We have been working with Stephen Newell, the minister at Zion United Church, for nearly two years now.

Completing the WinningWays leadership consultation gave Stephen fresh perspectives on church life and health. In his words :

“We found the ‘three circles’ model of church health beautifully simple yet entirely helpful. It’s not difficult to grasp yet we found it to be extremely enlightening, and we continue to use it as a test of what we are doing.

“Winning Ways : Creating a Culture of Outreach in your Church” continues to get positive reviews and feedback.

The book, by Philip Jinadu and David Lawrence, has been featured by Premiere Radio, a number of national magazines, and is a Highly Recommended Resource for the Hope08 national campaign. It’s also about to be featured at all the forthcoming Spring Harvest weeks.

Reaction has been very encouraging, with one church in the North of England recently ordering 40 copies – one for every single person involved in leadership or ministry.

The following review came from the hugely popular, “Christianity Magazine”, which awarded it four stars and called it practical, realistic, accessible and achievable :

I recently took up an exercise class at our local gym and, aside from being glad to escape with my heart still beating, I was struck afresh by some universal principles of motivation.

What I’d signed up for was a “Spinning” class, which is basically exercise bikes with a side order of sadism. Oh sure, it sounds pleasant enough, almost whimsical. But take it from me. It’s hell on wheels.

Helen's story is a simple one. But it's also a reminder of the power of inviting communities, the importance of process and the impact of seeker-orientated services :

I was baptised as a baby and confirmed when I was twelve. I always went to church with my parents (a traditional Anglican service) and I used to sing in the choir. The church was made up of mainly older people. I would say that I always believed in God but thought it was a lot of theory. I didn’t know how it was relevant and thought that God was rather stern, fierce and finger pointing.

About a year and a half ago I was invited by my sister-in-law, Julia, to a pub lunch and walk organised by a group from her church.

It's easy to get overly busy around Christmas and miss lots of easy opportunities for the gospel. Here are 7 top tips to get you started.

1. Free Publicity for your Carol Service
Okay, we all know that the Carol Service is far and away the most seeker-friendly Christian service of the year. It's a given that you'll be inviting friends, neighbours and colleagues and, more importantly, encouraging everyone else you influence to do the same.

But did you know that you can usually get your Carol Service publicised for free by the BBC and other local news providers?

2. Advent Prayer Calendar
Use an Advent Calendar as a reminder for daily prayer for non-believing in the run up to Christmas. You can either use ready-made calendars, or else create something individual for the members of your group. As an alternative, make up some simple bookmarks with the dates on, or hand out candles to be lit daily during outreach focused prayer.