The Bede Centre for Church Planting Theology and Research

Why Bede?

From January 2025, the Centre for Church Planting Theology will be 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.

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:

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.

We advocate for theological research into Church Planting. Encouraging and enabling researchers and theologians from every tradition to offer their best thinking to the church planting movement, for the benefit of planters, and gatekeepers. We are building a network of theologians who are exploring church planting and new forms of church in their work. We also hold regular events aiming to bring church planting practitioners and theologians into dialogue.

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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 support the work that Dioceses and churches are doing around planting, providing theological framework to construct a planting strategy. Contact Joshua Cockayne for more information.

We see the strength of Cranmer Hall as our flourishing postgraduate research through close connection with Durham University, and thus our ability to offer high quality theological and empirical research. This we have identified as our unique contribution to this planting movement. Our aim is therefore to ensure that out of these strengths the research centre makes a valuable contribution towards the whole movement in each of its necessary parts. We therefore recognise the importance of partnerships with those on the front line of planting and those in positions of decision-making and policy.

Endorsements

The Rt Revd Ric Thorpe, Bishop of Islington

‘I am very excited about the Research Centre at Cranmer Hall because it meets a real need in the development of church planting in this country. High quality research and robust theological input will provide the kind of resourcing which will greatly enable healthy church planting across the country in every tradition and every part of the church.  Hard questions need answering, as well as up-to-date, accurate data on the actual state of church planting. The Research Centre will give confidence to church planters, senior diocesan teams and theological educators alike. I whole-heartedly support this.’

The Rt Revd Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby

‘At a time when the Church of England is investing in new churches, and seeking to see these churches reach into every part of the country, it is vital that we give space to reflecting theologically on the impact of this movement. This centre will make the most of Cranmer Hall’s unique strength of holding together academic rigour with a passion for mission so as to offer rich theological and empirical insights for the benefit for the whole church. I believe that the centre has the potential to help accelerate church planting across the Dioceses.  It is an important project and I am pleased to give it my full support’

The Revd John Valentine, Church Planter Trainer and Theologian at Large, the Gregory Centre

‘The Research Centre would combine robust theological expertise and grounded, practical insight into church planting.  By occupying the middle ground between high quality academic input and up to date qualitative and quantitative data on what is actually happening on the ground, the Centre would enable informed conversation and strategic decisions to happen about future church planting.  The encouragement of DThM degrees would reinforce this, and the potential resources to be produced by the Centre would have valuable contributions to make to those who are actually church planting and those who have real questions alike.  I am excited by this proposal.’

Chris Goldsmith, National Ministry Team

‘The National Ministry Team warmly welcome this initiative – a sign of Cranmer Hall gifting its commitment to mission, research and practical theology to the whole church. The partnership working that it is based on is a sign of hope for the future in times where the sharing of resources and wisdom for the growth of God’s kingdom could not be more important or timely.’

Revd Dr Christian Selvaratnam, Director of Church Planting and Revitalisation at St Hild College

‘The Research Centre has the potential to provide significant help to the emerging church planting movements within the Church of England, especially in the North of England. A research centre based at Durham University will be ideally placed to build on the existing connections and experience of Cranmer Hall in this area, not least because of their reputation for high-value theological reflection and research. The work of this proposed centre will not only offer strategic advice to the key decision-makers, it will also inevitably filter down to all the practitioners—new and established—helping them to be more effective at starting and revitalising new churches. I am excited by this proposal and look forward to benefiting from the research and working with the team.’

Revd Lizzy Woolf, Rector of St George’s Leeds

‘As a Resource Church leader in the North of England, I am delighted to support the Research Centre at Cranmer Hall. I have been impressed by the existing team, and believe the Research Centre will make a vital contribution to the church planting movement, enabling stronger, more robust theological foundations and thus longer-term sustainability.’