn
The portrayal may be somewhat idealized……. But anyone who is familiar with movements of enthusiastic spiritual renewal will recognise authentic notes: the enthusiasm of the members of the renewal group, with a sense of overflowing joy, desire to come together frequently, eating together and worshipping and including the readiness for unreserved commitment to one another in a shared common life.
Dunn, James: The Acts of the Apostle, Peterborough: Epworth 1996, p34

9. Nothing New?
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1.9
Behold, I am making all things new.
Revelation 21.5
You may want to use this slide now or later after introducing the habits (or not at all if you don’t think it is necessary).
A comment that is sometimes made about Holy Habits that there is nothing new in terms of what is being explored.
In one sense that is true and actually should be expected if James Dunn ad Andrew Roberts’ analysis is correct i.e. that the holy habits are not fashionable fads but timeless practices that have been at the heart of Godly living and community from Old Testament times onwards. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says there is nothing new under the sun.
On the other hand there is much that is new here and that needs to be new. As the text from Revelation makes clear God is in the business of making all things new, fresh and alive; including ancient habits and practices. The challenge within Holy Habits is to live afresh these timeless practices in Spirit filled, creative, imaginative and contemporarily relevant ways and avoid the real risk of practices such as worship and prayer in particular becoming tired, predictable and life less.
In the book you will find lots of stories and examples of how the habits are being lived in fresh ways.

10. Biblical Teaching

11. Fellowship

12. Breaking Bread

13. Prayer

14. Giving (Sharing of Resources)

15. Service

16. Eating Together

17. Gladness and Generosity

18. Worship

19. Making More Disciples

20. The Ten Habits Service. Fellowship. Eating Together.
Biblical Teaching.
Fellowship.
Breaking of Bread.
Prayer.
Giving (sharing of resources).
Service.
Eating Together.
Gladness and Generosity.
Worship.
Making More Disciples.
At this stage offer a quick resume of the habits and invite people to consider these questions in small buzz groups before inviting responses in plenary.
Which excites you? Which challenges you/your churches/Circuit?

21. Two Complementary Resources

22. The Book Part 1: The Nature of Discipleship
The Adventure of Discipleship.
The Adventure Begins.
The Aims of Discipleship.
Suffering and the Sacrificial Nature of Discipleship.
5. Signs and Wonders.

23. The Book Part 2: The Nurture of Discipleship Holy Habitats.
Introducing the Holy Habits.
8 – 17. A chapter on each of the habits.
Dare to Dream.
Each chapter has suggestions for further reflection and action.

24. Formation and transformation
“Just the job! An accessible and authentic account of Christian discipleship, full of encouragement and insight. Which, when linked with the material on Holy Habits becomes a resource for Christian fruitfulness for each and every small group and local congregation I can think of.”
Martyn Atkins, Team Leader & Superintendent Minister, Methodist Central Hall, Westminster

25. How do the book and the programme relate?
They come from the same sources.
They share common values.
Book written primarily for individuals and small groups – can be adapted to whole church usage.
Programme written primarily for Churches and small groups.
The book has much more theology, biblical material and illustrative stories.
The programme has more whole Church applications and activities.
The book is an ideal part of preparing for the programme.
Talk through the slide.
Same sources:
Acts
Andrew Roberts learning journey with the passage see p9 of the book for more on this.

26. The Programme -- Content
Worship Material
Small groups
Bible Study
Community/world engagement
Films, books, conferences
Children and Young People

27. The Programme -- Values
Permissive
Creative
Contextual
Inclusive – all-age
Missional
Above all experiential – this is a life to be lived, a culture to be inhabited

28. Birmingham Methodist Circuit - Review
In September 2013 Birmingham Methodist Circuit began a review, to evaluate where it found itself having existed as a 3,000 member circuit for three years, and to look to the future.
Mission Priorities were revised
Churches suggested where they saw themselves in relation to these priorities
So we had a review which took us around a year to complete, looking at where we’d come from as a newly formed big circuit or 3,000 members, now having existed for at that time three years.

29. Birmingham Methodist Circuit - Review
Created out of exercises within our Circuit Assembly, equivalent to Circuit Meeting
Outward Ministries
Hospitality
Social Concern
Seeking Justice
Meaningful Worship
Developing Discipleship
First we clarified our six main mission priorities:
Outward Ministries
Hospitality
Social Concern
Seeking Justice
Meaningful Worship
Developing Discipleship
We got the churches to look at each of these and state which they thought was their biggest strength, and what was the element they wanted most to grow in.
They said Hospitality was their best suit, and that Making More Disciples was the one which they wanted to grow in.

30. The Programme – Strategic Development
The Birmingham Circuit Review Group produced a three year programme to inculcate a culture of hospitality and deepen discipleship. To enable following, welcoming and growing amongst those who are disciples of Jesus and those to whom the invitation to ‘Come and See’ will be given.
September 2014 – April Preparation Phase.
Pentecost 2015 – Easter Programme Phase.
May 2017 – August Review Phase.
It was at this point that we gained the support of Andrew who brought the idea of the Holy Habits which tied with what he was writing in his book.
It fitted really well with what we wanted to do, and so we adopted the concept and started working out how we’d use it for our own programme.
We got the go-ahead in September 2014 and launched the programme in May 2015.
About the programme:
The programme covers all ten ‘Holy Habits’ in two years, one every 2-3 months.
Started on May 17th 2015 with a launch event at the ICC.
Created its own material, written by members of our circuit in a rolling cycle.
The first book was ready before the launch, and our last booklet will be ready a few months before we get to the final habit.

31. The Programme – Strategic Commitment
Circuit Executive (CLT)
Circuit Assembly (Circuit Meeting)
Staff
Local Preachers
Local Churches (n.b. complexity of LEPs)
Budget
ICC Launch Event

32. Launch

33. The Programme – Stories
There are many great stories from the programme so far, here is a video about a few of them….

34. Stories

35. The Programme -- Development
Translated into a Connexional and URC Resource by September 2017
Additional resources
- Dedicated website
Expand the resource banks for each habit and make this interactive
Develop ‘deeper’ materials’

36. Reflection
How might Holy Habits be helpful to the life, mission and ministry of your church/circuit?
What impact might it have on your wider community?

37. Spirit of the Living God
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me
As you gather back together sing Spirit of the Living God twice – once with me and once with us (the us to include the churches and Circuit).

38. Spirit of the Living God
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Break us, melt us, mould us, fill us.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me

39. Holy Habits living discipleship Deborah Humphries and Andrew Roberts