CAPTION: The group are the first from the Diocese of Exeter to take part in the CMS Certificate in Pioneer Mission Course

Certificate in Pioneer Mission Encourages Participants to Dream of New Ways to Connect People and Faith

Posted: 4th February, 2025

In January, a group from the Diocese of Exeter begun taking part in a course that inspires students to dream new ways to connect people and faith, think outside the box of traditional church, and do something creative that will build their communities.

The Certificate in Pioneer Mission represents a new partnership with the Church Mission Society (CMS) and the Dioceses of Salisbury, Truro and Wells. The course is in it’s 5th year of running, and over the years it has trained over 65 pioneers for churches in the South West.

The CMS Certificate in Pioneer Mission runs over 12 months, and covers 6 modules of learning.

Topics range from missional entrepreneurship, mission in a rural context, and doing theology.

The course is made up of two main components, the first being regular small group meetings held in the evening, which are led by experienced pioneer practitioners.

It also includes six modules, two of which are held in person, one module fully online, and three which are hybrid, with each diocesan group gathering onsite together in a central location and joining the other diocesan groups via Zoom.

The Certificate in Pioneer Mission is not an academic course, and it allows a creative approach to learning and reflecting together.

The first group of students to undertake this course from the Diocese of Exeter visited Hilfield Friary, in Dorchester for their first in-person session in the Certificate in Pioneer Mission.

One of the students who is taking part from the Diocese of Exeter, said, “What a wonderful weekend and a real answer to prayer. I am so grateful that Exeter Diocese have embraced this course so wholeheartedly and I give thanks for everyone who has made this happen.

“I’m excited to see what God has in store for each of us.”

Another said, “It was a wonderful weekend full of joy and excitement as we explored what pioneer ministry looks like for us in our individual contexts and sharing our experience together.

“The content of the course was thought provoking and informative with many opportunities to connect with others and develop new insights and understandings together. I particularly enjoyed the ‘dwelling in the word’ exercise and came away from the weekend gathering with a renewed sense that God calls us to be a community that listens to each other and allows that journey to shape us and bring us to new places of understanding.”

Liz Dunbar from St Thomas’s Exeter, who is supporting the Exeter course attendees said, “It is such a joy and a blessing to be discussing mission and culture with so many wonderful people from across the South West as part of Exeter Diocese’s first weekend of SW Hub CMS Pioneer certificate.”

The CMS course alongside the new Foundations theology course provided by the Diocese of Exeter makes up the core training for anyone interested in a lay pioneer leadership in their Mission Community, and is part of a new range of resources for those thinking about pioneering forms of mission, and fresh expressions of church.

Jeremy Putnam, the Diocesan Mission Enabler, said, “There has always been a pioneering heart to the gospel that has always encouraged us to step out and discover what God is doing in our communities. Maybe now is the time to renew our commitment to this.”

If you have missed the intake for the 2025, do watch this space.

In the meantime, parishes can pick up the pioneer conversation once a month with new ‘Beyond the Walls’ webinar series and future Mission Shed gatherings. The next Beyond the Walls webinar will be held on Tuesday 11 February, at 1pm. It will be an opportunity to hear from the Hazelnut Community Farm Network, who support churches in creating eco communities on their land in order to deepen worship, welcome their community and combat climate breakdown.

The next Mission Shed Gathering will be in Exeter on the 8 March from 10am-3pm, which will focus around ‘Jesus the Pioneer’. The event will include a talk from the Bishop of Exeter, and a number of workshops from guest contributors.

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