Faithworks Conference 2010

Scroll down to read details of the main sessions and seminars.

360˚ Church
Intergrated Church - Steve Chalke
How do we develop a model of church that demonstrates God’s love tangibly through providing the kind of holistic, joined-up, 360 degree, wrap-around-care, nothing less than which can truly be known as the gospel of Jesus Christ?  How can local churches, once again, become the hubs of their communities?  Present political thinking is working overtime to encourage the voluntary sector to re-engage in deeper partnerships alongside statutory agencies in order to achieve change and build healthy communities. More than that, there is a growing openness to understand that spiritual health is a vital ingredient for overall well being. So, what new opportunities, challenges and dangers does this ‘new’ world pose for the church?

Realistic Church - Jeff Lucas
How do we nurture a realistic and genuine Christ-centred spirituality which will provide real and lasting help to the communities we serve? What is the role of the local church in developing and supporting individual spirituality? What does that look like? How do we model it? What tools, resources and disciplines do we need to develop it?

Generous Church - Brian McLaren
A 360˚ church – fully engaged at the heart of its community - should be a living demonstration of the unconditional generosity of God.  But in a cosmopolitan, multi-faith and globalised world this raises huge questions: How do we develop a generous, open and engaged presence and yet remain orthodox and distinctive in our theology?

360˚ Schools
A multi-layered approach
Jill Rowe, Nikky Mungeam, Andy Vinton, Paul Hammond
There are many different ways to engage with local schools.  This seminar will begin from scratch, enabling those who are wanting to get involved to know how to start, what steps to take and also what skills and services they can offer that will help schools to pursue high levels of achievement and wellbeing for all pupils.

Grasping the opportunities of the moment
Jill Rowe, Andrea Rea, Adrian Thomas
From 2010 all schools will be required to deliver the ‘full extended services core offer’. This 360˚ provision is a policy decision that affords huge opportunities for local involvement within school settings by the voluntary sector. This seminar will give a detailed understanding of ‘Extended Services’ and consider how local churches and organisations can participate in the delivery of that core offer.

Working with the hardest to reach
Jill Rowe, Patrick Regan, Andy Burns
A percentage of young people leave school with few qualifications and too easily find themselves caught in a cycle of poverty and restricted opportunities. They may find themselves in the position of being NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). A theology that confirms a 360˚ holistic approach to a persons’ wellbeing forces us to reconsider how we work with young people such as these so that they are best able to reach their potential, make an active positive contribution to society and have the opportunity for success.
 
360˚ Practice
Planning to succeed? The building blocks of a great community project
Jon Kuhrt, David Arscott and Adam Bonner
Through decades of equipping churches for mission, Livability have developed a tried and tested ‘community mission journey’ to help churches really address the needs they see around them.  Whether you are just starting a project or are keen to review an existing initiative this seminar will equip you to put the key building blocks in place for long term impact.  

Are you really managing? Getting the best out of staff in Christian projects
Jon Kuhrt, Jill Clark and Hayley Teague
Want to motivate your staff more effectively?  Know that there are issues you need to address?  Livability consistently finds that poor management of staff is a major problem in churches and Christian projects.  Come along for this high energy interactive seminar that will make you a better manager!

Statistics or Anecdotes?  Measuring real success in your project
Jon Kuhrt, Adam Bonner and Hayley Teague
How do you know if your project is really making a difference?  Do stories or stats tell the whole story?  This seminar will equip you with a range of easy-to-use tools which can be used in your project.  We will help you to both assess and review your work but also to communicate its effectiveness to funders and other key stakeholders.

360˚ Youth
How to set up and deliver holistic youth work in a rural and urban setting
Abbe Stapleton, Kat Simmonds, Tim Broadbent, Howard Bradley and Nims Obunge
A panel of experienced youth workers, will each share for five minutes on how to set up and deliver holistic youth work. After the panel have all presented there will be an opportunity to ask questions and debate.

How to join up your youth work with local voluntary and statutory partners
Abbe Stapleton, Ken Birrell, Inspector Mick Lees, Paul Fenton and David Trebilcock
A panel of experienced youth workers, Enfield Youth Service and Enfield Police, will present on how and why you should join up your youth work with local voluntary and statutory partners. After the panel have all presented there will be an opportunity to ask questions and debate.

Youth Panel 
Abbe Stapleton and the youth panel
An opportunity to hear from young people themselves. A panel of young people from different areas are coming together to form a youth panel to answer your questions. Come prepared with any questions you would like to ask the panel. Maybe you want to know how can we change the public perception of young people or how should the church best engage with them, whatever it is now is your chance to ask.

360˚ Wellbeing
The NHS and Faith Communities  - A guide to commissioning
Daniel Singleton, Felicity Holland, Helen Wordsworth
This seminar will look at the process and practical examples of engaging with the NHS. FaithAction will do a brief introduction on how to navigate the commissioning process and Parish Nursing will show how they have engaged with local health services and how to use health professionals within the church community.

360 Wellbeing for Christian Leaders
Romaine Thompson
As senior partner of a substantial legal practice  supporting Christian community projects, Romaine Thompson considers the challenges of being distinctly Christian in a secular context and reflects on the tools, habits and lifestyle needed to respond to these challenges to develop personal and corporate wellbeing.

Models of local wellbeing provision
Daniel Singleton, Felicity Holland, Aidan Lucas, Sally Dixon, Martin Wade
This seminar will look at projects which have been developed in different communities in the UK. There will be an opportunity to hear from ground breaking organisations and to gain their insights.  Accept and Open Doors will talk about linking church communities to referring agents such as health professionals and social services. CAP and Lifeline will talk about how issues of health and well being link to economic hardship and unemployment and how an integrated approach and social enterprise can provide solutions.

Faithworks Conference 2007

Christian social activists gathered in London from 1-3 November for the Faithworks Conference to celebrate the transformational role of faith in society.

Speakers at the Faithworks conference ranged from leaders of faith communities in cities that have been rocked by gang violence, to government ministers responsible for community cohesion, as well as radical activists living counter-culturally.  The conference addressed the issue of how sustainable change for good can be brought about in our communities.

All the main sessions and seminars are available to buy in CD or MP3 format.
Click here to purchase.

Scroll down to read details of the main sessions and seminars.

The Main Sessions

Change that Lasts: Sustaining Spirituality
Rev Joel Edwards, Rt Rev James Jones and Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP

Our commitment to social action begins with our commitment to God, our hope in Him and our love for Him. It is our faith that fuels our desire for positive change. It is our faith that works to bring transformation.

This opening main session offers a time to celebrate and reflect on the transforming and sustaining impact of spirituality in the life of a Change Agent. Click here to purchase.

What Makes A Healthy Community?
The Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and
Local Government. Click here to purchase.

Changing the Way We Work: Learning Lessons From Social Enterprise
Dr Patrick Dixon with Brian Souter

Social enterprise is bringing a fresh perspective to the challenges affecting our communities. By combining business acumen with social conscience, entrepreneurs are finding creative solutions to problems of poverty and exclusion. Dr Patrick Dixon explores how Christians seeking to bring positive change can profit from business principles and use them to advance God’s Kingdom. Click here to purchase.


Changing Communities: Effective Community Development
Fran Beckett OBE and Bishop Joe Aldred

Consultation, partnership and empowerment take time and as people who seek change, it can be a frustrating process. But for transformation to be sustainable we have to listen, be strategic and work together for an effective, long term solution. This session catches a glimpse of the change that can be achieved when God’s people engage effectively. Click here to purchase.

Simple Way to Transformation
Shane Claiborne shares his insights into living as a change agent. Shane is the author of Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical and the founder of The Simple Way, a radical community of faith in inner city Philadelphia. Their mission is, "To Love God. To Love people. To Follow Jesus." And they give it their best shot. Click here to purchase.

Change Agents: Changing Leadership
Steve Chalke MBE and Shane Claiborne
Change agents are pioneers and innovators. They can also be difficult and demanding. But their calling is tough: to take a vision and wrench it into reality. This means inspiring others, enabling them to dream the impossible and do what they thought could never be done. This session, led by leaders for leaders, will take an honest look at leadership.  Click here to purchase.

Celebrating Change: Stories of Transformation
Rev Malcolm Duncan and Bishop Ken and Mary Good

All over the UK, Christians are bringing transformation to their communities through their hard work, commitment and sacrifice. These modern day heroes of the Christian faith are at the cutting edge of what Faithworks stands for. This session will encourage us to leave the Faithworks Conference, confident that our faith works, and ready to be agents of change. Click here to purchase.