Besom can help you unlock your response to God, 'Yes, Send Me! by helping you to consider 'How?' Starting up a new Besom is exciting as you dig deeper into answering the call of God to bless those in need, and draw others alongside you to outwork this Vision and Mission!
Every Besom has a different, local expression of the Vision. Maybe you have a heart for the poor already, but want to help more believers discover God's heart for the poor? Or you have a desire for discipleship and discipling others? Visiting or participating in a Besom starts a journey that will unlock God's purposes in you. As part of the Besom family, we will walk alongside you as you seek to enable others to serve those in need.
The 5 steps to starting a Besom
There is no set timescale to setting up a Besom. Evidence shows that God will make it clear when you should start. Having a good amount of time to pray and seek the Lord beforehand is the best possible foundation for your Besom, don’t rush into action. We are here to pray and support you all the way: linking you to others who want to set up in your area, and enabling you to visit and experience a typical Besom day for yourself at a nearby Besom.
Got questions about starting a Besom? Join us for our 'Five steps to starting a Besom' webinar. They take place on the last Thursday of every month. Join us to find out more. We'd love to see you there.
Last Thursday of the month | 7:30PM
Zoom log-in ID: 736 354 4303
No passcode required
Step 1
Gather, Pray, Wait
The first step is to gather people to pray with you:
An ideal situation would be around 6 people from 3 or 4 churches. Besom is a cross-church ministry so having Christians from different churches involved, from the outset, sets you in good stead for the future. Having multiple people involved to pray (rather than just one person) builds community and support.
Pray and seek God’s wisdom:
Ask Him to show you who to approach.
Ask Him to provide opportunities to share about the Besom vision
Ask Him to prepare people’s hearts to hear about Besom
Wait for the right time…
Step 2
Prepare and learn
Get in touch with us at the Besom Network who will pray for you and be able to put you in touch with your nearest Besom. From building these relationships you will be able to seek advice and support as well as joining your local “Cluster” of Besoms. Connecting with others in the Besom
Network is key - it will help you experience how other Besoms run, hear and experience incredible answers to prayer and give you a space to ask questions.
Get familiar with Besom’s vision and values. Besom can be quite upside down in the way you might expect it to operate, for example: be prepared not to ask for things on a weekly basis! The vision and values are great to reflect back to when faced with difficult choices. Throughout all these things, keep praying. God delights in answering your prayers!
Step 3
Core team
Next, start to draw together your Core Team. This may well include most of the people from your original prayer group.
The best way to form a team follows the same idea - 5 or 6 people from 3 or 4 churches. Having a team, rather than an individual, run your Besom is the best practice, it involves time and a variety of skills to run a Besom that one person shouldn’t do alone. Including people from different churches sets Besom in good stead to serve the Church and wider community as a whole, in your area.
Step 4
Spread the vision
Whilst you continue to pray, there are a number of things you can do to spread the vision. Tell others about what you are up to; share your heart with friends and family. If you can, get in touch with local churches and Pastors and ask for a small slot to share your vision for a local Besom. You could also ask to chat with home groups and youth groups. Another brilliant way to share is to organise a “Besom Launch Evening” - invite Christians from across your community and individuals who God has placed on your heart to come and hear more about your Besom vision.
Step 5
Getting going
There might be an area of Besom giving you would particularly like to focus on to start with. Every Besom runs slightly differently, some only facilitate projects, others facilitate money giving and others do projects or everything. Pray and seek God for His wisdom on where to start.
After you have gathered your Core Team, shared with others and launched your Besom - you are ready to get going! Keep praying and the Besom Network is here for any resources you might need. A great idea to get started is organising a project for your Core Team. This allows the core team to experience all the different aspects of a project before widening it for others to be involved. Get in touch with others in your Besom Cluster and they will be able to help you organise this.
Got questions?
We're looking to grow our national coverage as a network. If you would like to know more about setting up a Besom in your area, or be connected to others near you, just get in touch. We'd love to help you discover more about how you can transform your community with God's love by setting up a Besom with others who are passionate too.
