The desperate need to renew the face of churches across the UK has been addressed by many evangelicals. Churches have also been inspired by the idea of a "mission-shaped church" which stressed the relevance of public life and contemporary culture.

In response to this, the Churches’ Commission on Mission (CCOM), part of the ecumenical body - Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, is going to launch a major mission training programme at the renowned seminary Cliff College this week. The name of the programme is called the 'Diploma in Mission Accompaniment (DMA)'.

The originators of the DMA programme believe that it will help to shake up church life in the UK by exploring a fresh expression of church out of its inherited tradition.

"Mission accompaniment is a new way of thinking about activating and supporting churches as they seek to become more effective channels for the Gospel," says CCOM General Secretary Simon Barrow.

"To be an accompanier in mission is to be someone rooted in prayer and theological vision," Barrow adds. "But it also to possess an eclectic range of skills, including listening, consulting, coaching, mentoring and signposting to the right resources. It’s about long-term commitment rather than quick fixes."

DMA is ideal for all those who want to use their listening and consulting skills to help local churches and Christian organisations engage more effectively in witness and action within their communities. As it is a two-year part-time course, it even provides opportunity for people with full-time occupations to serve the church.

All the programmes offered by Cliff College, including DMA, are validated by the University of Manchester. Cliff College is a world-renowned Methodist training institution founded in 1883 with its roots in the Wesleyan holiness tradition. It has a proven track record of providing practical and academic courses in the areas of Christian mission and evangelism.

The DMA is in fact the integration of the Building Bridges of Hope (BBH) programme established over the past ten years by the CCOM. BBH describes itself as a living laboratory of different initiatives to discover the most effective way of relating to the changing world for mission. It puts an emphasis on the ecumenical context.

The BBH Director Terry Tennens, a Baptist minister shares, "Building Bridges of Hope, which is accompanying churches at local, regional and national level as they pioneer in mission, shows that Christians of very different backgrounds can work creatively together."

"Those involved in delivering the DMA will initially be from Methodist, Anglican, Catholic, Baptist, Reformed and Mennonite-related traditions", he explains, "It is open to all those who want to discover how to animate the Gospel afresh in a changing world, and who are prepared to put some real backbone into it."

As BBH has written on its website, "It is not yet another programme or package, but a way of adapting resources by personal accompaniment and group networking."

BBH is also looking at partnership opportunities with learning institutions in Scotland, Ireland and Wales to encourage and develop mission accompaniment as a methodology.

The Rev Dr Peter Phillips, Cliff’s dean of students and New Testament tutor, has expressed "much enthusiasm and anticipation" about the DMA which will enable evangelicals, those in the ecumenical mainstream and Catholics to work together.

The Diploma in Mission Accompaniment begins in September 2005 and is recruiting students now. It will be highlighted at the forthcoming Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Assembly, which takes place in Swanwick from 22nd-25th February.