Pilgrim Course meeting discipleship needs

14/10/2016

The Pilgrim discipleship course has become the most significant series for Church House Publishing since Common Worship, selling 130,000 copies since its launch in 2013.

There have been more than 25,000 views and 6,000 downloads of the free video materials in the past year alone. Pilgrim is also being used across the world: in Denmark, Canada, Australia, with young people in the United Arab Emirates and, with the Church Publishing Inc version, in the USA.

Because of its versatility, Pilgrim is used in contexts that appeal to non-Christians, helping them feel comfortable and relaxed with the subject. As well as homes and churches, Pilgrim groups are happening in prisons, pubs and with other Christian seekers. Pilgrim is an effective tool for mission, engages people on the fringes of church and encourages them to take further steps on their discipleship journey.

To celebrate the third anniversary of Pilgrim, Church House Publishing is surveying users (https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Pilgrimsurvey2016) to help build a comprehensive picture of how Pilgrim is being used and to develop further resources to meet the discipleship needs of the Church. In the first major survey, 95% of users said they would run another Pilgrim Course and the same proportion would recommend it to another church: 87% of those surveyed said that Pilgrim had helped to deepen faith and discipleship.

Future plans

A Pilgrim 'Catechism' in digital and print form will be published by Easter 2017, with all-new interactive and video elements available free online and in app form.

Youth Pilgrim, a new resource aimed at the 14-19 age range, authored by Paula Gooder, Martyn Snow and Alice Smith is in development and will be piloted in early 2017, with publication due in 2018.

Some feedback from Pilgrim users

  • "We love Pilgrim! The content is open, accessible and gets people really talking faith!"
    Anna Norman-Walker, Canon Chancellor of Exeter Cathedral
  • "Superb resource."
    Chantal MasonUniversity of Exeter
  • "Clearly material through which many grow in God."
    Jonathan Kimber
  • "The Pilgrim course continues to be a great blessing."
    Dennis Croome, Barlaston Church
  • "Have led a couple, really enjoyable and get great engagement. It's a brilliant course, well worth doing."
    St Andrew Edgware
  • "We are starting our fifth Pilgrim course. They have all been very good."
    Barbara Sharp, St Paul's, Sale
  • "It's a joy to use such well-produced resources."
    Canon Murray Harvey, St Mark's, Clayfield, Brisbane, Australia
  • "Great evening with our Bible study group tonight looking at Bible Basics with the help of Pilgrim. Minds a bit blown!"
    St Peter & Paul, Flitwick
  • "The Pilgrim Course has provided us with the necessary tools to explore few basic principles of the faith and to rediscover what it means to be disciples - people who constantly learn from Jesus. This is great!"
    All Saints, Houghton Regis
  • "Last of our Bible Pilgrim course tonight and it has been another winner. Honest, open discussion, friends made and talking faith." "Wonderful Pilgrim course . . . Love, Faith, sharing, energy and smiles. Real fellowship."
    Claines Church
  • "The joy of Christian fellowship is better than anything I have experienced in my life. You just know when the group is gelling and learning from each other." "Enjoying . . . The Creeds, amazing how much is packed into them and how much there is to learn from them."
    Janet Binns, St Nicholas Hedsor with St Mark's Bourne End
  • "All enjoyed the fruitful discipline of lectio divina."
    Christopher Hancock, St Mary's Ewell