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Beyond Bums on Seats: Understanding the Impact of Pioneers

Cathy Ross, Ripon College Cuddesdon

How we measure the impact of our activity as the Church has long been a contentious issue. Many people still consider ‘bums on seats’ as either the implicit or explicit measure of success or impact. Since 2003 different church bodies, Parishes, Deaneries and Dioceses have been investing in ‘Pioneer Ministers’ to undertake work outside the church walls and beyond ‘business as usual’. The question this research will seek to ask is ‘How do Pioneer Ministers (and their communities) understand their impact, and what do they do with that understanding?’