Launching, developing & multiplying small groups, congregations and celebrations
as church in a new generation

The Rough Guide To Being Church is designed to be a place where people doing new expressions of church in a new generation can hear one another's story and ideas, share resources and learn from each other.

The Rough Guide is a living, organic anthology that will grow as new expressions of church contribute their stories, key principles, lessons learned, resources used and any other handy hints for launching, moulding and developing expressions of church for a new generation.

Our aim is to compile it as a result of getting to know each other through building relationships.

The Rough Guide's first story recounts the travels of a church in Sheffield where a young adult small group (started in 1997) grew to multiple congregations and a weekly celebration that for the last 2 years has met in a nightclub. However the point of the guide is that it is regularly updated with new journeys - the stories, lessons learned and resources developed by those in relationship with the TG network who are working through the same issues.

So therefore this stuff is really important to us! It represents the journey of all the key practitioners with whom we are in relationship with in the UK, mainly in the TG network but also those whom we love and travel with. So this is mainly for leaders, whether you are starting a small group focused on the emerging generation or are trying to develop a congregation that is church in a new generation - the Rough Guide creates a forum to relate to others in your area & create the widest possible pool of resources & good practice.

So how does it work? Well, cos the Rough Guide is the backbone of our relational network, it isn't just a book to download. Rather it's a 'pacemaker' to get along side those who are actually doing it, and to encourage supportive relationships for those who are starting to step out on this journey. Therefore although the first chapter is available to anyone's eyeballs, the later chapters have been given restricted, 'reporting-in' network access for those who update the web site and share their story so far, so that those involved can continue to work through these issues together. This is so that the process of developing church is done relationally and consolidates the network of those of us doing church in a new generation. The remaining eleven chapters are divided into four sections.

We think each new section is only of interest when you have reached the point of starting to consider the issues it addresses. Therefore these four sections each have a password which you get when you have been in contact with the network and touched base with how your group is doing and where you are up to, so we can update your profile on the web site.

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