What we are for
Church Reimagined is a community in Nottingham centred on the life, message and example of Jesus. We want to build stronger, more inclusive communities where no one is left out. Our vision is shaped by the Bible and by our understanding of God as a God of love, justice and radical inclusion.
We believe church is a movement for good in our neighbourhoods and in the wider world. We also recognise that churches have sometimes caused harm and that inherited ways of doing things can get in the way of their purpose. That’s part of why we want to reimagine church. Our gatherings, worship and shared practices matter because they help us live out what we believe together. As our community grows and we learn from one another, those practices can change too.
Connection, belonging and community
Connection with God and belonging together is at the heart of everything we do.
We put relationships first. We build community by doing things together and sharing responsibility for one another.
We believe we’re made to belong to one another and that together we reflect the God who exists in community. Jesus brings love of God and love of neighbour together as the greatest commandments. For us, that means making space to deepen both relationships at the same time.
We do that through shared meals, conversation, prayer, worship, art and silence. People encounter God in different ways, so we want our gatherings to be informal and accessible, with room to participate in ways that feel right for each person. We want to build friendships where people can ask honest questions, support one another and discover more about who they are and what gives their lives meaning.
Inclusion
God is the great includer.
We centre our community on Jesus and make room for everyone. LGBTQ+ people belong fully, and we keep looking for barriers we can remove.
We believe everyone is already included in God’s love. You don’t need to hold particular beliefs, call yourself a Christian or become a member to belong here. What draws us together is the life, message and example of Jesus.
We welcome and celebrate LGBTQ+ people in every part of our community life and leadership. We know that people can face barriers to belonging because of disability, neurodivergence, race, gender, religion or economic circumstances. Inclusion asks us to listen to those experiences and change practices that keep people from taking part. The whole community grows when people can bring their experiences, questions and gifts to it.
Place-based
Churches must be rooted in place.
We see the wellbeing of our whole neighbourhood as part of our calling as a church.
The life of Jesus and the story of the early church unfolded in particular places, among people with real relationships, needs and hopes. For us, being church means being part of Nottingham and paying attention to what life is like in the neighbourhoods where we gather.
We want to know our neighbours, learn what matters to them and work alongside people who are already making a difference. We see that work as part of being church. It means caring about the wellbeing of the whole neighbourhood, including people who may never come to one of our gatherings.
Justice, activism and care for the whole person
Justice is love in action.
We see challenging injustice, offering practical care and making space for spiritual life as connected parts of being church.
Inspired by Jesus, we want to challenge poverty, inequality and exclusion. That starts with listening to people affected by injustice and working alongside them to change the conditions that make life harder.
Jesus saw people as whole. Housing, education, health, relationships and spiritual life all affect one another. A person who is isolated may need friendship and somewhere to belong alongside practical support. We want our life as a church to make room for both, including opportunities to explore what gives life meaning and purpose. Our gatherings are one part of that wider commitment to the flourishing of our neighbours.
Rooted, open and evolving theology
We grapple with theology together.
We explore faith together without pressure to agree, and we’re willing to question our own assumptions.
We read the Bible as a library of voices from communities that have wrestled with their understanding of God over thousands of years. It contains insights, disagreements and difficult passages. Reading it together gives us room to bring our experiences, questions and doubts into conversation with those voices and with the life of Jesus.
We know that theology has sometimes been used to exclude or harm people. That makes it important to keep examining our own assumptions and to listen when someone’s experience challenges what we thought we knew. You’re welcome to explore faith with us, wherever you’re starting from. We expect our understanding to grow as we learn from God and one another.
“Any theology that is indifferent to the theme of liberation is not Christian theology”
— James Cone