What Next? EDEV is an exciting initiative from the Methodist Church. While
EDEV is designed primarily for Methodists any one from a Christian church can join a group, the programme is for anyone who wishes to understand more fully their calling to follow Christ and how to live and grow as Christ’s disciple in the world.
EDEV is an exploration process — through conversation, prayer action and reflection, it aims to help people to know themselves better, to identify their gifts and calling and explore the various possibilities of ministry and service. To support the participant through this process an accompanist is assigned. This is a person with whom the participant can reflect their ideas, thoughts and questions.
There are a variety of patterns used for an EDEV programme. The most popular at the moment is usually a fortnightly group meeting lasting up to nine months, including holidays. The sessions vary and are designed to take into account the individuals that make up a group. This means that the style and methods used with vary for each group.
The sessions aim to enable participants to think, reflect, gain new learning and to laugh — a lot! They involve visiting speakers, personal sharing, bible study and exercises to discover more about oneself, God and the wider world. The Methodist emphases and approach to the Christian life and discipleship is woven through the sessions as well as distinct input on historical and contemporary Methodism.
A crucial part of the programme is the ten hours of “new experiences” to be gained outside the sessions. The idea of these ten hours is that participants use it to gain new experiences that support their learning and developing. Sometimes it is as simple as attending worship of another denomination, for others it is understand social action projects such as projects that support asylum seekers. It may be talking with a local preacher and observing services or doing some children’s work. All those who have finished the EDEV programme to date agree that the ten hours of new experiences was both crucial and formative.
Throughout the EDEV process participants will explore possibilities for using their gifts in a variety of ways and settings. Examples would be:
- Serving in the local community
- Being involved in new ministries in the life of the church
- Working out Discipleship in positive ways in paid and voluntary employment settings
- Considering part-time and full-time paid ministries, such as pastoral leader, local preacher, youth worker, lay employee, deacon or presbyter
For informal conversations and to find out more you can contact the following people:
For the Darlington Methodist District: Revd Julie Lunn, Tel: 0191 384 7950, Email: j.a.lunn@durham.ac.uk
For the Newcastle Methodist District: Revd Les Nevin, Tel: 01207 502339, Email: les.nevin@tiscali.co.uk
Mark Bagnall, Methodist Church Regional Training Officer, Tel: 0191 384 0864, Email: mark-bagnall@btconnect.com
You can also download the What Next? leaflet: What Next Leaflet or visit the website: www.whatnextedev.org.uk
Every believer, by God’s grace, has been given gifts and talents to enable them to fulfil a specific purpose in their lives and to contribute to the body of Christ. Indeed, we all have a vocation or ‘calling’ to serve the Lord and the community – and whatever we do, we are to do it unto the Lord (Col 3:23).
- The Darlington Course starts on 24th October 2012 and runs fortnightly for 15 sessions until 5 June next year from 6.45 pm – 8.45 pm at North Road Methodist Church, Durham City. What Next? programme