The Bede Centre

Church planting theology.

The Bede Centre for Church Planting Theology exists to tell the story of church planting by encouraging a conversation across the whole church which exemplifies the following values.

Theological

We seek to sustain church planting through quality theological and empirical research, which draws theologians and practitioners into dialogue.

Critical

We offer a rigorous and analytic voice in the conversation to help guide best practice and future strategy and to encourage careful and theologically informed thinking on church planting.

Practical

We seek to provide practical means to resource church planters to engage theologically and be equipped for the ministry God is calling them to. We seek to build partnerships and collaborate with others for the good of the whole church.

Our Research

We aim to increase the body of deep research into church planting in the UK, and to tell the theological story of planting: what is God doing and how does it connect with scripture, history and tradition? This includes published research (books, articles) and also free-to-access online material (webinars, reports, videos resources). See below for some of our recent publications:

Conference

Our annual conference is an opportunity to connect with other practitioners and researchers interested in church planting theology, and to hear from field-leading scholars.


Our next conference is 6th-8th July 2026, with the theme “power” with contributions from Harvey Kwiyani (Church Mission Society), Kate Middleton (Mind & Soul Foundation), Matthew Guest (Durham University), Ana França-Ferreira and team (Centre for Theology & Community) and Lizzie Hare (Cranmer Hall).


You can listen to previous years’s talks here.

White text reading “Power and Church Planting” on a cloudy gray background

Book here.


Conference Costs


3 day conference with refreshments only (£60)

3 day conference with lunch and refreshments (£85)

1 day conference with lunch and refreshments (£45)

2 days with refreshments and lunch (£70)

Student rate with lunch and refreshments (£50)


Accommodation Options

Double Ensuite – £151.20 per night (Limited)

Single Ensuite – £100.80 per night (Limited)

Double with Shared Bathroom Facilities – £118.80 per night

Single with Shared Bathroom Facilities – £81.60 per night

Webinars

We hold regular free webinars exploring the theology of church planting through conversation with a diverse range of practitioners and researchers. These are open to anyone.


Recordings of previous webinars are available here.


Upcoming Webinar - The Changing Landscape of Church Planting

12 May 2026

Hand holding a stack of colorful brochures on a wooden table, one leaflet open in front

Book here


Join us for a free webinar on Tuesday 12th May at 2pm, in which Andy Wier will share some of his research insights and reflect on key learning for church planting practitioners and the wider Church.

Study with us

We teach church planting theology across all levels at our Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes at Cranmer Hall. Cranmer Hall is also home to the Doctor of Theology and Ministry (DThM) programme, run in collaboration with the world-class Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University. The DThm is an ideal programme for anyone interested in pursuing further study and research at the interface of theology and the practice of ministry and mission and for those wishing to pursue advanced study in church planting theology. We also offer, Foundations, a 1-year course which will offer an introduction to theology for anyone in a leadership role in New Worshipping Communities, church plants, and missional communities. 

Network

We hold regular events aiming to bring church planting practitioners and theologians into dialogue, to stay in touch.

Sign up for our network mailing list.

Durham Studies in Church

Planting and Theology

Durham Studies in Church Planting and Theology is a new book series seeking to understand and articulate what mission looks like within various cultural, social, and ecclesial contexts. The series is edited through the Bede Centre and the editorial board is comprised of Will Foulger (St Nics Durham), Tom Greggs (University of Aberdeen), Alison Milbank (University of Nottingham), Jay Moon (Asbury Theological Seminary), Sabrina Müller (University of Bonn), Stefan Paas (VU, Amsterdam) and Christian Selvaratnam (St Hild College).

Construction site with a steel-frame building, church tower, and crane under a clear blue sky

Church Army Research Unit Archives

For over a quarter of a century, Church Army’s Research Unit (CARU) and its predecessor, The Sheffield Centre, were at the forefront of research on mission, evangelism, church planting, pioneering and fresh expressions of Church. In June 2025, it was announced that due to financial challenges at Church Army, CARU would sadly close. Church Army have kindly shared CARU’s church planting archive with the Bede Centre to ensure its reports can continue to be accessed and used by church planting practitioners and theologians.


A wider collection of CARU reports and publications on various topics can also be found at www.churcharmy.org/research .


Why Church Planters Need Theology?

Team

Revd Dr Joshua Cockayne

Centre Director


Josh is an experienced church planter and theologian. Before he was ordained, he spent many years on the leadership team of G2 York, a large fresh expression, from which he led a small church plant in 2016-17. After being ordained in the Scottish Episcopal Church in 2020, and serving a part time curacy in St Andrews, he spent 2 years leading Holy Trinity Boar Lane, a church plant in the city centre of Leeds which was started to engage with the working population of the city through midweek mission and worship. Josh received his doctorate in 2017 and has since has taught theology and philosophy at the University of St Andrews, University of York, WTC Theology, St Hild College, and most recently at Cranmer Hall. He has published widely on issues related to spirituality, worship, and ecclesiology. Find out more about his research here.

Man in a blue blazer standing outdoors on a sunny street beside brick buildings.

Bede Centre Advisory Board


Bishop Sarah Clark – Bishop of Jarrow

Revd Dr Will Foulger  – Vicar of St Nic’s Durham

Revd Professor Alison Milbank  – Professor Emeritus, University of Nottingham

Revd Dr Mark Powley  – Archbishop’s Mission Enabler for the North

Bishop Ric Thorpe  – Bishop of Islington

Fellows


Christian Selvaratnam

Andy Wier

Will Foulger

Why Bede?

The Centre for Church Planting Theology is named after the 8th Century monk and scholar, the Venerable Bede, who is buried a few metres from Cranmer Hall, in Durham Cathedral.


While St Aidan and St Cuthbert are rightly celebrated as Northern saints who were instrumental in the evangelisation of the country and the planting of many churches, without the scholarship of St Bede, we would know barely anything about the ministry of the northern saints. Bede was a scholar devoted to the mission of the church, committed to the reform of the church’s structures and leadership, and instrumental in narrating the story of mission in this country through history, exegesis, and theology. As a research centre, we seek to follow in the legacy of Bede in seeking to study, reflect theologically on, and tell the story of the church in our own time.

Medieval illustration of a haloed seated saint in red and white robes, holding a staff beside a decorated book stand