THE VISION
mojo stands for 'Ministers Of Jesus Out there'.
We train ordinary believers to do the ministry Jesus did - wherever they are in everyday life. If Jesus did it and taught His disciples to do it - then, by God's grace & power, so can we. And its not just learning to witness and share our story - but being ready to prophesy, pray for healing and deliverance and - should it ever be required - even raising someone from the dead.
TRAINING
We do most of our training in live environments away from home towns and churches where even Jesus found it difficult. We've also noticed that people are less inhibited and need to rely more on the Holy Spirit when they are in unfamiliar surroundings. People either come as an individual or as part of a church group. Whilst we recognise that individually they may have potential in a particular gift we believe in giving everyone a basic level of competency in everything Jesus did. We combine role-play workshops with exposure to live scenarios. We've found that this hands-on, in-at-the-deep-end approach is the most effective way to get people beyond any self-imposed limitations they may have. Teaching runs alongside the training not in front of it.
We always pair up people who are experienced with those who are just beginning. There is never any pressure to approach people, quite the opposite - we encourage people to relax and let God's presence do the heavy-lifting. Above all we try to keep an atmosphere of light-heartedness and fun. When members of the public see us like this - they're much more more likely to be drawn to us and engage in conversation. We always try and link up with the local church in the area where we're training. Sometimes they send people out to join us or offer to pray for us before we head out. If anybody does get healed or saved during the training we connect them in before we leave so their new found faith can be nurtured where they live.
We offer 3 kinds of Training Trip:
1. Day trips,: Ideal for newcomers to dip a toe-in-the-water or for church leaders to have a taster-experience before organising a mojo for their church. We often go to coastal towns which draw lots of visitors, engagement tends to be easier and there's an underlying sense of fun.
2. Long weekends: These are 2/3 day trips - ideal for churches who want a mojo-experience for their members. There's more time for a broader range of training experiences in different contexts eg. pubs, bowling alley's, ice rinks. Also more time to unpack the scriptures that underpin the concepts of every member ministry and the priesthood of all believers. These trips often conclude at a Sunday service where people can share stories of what God has done on the mojo-trip and inspire others to raise their game.
3. Overseas Trips: We are about to do our first week-long experience in Malaga in Spain for a team of 16 from different churches. Deliberately weaving together the vibe of a 'family holiday' with rigorous ministry training & practise - its modelling life-to-the-full whilst learning to be ready for anything.
On all these trips we're a bit like kingdom-commandos on exercise - we're exercising our ministry muscles and learning to use all the tools in our spiritual tool-kit responsibly and effectively. Not just with His presence and word but also with His power. When we return home we can more fully live out our call as plain-clothed priests & ministers in our neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools, sports clubs and uni's. Its a game-changer for our faith and in time we can make disciples of our own, passing on all that we've learned. This 2 minute animation is a summary of all the basic principles;
MOJO FOR EVERYONE
Over the years we've identified three rough categories of people who tend to come on a mojo trip:
1. Christians who have always lived out this priestly call - almost since the day they first received the Spirit. Sometimes this personal ministry has not been fully recognised by the church - so in mojo we affirm all they've been doing, encourage them to broaden their capability and invite them to share their expertise with others.
2. Christians who may have had a period in their lives when they were doing this kind of ministry either in their churches or as part of a short-term evangelism initiative - but they've never done it outside church, or for some reason its just dried up. We encourage them to start doing it again, beyond-the-walls to make it part of their everyday life not just something they do in church.
3. For some - even though they may have been going to church for years - this whole concept of being a minister/priest capable of living like the disciples in Acts might be completely new. So we start from scratch - helping them understand the full extent of what they have inherited from Jesus through the Spirit's anointing. Then - as quickly as possible we get them up and out into live environments, well supported and able to watch how others do it . When they get their first taste of God using them, it changes everything Here's a 3 minute video of one of our long-weekend training trips, we call them Wild Weekends because we take people out into 'untamed' spaces.
GATHERING
Alongside this model of dynamic discipleship is our model for gathering. We currently do this monthly in Edenbridge for both local people and those from other areas who've been on a mojo trip and can share their experiences. We call it 'The Changing Room' based loosely on the analogy of a football team. Like any changing room - its not meant to be an end in itself - but a place to recover, heal and re-boot so we are ready to go out and live as everyday ministers building the kingdom on the 'pitch-of-every-day-life'. As leaders in this we see ourselves like football managers – a back-line of encouragement and support to ordinary believers who are actually the real players in this game. They begin to see themselves as plain-clothed-priests not just church-goers, and recognise that their everyday contexts are in fact their 'parishes' where they can expect to see the kingdom come as God uses them in big and small ways.
For some its a complete game-changer!
OTHER EXPRESSIONS OF MOJO
- As well as the training trips and gatherings, we have some local expressions of mojo in action: These include:
- mojo music which are acoustic singalongs in local pubs, a great way to connect with people who wouldn't otherwise come to church.
- prayerworks which offers healing-prayer in people's homes and at local events. A chance for non-believers to experience God at a time of need.
- www.highamfamilycamp.com our annual wild-camp at home where we invite all kinds of people we know or have recently met to experience a kingdom vibe in a beautiful 7 acre field overlooking the River Eden.
MOJO FOUNDERS
MOJO was founded by Jeremy & Esther Higham.
Background: The idea for it first sparked when they were running a film production company in their home-town of Edenbridge. They noticed a marked difference in the capability of the young people they had apprenticed on-the-job and those who came to them from more lecture-based film schools. They recognised that if Christians were to become more capable and confident to minister outside the walls of their churches they would need to train them not just teach them
To teach filming skills to charities and churches they had created a fun hands-on workshop called videoschool so anyone could have a go. They decided to take a similar approach to the ministry of Jesus - making it accessible and fun to everyone in a series of practical training exercises.
Influences: Jeremy & Esther were initially inspired by Pete Grieg's description of a modern day disciple in 'The Vision' and made the first video of it with Pete back in 2000. www.https://jeremyhigham.com/the-vision Following this they were then comissioned by Channel 4 to make a TV documentary with 24-7 prayer in Ibiza. Out there they saw how quickly young people grew in faith and boldness when they put their faith into action in challenging live environments. https://www.jeremyhigham.com/god-bless-ibiza
But their main influence is the experience of 'The 72' when they were sent out by Jesus - and the joy with which they returned to Him having 'overcome the spirits' with power and ability they thought only Jesus, or special people, possessed.
Training: Jeremy & Esther were initially trained in ministry at St.Marys Bryanston Square by Rev.'s John Peters & Barry Kissell. They went on to travel and teach ministry to other churches in the UK and overseas. They studied theology at Westminster Theological Centre then Pioneer Ministry at Ridley Hall in Cambridge.
Commissioning: In early 2025 they completed a 2 year learning pathway with MYRIAD the Church of England church-planting initiative and were commissioned by Bishop Thorpe to 'form a new church community for mojo'. This is still in formation as they seek to find the right model to build & train communities with a high-bar for discipleship and an outward facing mindset:
ADVISORY BOARD
The team that supports mojo is made up of experienced ministers from a variety of different backgrounds and denominations.
- Rev Alwyn Pereira - Vicar of Aldershot
- Rev David Lloyd - Head of Church Planting Diocese of Norwich
- Rev Canon Dr. John McGinley - Head of Myriad
- Dr. Crispin Fletcher Louis - Founder Westminster Theology Centre
- Rev Bola Adamolekun - Former Chaplain HMP Wandsworth & Brixton
- Canon Rachel Gardner - Leader of St Lukes, Blackburn UK
- Rev Sheila Porter - Hub Leader Myriad South East
- Rev Carole Jenkins - Baptist Minister Eden Church, Edenbridge (Retired)
- Rev Matt Hemsley - City Church Charlotte USA
Safeguarding: Safeguarding really matters to us - both for those who we help to train and those who are recipients of our prayer etc. We are members of Thirty One Eight Safeguarding network and our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Becky Jordan. If you would like more detail on this please let us know.