Applications open on
Monday 17th February 2025

CLOSING DATE:
TUESDAY 18TH MARCH, 2025

DO YOU HAVE a new or innovative idea and desire to communicate the gospel to everyone and introduce them to Jesus?

Are you passionate about a creative gift you have eg music, art, poetry, storytelling, digital art etc., and want to use it to build relationship with people in your community and introduce them to Jesus? 

Do you want to explore your creative self, as created by a creative God and find out how you can use your gifts for worship, mission and outreach?

The Methodist Church in Ireland is committed to the ongoing learning and development of its lay people and to the ministries they are involved in. Creative Ministries grants are available to enable development in relation to worship, mission and outreach.

These grants are available to lay people within the Methodist Church in Ireland, whether voluntary or employed, for exploring, starting or maintaining creative ministries within their local church/context.

The Ministries Team and the Home Mission Team will review applications against the criteria and requirements below when making the decision to award a grant.  Applicants should take into account the procedure set out below. Depending on the number of applications, it may be necessary to limit the number of grants made.

Criteria

HOME MISSION & MINISTRIES TEAM CREATIVE MINISTRIES FUNDING REQUEST

We will consider applications from lay people in the Methodist Church in Ireland for a financial contribution towards your creative ministry proposal. 

Maximum awards will normally be up to £1000/€1200.

Criteria: at least one of which should apply to your proposal.

  1. The commencement of an aspect of creative ministry in the local church or through a Mission initiative.

  2.  The development of a ministry by taking a more creative direction.

  3.  An opportunity to visit and learn from another church context or organisation, who are using creative methods in ministry.

  4.  An opportunity to train or upskill in a particular creative ministry and for that skill to then to be used in their local church/community.

  5.  An opportunity to carry out a piece of research on creative ministry and its benefits to the life of the church/community.

Requirements

The funding is only for creative ministries for your particular local community/church and each applicant must agree to the following requirements:

  1. The creative ministry must be related to worship, mission and outreach.

  2. A face-to-face conversation/s with Ministries Team/Home Mission teams to simply explore the experience itself, the learning and how this can possibly feed back into the life and work of MCI.

  3. Writing a news article to be published at irishmethodist.org - shared across our social media channels, and forwarded to the Methodist Newsletter for publication.

  4. Receipt of proof of expenses up to the value of the funding provided.

Apply now

PROCEDURE

To make an application, answer the following questions and return to ministries@irishmethodist.org.

  1. Outline the overall purpose, aims and nature of the creative ministry proposal (word limit 750).

  2. Using at least one of the criteria above, illustrate how this proposal fits a creative ministry setting (word limit 500).

  3. How might this ministry benefit the local community/church (word limit 250)?

  4. How much do you estimate the proposal will cost?

  5. How much are you requesting from MT/HM?

Please include your name, contact details and the name of your church and minister/lay worker.

If more information is needed for the Home Missions/Ministries Team to make an informed decision about your grant request, we will contact both you and your local minister/lay worker.