Keep calm and keep moving // our shape in detail #3

Newfrontiers multiplication: One network to a network of networks

Rather than hand Newfrontiers over to a successor, Terry Virgo and his team believed that God was directing them to recognise a fresh generation of apostles.

This significant development was reflected in the change of mission statement for Newfrontiers. Prior to the transition, Newfrontiers described itself as ‘a wordwide family of churches together on a mission to extend Christ’s kingdom among the nations through the recovery of New Testament church life, making disciples, training leaders and starting churches.’ Now, Newfrontiers was to be known as ‘a group of apostolic leaders, together with our teams and churches, united on global mission and by core values and genuine relationships’.

“This significant development was reflected in the change of mission statement for Newfrontiers.”

In the summer of 2011 this succession strategy was implemented at what became the final Newfrontiers leadership conference, when 15 or so men were recognised as the next generation of apostles in their own right. All of the churches of Newfrontiers were then encouraged to align themselves with one or other of these apostles.

Relational beginnings

Since that conference, all of the churches previously affiliated with Newfrontiers have aligned with their choice of one of the freshly emerged generation of apostles who now lead their own respective apostolic networks. What was once a single network is now a ‘network of networks’; each one encouraged to assume its own identity and priorities whilst seeking to retain shared values, vision, purposes and relationships. One of the men whom Terry recognised as an apostle was Mike Betts, who went on to gather his own family of churches which we know today as Relational Mission.

“These are huge questions for the mature and healthy multiplication of simple and authentic New Testament mission across every tongue, tribe and nation of the world.”

Huge questions for the future

As this blog series continues the principles of the transition from first to second generation adopted by Newfrontiers will be unpacked. Questions will then be asked about how these same principles can be applied to transition in Relational Mission, if we want to continue to be a vibrant movement of churches and not become a static organisation.

Perhaps these are not questions we consider every day, but they are hugely important for the mature and healthy multiplication of simple, authentic New Testament mission across every tongue, tribe and nation of the world.

In a series of articles, Maurice Nightingale will detail the change of shape at Relational Mission, and how the journey we are on has lessons for movements across the wider Church. Find them all here.