The purpose of the pioneering course is to validate the pioneering spirit, creating a beachhead for making Kingdom ground and championing a voice for change in church as we know it.
COURSE DETAILS
TRAINING
Training happens online and in person depending on the year’s layout. All speakers and facilitators are practitioners in pioneering, leading, missional living, church planting / fresh expressions, etc.
Coaching will also be offered throughout the year at a time that suits you. And spiritual formation takes place monthly online with a small group and spiritual director.
COURSE THEMES
The course covers 6 main areas:
Personal spiritual development
Living a missional lifestyle
Church in today’s culture
Building a discipleship culture
Missional leadership
NEW: In 2024, we piloted a new stream within Forge for those interested in exploring Missional Enterprise.
ACCREDITATION
The Forge Pioneer & Missional Enterprise Course is now accredited by the Irish Bible Institute and Belfast School of Theology.
PERSONAL STUDY
It is expected that each participant will put in a minimum of 3 hours per week of personal study and reflection. Alongside recommended reading to accompany the training, there are also tasks and reflective writing pieces set between the training dates.
MISSIONAL CONTEXT
Forge exists to help practitioners learn on the job and so it is expected that you will have a missional context where you are applying your learning throughout the course. The missional context will be clarified and agreed with each participant at the start of the course.
COURSE STREAMS
This year we are piloting a new stream within Forge for those interested in exploring Missional Enterprise.
THEMES
The stream covers 9 main areas:
- 1
Why Missional or Redemptive Enterprise?
- 2Benefits for mission / church models
- 3
Theological model based on sabbath economics
- 4
Stories
- 5
Toolkit for Missional Entrepreneurs
- 6
Bi-vocational / Co- vocational models of Leadership
- 7
9 Marks of Missional Enterprise
- 8
Field trip Bratislava to experience multiple missional enterprises in action and for further training
- 9
Pitching – Pitch event for Investment
The original Pioneering stream within Forge will also be running this year for those interested in exploring new expressions of church.
THEMES
The stream covers 6 main areas:
- 1Induction Weekend
- 2Culture
- 3Missional lifestyle (split over 2 evenings)
- 4Church Culture
- 5
Discipleship (split over 2 evenings)
- 6Leadership (final weekend)
COACHING
Each Participant will be assigned a coach who will walk with you through the year. You will meet every 6/8 weeks or so. The primary focus of these coaching sessions will be on your idea or project – your coach will help you to think, make plans and move forward. These coaching sessions will be one on one.
What is Coaching?
Jesus framed much of his teaching in the form of questions. In this way he created space for people to think, understand and find meaning. He initiated conversations but always placed responsibility back on people to think and make choices about these claims and ideas for themselves.
As people, we do our best thinking when we’re asked questions and given space and attention to think out loud instead of just being told the answers.
Through these coaching sessions we hope you will deepen your faith, be encouraged and empowered to be all that God is calling you to be.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION
The primary aim of Spiritual Formation is to encourage, challenge and inspire you in your walk with Jesus. We will have a dedicated time at the end of each online session, led by a facilitator to build on and explore more deeply the sessions covered.
COURSE DATES
2025/2026 dates are in progress – get in touch if you’d like more information at info@forgeireland.com
WHAT WILL IT COST?
The course costs £600 / €700 and this includes 2 x residential weekends (accommodation & food), resources, coaching etc.
We encourage each participant to raise some of this from any supporting church / denomination, some from personal supports and some from the participant as a sign of their ownership of the process.
This cost can be paid over the year in agreed instalments if preferred.
Bursaries and group discount available, please email info@forgeireland.com
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY…
“The good folks at Forge Ireland are not only dear friends and colleagues, but are in my opinion the outstanding practitioners of missional church in Ireland. If you are concerned about the future vitality of Christian discipleship in this ancient land, I highly recommend the Forge tribe in whatever they do.”
“I would highly recommend the Forge course. It has enabled me to have space and time to think about what God is calling me into in this next season. It was great to be with likeminded people, even over zoom to stretch my thinking into what it means to pioneer a new way of doing church that allows connection into the community and grows disciples. A very well thought out course with lots of opportunity to process and learn together.”
“I wish I had been subject to a number of these ideas and challenges long before now. I would recommend this course to anyone who is longing to see God’s church renewed in today’s post Christian culture”
“I would highly recommend the Forge Ireland Course if you are considering planting a church, or interested in pioneering a new missional initiative. I benefitted greatly from the input at the gatherings, and the required reading and missional tasks throughout stimulated both thinking and practice. This along with the ongoing support and mentoring, ultimately spurred me on to develop an opportunity through the local church, for individuals to begin exploring the Christian faith in a regular Bible study. The Forge Pioneer Course has also broadened my insight and understanding around the practices and challenges for church planting which was been helpful in contributing to conversations at a denominational level. The cohort of participants on the Forge Course was diverse in their backgrounds, experience and context for mission. This encouraged rich discussion which was a great blessing leading to new friendships.”
“I would highly recommend Forge as an organisation and the team themselves, many of whom I know and would count as friends. Combining missional thought-leadership and deep an inspiring practioner-driven coaching Forge creates the environment to spark Kingdom dreams and visions in leaders. The Forge team are living examples of the training itself and are able to walk alongside the ups and downs of pioneering missional leadership. If you have a Kingdom dream then these are the people and this is the place for you.”