An invitation to redefine success – not by what we achieve but by how we live.
“In a world where success is the measure and justification of all things the figure of Him who was sentenced and crucified remains a stranger and is at best the object of pity. The world will allow itself to be subdued only by success” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
The “How to be (un)successful” course is a thought-provoking course inspiring us to reorient our longings and desires, learning to choose God’s plan over good ideas, relationships over relevance and depth over meaningless noise.
Nowadays it seems as if everyone wants to be successful, whether we’re volunteering, in paid employment, looking after someone in need, helping out or praying for things to change. But what does success even mean? And in our increasingly polarised and comparison-rife world, as many of us find our hearts longing for an ever-elusive “success”, it’s worth another look. So if you’re done with trying to answer the question, “what have you got to show for your life?”, if you’re open to redefining success, this course is for you.
Click picture for video
Who is this for?
If you’ve ever wanted to be a success, but maybe not felt comfortable with that thought and what it might mean, this course is for you. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “am I successful?”, this course is for you. If you’re trying to work through the idea that success is part of following Jesus not what the world around you is saying, this course is for you.
“To be human is to be animated and oriented by some vision of the good life, some picture of what we think counts as “flourishing”. And we want that. We crave it. We desire it… We are oriented by our longings, directed by our desires” (J K A Smith)
What does the course explore?
In 6 weeks we’ll be covering topics such as relationships, relevance, growing in depth rather than volume, and living in power and participation.
The sessions and themes are:
15th September
Session 1: Success is…Following God’s Calling over Good Ideas
22nd September
Session 2: Success is…Pursuing Relationship over Relevance
29th September
Session 3: Success is…Growing in Depth rather than Volume
6th October
Session 4: Success is…Transforming Instead of Transferring
13th October
Session 5: Success is…Being a Faithful Presence in the Culture Wars
20th October
Session 6: Success is…Living in Power and Participation
Each session includes a short video presentation followed by discussion and sharing together. We’ll start at 7.30pm and aim to finish around 8.30pm each Tuesday.
The course materials are professionally produced by the 24/7 prayer team. The course will be led by Brian Senior and others.
Where will it be running?
St Lawrence Church Centre
33 Countess Lilias Rd
Cirencester GL7 1UD
How much will it cost?
There’s no charge for being part of this course
Book your Place
Contact us
briansenior@cirenparish.co.uk