A Listening Service is an Acorn initiative where people are using the skills and attitudes learned in Christian Listener training courses to respond to needs of the wider community, not just the needs of the local church. These initiatives may be developed by people in a particular church or group of churches or be a new or existing secular initiative in which CL trained listeners are involved.

As we recognise how vital good listening is and take the time to listen, we can come alongside people in our community, make relationships and build bridges.

The listening ethos should be a fundamental part of our Christian mission and ministry, if it is we will begin to see hope restored and individual lives and communities healed.

Acorn has a Listening Service Coordinator who works alongside the Regional Staff in order to encourage those who undertake CL training to consider how listening might play an integral role in building bridges with the local community through new or existing initiatives.

Listening - Building Bridges in the Community is a resource which aims to offer some ideas about how to bridge the gap between church and the local community: how to listen to God, to the needs around us, and to ourselves, so that we can begin to bring the love of Jesus Christ to our broken world in tangible ways.

It details some of the Listening courses and resources available from Acorn; it describes typical processes through which a vision for a Listening initiative in the local community is birthed and realised and also gives practical guidance on how this can be established and developed.

Building Bridges is available as a free download from this site