Messy Pathways is designed for Messy Church USA to work with Judicatory/ Diocesan leaders to nurture the growth of Messy Church in their networks.
Based on four components:
- Six hour Get Started in Messy Church Training
- Online Webinars
- Coaching
- Messy Church USA Network Access
Messy Church USA equips local Messy Churches to start, sustain and connect throughout the USA.
Training
One-Day Get Started Training
The Get Started in Messy Church is a full day of training for local church teams. The training is led by Messy Church USA certified training teams.
The day of training is both theoretical and practical. Each team will learn vital tools to strongly begin their local Messy Church. They will discover how the five foundational values and four components are used as building blocks to contextualize their Messy Church. They will participate in a ‘Mini-Messy Church’ that pulls both the theoretical and practical together. In addition, they will have the opportunity to dialogue with their team about specific challenges and strengths facing their distinctive context.
A cohort minimum of ten churches per training is recommended. Each team will receive a complete Messy Church Session, examples of forms they will need as they begin, and a pdf copy of the Get Messy! magazine that includes four complete Messy Church sessions.
Live Online Webinar Series
This series of ‘pick and choose’ 60-minute interactive webinars are designed to equip the trained Messy Churches to continue to start strong and move to sustainable growth. The webinars will be offered live to the local teams that have attended the Get Started training.
Series of 4 Start Messy Church Webinars
1. Grow your Messy Church Team
- Building a strong team is essential as you start your Messy Church. A resilient team begins with intentional faith formative practices each time you meet. Explore simple practices that form community as you plan and implement your Messy Church sessions.
2. Five Ways to get Local Church Buy-in
- “Help! My church doesn’t understand Messy Church and I need support from them.” During this webinar, you will learn practical tips on how to educate your church’s leadership and to get your congregation excited about Messy Church.
3. Financing your Messy Church
- Get down to the basics of money as you explore a variety of methods that have worked well with other Messy Churches. Discover ideas that engage your broader church community with Messy Church.
4. Share the Messy Story
- Explore the best publicity practices to share your Messy Church story in your community. We all have a limited amount of time and energy so we will explore resources that you can use to get the word out about Messy Church.
Series of 4 Sustainability Messy Church Webinars
1. Messy Discipleship
- Explore how disciples are formed in the Messy Church context. Discover how the five core values work together to create space for the seeds of faith to sprout and grow.
2. Messy Togetherness
- Creating Messy Church worship that is intentionally intergenerational can be challenging and a bit overwhelming at times. Get inspired to discover how you can build an intergenerational aspect into all the elements of Messy Church from the welcome activity, the bible story and sharing the meals around tables?
3. Messy Hospitality
- Discover how the foundational value of hospitality can be practiced in Messy Church. We will delve into the theology of hospitality and especially what we can learn about welcoming others through the example of Jesus.
4. Messy Add-Ons
- Your monthly Messy Church is sustainable and forming disciples yet people are asking for an additional opportunity to get together throughout the month. Around the globe, Messy Churches have begun additional monthly meetups such as a Messy cafe, Messy small group, Messy service and many more innovative ideas. This webinar will give inspiration as well as practical tips.
Messy Church USA Networking
Connecting with other Messy Church leaders is vital for successful Messy Churches. Our three-level yearly membership access to our Messy Church USA network connects ecumenical Messy Churches throughout the USA.
Each Messy Church in our network is listed on our website directory. In addition, becoming a member gives leaders opportunities to learn from our Messy Ambassadors, receive support through our Prayer and Encouragement team, and share best practices, and explore innovative ideas through our Messy Church team leader’s social media.
Local churches enrolled in the judicatory Messy Pathways program will be given a 20% discount for their first year of Supporter or Sustainer membership with Messy Church USA.
Cohort Coaching
Group cohort teleconference coaching is available for your local Messy Churches. Led by experienced Messy Church leaders our coaching sessions are designed to build resilience and sustainability for each Messy Church.
Messy Pathways offers a choice of 3, 6, 9, or 12 monthly hour-long cohort coaching sessions.
Messy Church Logo and Resources
As Messy Church has grown around the world, the Messy Church logo is becoming a well-known indication of communicating a welcoming space for all ages to join together in worship. As partners with the global home of Messy Church, Bible Reading Fellowship, a charity in the UK, churches that register with Messy Church USA receive permission to use the Messy Church logo in publicity materials.
There are many global Messy Church resources that include books and magazines that are highlighted through the Messy Pathways program. All church teams that attend the Get Started training receive a copy of the most recent Get Messy! magazine that includes four complete Messy Church sessions.
Messy Church USA produces regular e-newsletters mailed to membership churches that highlight all the various resources available. We feature a Messy Church of the Month that shares their experiences and favorite activities to the Messy Church USA Network. We have also begun to produce print and online material that is now available on our Messy Church website store.