A joyful reset: What ReNew gave me this year

I’ve come back from the ReNew conference with a spring in my step. The evening I got back, I told friends at dinner that I was “really very cheerful.” I said something about being heartened by time with teammates from across the country. And on reflection, here’s what blessed me most about ReNew.

Encouraged and equipped

I need all the help I can get to treasure Jesus. Bible teaching about His beautiful sacrificial leadership helped me. Singing to Him with hundreds of people helped me. News from other churches doing brave things because He's worth it – that helped me too.

I left with multiple notebook pages of ideas for my ministry in Toxteth. This year particularly, I heard lots of comments of "that’s something our church has implemented since last year’s ReNew." And ReNew raises longer term questions that I naturally neglect. I’d hardly considered how to get our PCC prepared for having to appoint a new vicar one day. I needed the spur to think again how I can train up future leaders.

Strength in fellowship

Tim Vasby-Burnie put it well: "Tensions in the Church of England make it difficult for many people to feel a sense of true belonging in Deaneries and Diocese. At the ReNew Conference, I know I share so many assumptions with those in the room."

AMiE (Anglican Mission in England) churches are few and often small at the moment. It’s a blessing to have teammates. One PCC member, coming for her first time, told me: "It turns out, my church isn’t the only weird one, still reading the Bible!"

Each year, more pastors bring their ministry teams—wardens, staff, PCC etc. For my team, the car journey back always involves animated discussion! What ordination path are we going to use? What’s the next step for church planting for us? If I weren’t at the conference, I’d be uninformed but also un-envisioned for those conversations.

ReNew kindly gathers lots of my friends for me, so I don’t need to hike to Exeter or Newcastle to see them! There are folks I love who I know the time we’ll get to catch up each year is at ReNew. For me, that’s helped by the exponential growth in numbers of women at the conference over the last decade.

I’m sobered to hear of Scottish evangelicals splintering as they left the established church—losing meaningful partnership, and growing distrust. ReNew seems essential to me to avoid that. I loved being in a room of CofE and AMiE folk, together planning how to pioneer, establish and secure healthy churches across England.

Four guys, each explaining their ordination pathway (AMiE, Bishop of Ebbsfleet, ReNew Alternative Selection/REACH South Africa, Ready to Serve), and strongly disagreeing with each other... I’m not sure there’s any other context I get to see that kind of robust disagreement from people who are cheerfully siblings in Christ, on the same team.

Renewed vision for the future

A chunk of time each day set aside to pray. Extra time at the end of sessions to pray too. Praying some liturgy together. I was particularly grateful for being led in lament. I’m prone to activism so I need my models in ministry to be prayerful.

Every year, ReNew gives me much needed updates. And I know I’m not the only one—based on how many people got out their phones to take photos of the slides showing, for example, tables of what ordination pathways are on offer in the CofE and AMiE, or stats on the ages of vicars at the moment (wow, we’ve got a crisis on our hands).

Phil Colgan, from Sydney; Robin Sydserff, with a perspective from seeing the Scottish situation for many years; Lee Gatiss giving us a church history seminar (something I—and perhaps we as evangelical Anglicans—are weak at).

My ReNew region (Merseyside) is planning to plant three churches together in ten years. There’s no way my church could do that alone. That’s come from regional meetings, not the annual conference. But I’d be willing to bet that folks come home from the conference re-envisioned to partner regionally.

My impression (having only been coming since 2021, admittedly), is that the conference gets better every year. And I’m glad to hear that next year, when it moves to Nottingham, it’ll be cheaper too!