Replanting in the Same Pot: Reclaiming Local Lay Ministry for Mission is an action research project led by Erica Dunmow, an organisational development, fresh expressions, and urban mission practitioner, working with Dr Delroy Hall, pastor, counsellor and equalities practitioner. They had a vision that churches could be revived and made more missional through a focus […]
Discover the research projects that SWF engages in.
Articles: Assessing Impact Amongst Chaplains in a University Setting
A series of two articles have been published in the Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling, authored by SWF Director Sue Miller, and Christopher Stephens, Head of Southlands College. The articles can be read by clicking on the links below: Assessing Impact Amongst Chaplains in a University Setting: Phase One of an Action Research Project […]
Book review: Hope Amidst Conflict
Oded Adomi Leshem, Hope Amidst Conflict: Philosophical and Psychological Explorations (2023, Oxford University Press) Hope is a key concept both for theology and for church life. It has been an interest of ours at SWF for some time and Challenging Hope is the title of our annual conference on June 18th, 2024. Oded Adomi Leshem […]
Journal issue: Learning faith
The CMS (Church Mission Society) recently published an issue on the theme of Learning Faith. Here, issue editor James Butler tells us more. So much of people’s learning takes place in the midst of everyday life. As humans, we grow and change through our experiences, our interactions, and through life events, both big and small. […]
Podcast 15: The Power of your Own Voice
The Power of your Own Voice: community arts, social justice and crafting hope In this conversation, part of our Crafting Hope series, Emma Pavey is joined by Gauri Taylor-Nayar and Rachel Griffiths to talk about the role of community choirs and community theatre work for crafting hope together in our local communities. Listen to the […]
Article: “Does not wisdom call?”: faith learning in Methodist practice
An open-access article has been published in Anvil journal based on research by SWF Director Sue Miller, Stan Brown and Graham Jones. The article can be read here. Introduction The mission of the Methodist Church In its foundational documents, the Methodist Church in Britain “ever remembers that in the providence of God Methodism was raised […]
Book Review – Hope: the Dream we Carry
Tia DeNora, Hope: the dream we carry (Palgrave MacMillan, 2021) In brief: Emma Pavey reviews Hope: the dream we carry by Tia DeNora and finds many thoughtful starting points for developing thinking about crafting hope in faith communities. DeNora emphasizes hope as an active, creative, and socially situated endeavour, focusing on its role in various […]
New research: Cultural Fellowships and Language Congregations in the Methodist Church in Britain
Here, SWF’s Senior Research Officer Lia Shimada describes SWF’s latest research project. Anecdotally, we know that the Methodist Church in Britain (MCB) has never been more diverse – culturally, socially, linguistically. Across the Connexion, Methodists and other Christians worship in many ways and in an unknown number of languages. This collaborative project aims to: Research […]