Over the past couple of months, members of the diocesan and deanery teams have met with representatives of every church in our Diocese for a 45-minute conversation on the church’s current missional and financial health.
The aim was to help understand if the interventions being made as part of our transformation journey are working and whether further support would help improve the health and sustainability of each church. This research will inform our second funding proposal to the national church’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board from which we hope to attract further funding to build on our existing priorities of doubling the number of children and young people, creating 100 new worshipping communities and ensuring there is a church of at least 150 people in each major area of population, as well as effectively equipping our clergy and lay leaders on their missional journey.
Emerging themes
The conversations gave churches an opportunity to challenge the available data and tell some of the stories that sit behind that data. Diocesan Secretary, Andy Todd, said: “We know that the data doesn’t tell the full story, and as well as enabling us to correct it where necessary we were able to gain a much richer picture than would have been possible otherwise. However, it was also important to name our current reality as churches – in many cases the present is difficult, and the future looks even more challenging. We want to accompany our parishes through those times as well as we can, as well as celebrating the sources of joy and encouragement.”
Throughout the conversations, there were some key themes around aging congregations, the struggle of building repairs and other financial issues. Parishes also reported varying success with ministry to children, young people and family. Many churches had strong relationships with their local schools but were looking for more support and resources to attract and retain young families. There was also a need for fundraising support and leadership development for both our stipendiary clergy and ordained and lay volunteers.
Facilitator feedback
Alongside Andy and the Archdeacons, conversations were also facilitated by Sarah Dangerfield (Area Dean of Pershore & Evesham and Vicar of villages outside Pershore), Julia Curtis (Vicar in the Muddy Boots Rural Mission Area) and Glenn Reading (Vicar in Redditch).
Julia said: “I found the conversations deeply encouraging, as they highlighted the vibrant work being done in our churches and communities. I was delighted to be asked to be involved in the project and was not disappointed by what the conversations revealed. One important theme that emerged was the need to support those caring for churches facing significant transitions, including the difficult reality of potential future closures in a few cases.
“Despite these challenges, the dedication of those working to further God's Kingdom was truly inspiring. It felt like a pivotal Kairos moment—an opportunity for meaningful change in the work of the Church. Reflecting on Matthew 9:35-38, I am reminded that while the harvest is plentiful, the labourers are few. My prayer is that these conversations bear fruit and that targeted initiatives will unlock the potential identified for each church.”
Sarah commented: “It was very clear that rural churches are key to building community in their local areas and there is lots of community engagement happening. These activities are not always though, about faith and discipleship. We need to find ways to help people come to faith and continue to grow in discipleship in a rural context. The changing role of clergy was also often a key part of the conversation along with the changing nature of volunteering and increasing professionalism required. Current diocesan support in such areas as Safeguarding, HR, buildings and grant applications is appreciated by parishes, and more support in these areas would help local churches focus on mission and nurture. The conversations were particularly wonderful with those churches who had a vibrant sense of worship!”
Glenn said: “It was humbling to hear the narrative of work in parishes and the effect this has on the lives of both the worshipping and wider communities and to link these stories with the hard data of facts and figures. The churches were able to be open and honest about the challenges they face, acknowledging that some geographical areas and demographics are hard to engage with, yet in the face of such challenges there was cautious optimism as we trust in God's call and follow the leading of the Spirit. There was a real desire for parishes to collaborate with each other and the wider diocese as we work together as the family of God in this place to see the Kingdom built little by little, one grace filled life at a time.”
Going forward
At the end of each conversation, the church and facilitator were asked to agree together the category into which each church fitted which best described their financial and missional health. This list of our churches will continue to be analysed as we develop our next proposal for funding from the national church so we can look to put the most effective support in place to enable them to continue to grow in health and sustainability. There will be more communication on this as the proposal develops.
Andy concluded: “We wanted these conversations to be hopeful as well as realistic and for the most part, that seems to have been the case. I am thankful to all those who helped us facilitate the meetings and for all the churches who engaged with them positively. Many of those we spoke to told us they appreciated the opportunity to speak honestly about the challenges they are facing. We are proud that we managed to speak to representatives of every church, and this will certainly influence how we continue to tackle our key priorities going forward.”
