Seeing all our churches thrive!
In June 2023 Salt & Light Advance initiated an apostolic review, and is currently working on the recommendations from that review. Let us explain!
An ‘apostolic review’ is a habit we have in Salt & Light internationally, of inviting in a review team to bring 'a fresh pair of eyes’ at critical points in the life of a church or network. Review teams are comprised of variously gifted leaders, our friends in the wider family of churches. Review teams do not directly implement change, but rather make recommendations to the leadership of the reviewed organisation. The leadership then consider the recommendations, and agree what to implement.
This review was necessitated by three things. S&L Advance team leader Steve Jones has felt an increasing sense of calling to pioneer societal transformation in the city of Oxford and beyond, and asked whether he might be released from some of his responsibilities to more fully pursue this vision. Opengate leader Neil Townsend has been sensing a leading from the Lord towards further ministry beyond S&L Advance. And the Lord sovereignly seemed to direct several people with significant calling and ministries into local churches within the sphere. And then, once the review had been setup, God spoke to Steve and Lorraine Thomas about a geographical move out of Oxfordshire. This led many of us to see that God was preparing for 'a significant rearrangement of the chess pieces'.
The review was hosted by Steve and Lorraine Thomas, but as Steve’s own role among Advance leaders and churches had ended up effectively part of what was being considered, two senior leaders from the wider Salt & Light family played leading roles in the interviews, considerations and recommendations. Mike Fisher has played a leading role in planting and sustaining churches in a South Asian country, as well as coaching business leaders professionally. Steve Pailthorpe is a prophet, a leader of a church in South London, and part of the S&L Nordic team.
Quoting from the review report: “Prior to the Review Team’s meetings, the entire team reviewed both the summary and prophetic words. The team’s first dialogue involved Mike Fisher and Steve Pailthorpe sharing their initial thoughts and impressions. To our surprise, their thoughts and prophetic observations were largely aligned. It is significant to note that during much of the first day’s deliberations, Steve and Lorraine Thomas remained quiet.”
“Two days of interviews followed, with the review team meeting with each of the [three Oxfordshire] regional teams, along with personal interviews with key individuals or couples, including the two Gloucestershire churches. In these interviews, the team sought to verify whether they had interpreted the surveys correctly, and to validate or refute their initial thoughts. They then further explored how this aligned with the prophetic words, and how God might be speaking or what He might be revealing in the interviews, and indeed a number of prophetic words were received across the sessions, too. Out of all this, they then asked, ‘What does God seem to be saying to S&L Advance?’”
The headline recommendations are that
A new 'Ephesians 4' team is formed (if this is a new concept, please read this blog or this blog, or this note) providing overall spiritual leadership to the whole of the S&L Advance family of churches.
A new leadership couple is appointed: Steve and Bev Jones will be released from leading that team, to focus on the call to pioneer societal transformation, and Rich and Anna Ellwood have agreed to lead the new team, from September 2023.
The 3 Oxfordshire-centric regions are replaced by a greater number of 'relational hubs' that offer fellowship and care for the leaders of all 19 churches within Advance, within the overall Advance vision and identity. Specifically this means the regions known as Roots and Rivers and Opengate will cease to exist as they have done over the last few years as we start to work together under one banner, Salt & Light Advance.
Rich and Anna have commented: “We want to see all our churches thrive! Like a good tree, healthy and thriving local churches bear good fruit, and that's what we want to see all across S&L Advance.”
The current 3 regions, and churches consulted during the review, all reported back by 31 July 2023. The current Advance team met with Steve and Lorraine Thomas (on behalf of the review team) to understand and respond to that feedback.
The main thrust of the feedback is that we are all heartily agreeing to these recommendations. As the early church once said, “It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us!”
Several questions of detail remain, and we will say more in the months to come, especially at our 13 October leaders' vision and prayer day (we strongly encourage staff and volunteer leaders to book in for that via www.advancechurches.uk/events), ahead of more public comments at the S&L Advance Celebration on 5 November 2023.
If you have questions, please talk in the first instance to your local church leader.