Setting up a Roundtable

Where should I start?

If you are feeling encouraged to start a Roundtable, please consider the following:

Seek God

Ask Him if He is leading you to start a Roundtable. This could be around a ministry area, a passion, a work commitment, around one of the seven cultural ‘mountains’, or pillars of society (business, government, family, media, arts and entertainment, faith and education).

Meet with someone on the core team before starting the roundtable

Email transformingessex@gmail.com saying you are thinking about starting a Roundtable. We will then arrange for someone on the core team to be in touch with you, as soon as possible, to meet with you, listen to your ideas, encourage you and make sure you feel supported in what you are doing. This is not a process of asking permission, this is us, the team, making sure we build relationally, in love, and ensuring you are strengthened and championed as you step out into the things God is calling you to do. It’s really important you do meet with someone before you start so we can track the difference we are making in the county. If we do not know about the existence of any Roundtables being set up we cannot champion, support and celebrate what God is doing in that place—which we would want to do.

Consider your connections

Talk to your leaders and friends, are you already connected to people who could join you?

Reflect on timing

Just because you can lead something doesn’t always mean you should—right now. Sometime’s God is leading you, but the timing isn’t quite right. Be mindful of this when you pray and ask God for his wisdom and clarity.

Commit

Consider the commitments laid out in the document below. Are you clear on what would be expected of you?

The Core Team's committment to you

The Core Team of Transforming Essex commit to:

Relate to the roundtables according to the cultural values laid out in the Vision document.

Be present with support, encouragement, empowerment and celebration.

To communicate your good news and prayer points in central meetings where appropriate.

To pray for you and your roundtable.

Your Commitment to Transforming Essex

You commit to:

To keep the TE vision and cultural values at the centre of everything you think, believe and do.

To facilitate and protect the culture of TE in your roundtable.

To follow the 5C’s.

To attend training days and meetings as best you can for equipping, to feed into the overall vision, and to share what is happening in your roundtable.

To arrange your own channels of communication for promotion of events and for recruitment to the table. You may want to consider the use of social media, Whatsapp, newsletters and mailing lists. The Core Team will support you but will not be responsible for the communications of your events, prayer points and plans.

And finally!

In Transforming Essex we are reaching for something big, walking a new and unfamiliar path. Roundtables are a key part of our journey so we want to encourage you to also think big and go for it, carrying our Father’s passion to see “Every aspect of Essex transformed by the creative genius of God’s radical love, from generation to generation”.