Researching Europe

Researching Europe

Eurochurch is just about to embark on a major research project to discover what is happening on the church planting and church innovations scene.  A major factor driving the research is the realization that a great deal more is taking place on the ground now than at any time over the last 50 years. 

The core goal of the research is, to undertake research that will identify the significant missional organizations and networks functioning within the nations and across the continent of Europe, and to determine in what ways they can be more effective either by being part of a network such as EuroChurch.net or by tacit co-operation with other networks.

How will this research be conducted? Our observation is that the Eurochurch network needs to make connection with significantly more people in the target group that we have identified as being critical to the establishing of an influential and creative network.  The absence of resource within the network to accumulate this information means that a research project of this nature will be highly significant in terms of communicating with a critical mass of such leaders.

The project plan has three distinct phases.  The first phase is to do desk research to identify potential leaders in our target group in each European nation who are gate keepers in terms of missional innovation and influence especially around church planting and church revitalisaton.  The second phase will be to hold a series of day consultations in at least the following nations, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, and the Netherlands. Some of these consultations have already taken place.  Our desk research may extend such consultations to some Eastern European nations.

The third phase will be to write up the findings and present them in an accessible report.  This may include the use of a web site as part of a dissemination process.

No single person or organization has an overall picture of all the developments, initiatives, networks or new organizations even in an individual country, still less across Europe as a whole.  As indicated, the intention of the research is to begin with the excellent connections that the Eurochurch network already enjoys and to use those beginnings to extend the knowledge that we already have.  That knowledge will be used to form a map of activity which will then be made widely available to denominations, churches, organizations and even individuals who would find it helpful to know what it happening. 

Over the next few months we will begin to publish categories of information that we are seeking and if you can help to fill in the gaps and to give additional knowledge that would be greatly appreciated.  We are grateful to the MacLellan Foundation for their generous funding of this initiative.