Going for Growth

1. Going for Growth In Central Wolverhampton

2. Adult Usual Sunday Attendance Church 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 St Peter 120 121 122 133 156 St John 34 33 32 32 20 All Saints 17 19 21 24 17 St Chad/M 32 32 33 35 40 St Luke 92 90 80 74 68 St Andrew 40 38 36 32 St Jude 151 146 151 140 143 Cluster 486 479 475 470 476

3. Child Usual Sunday Attendance Church 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 St Peter 30 22 14 21 35 St John 1 0 2 1 1 All Saints 7 7 6 7 4 St Chad/M 16 13 10 10 8 St Luke 17 15 12 14 13 St Andrew 5 8 12 6 St Jude 96 76 70 42 42 Cluster 172 141 126 101 109

4. St Peter • Numbers showing growth exaggerated? • 11am Main service can have 130 • Strength in the choir, also base for youth work – children bring parents • If you can keep the children & parents when they leave the choir, growth is inevitable! • (needs good youth work & youth music)

5. St Peter • Civic and visitor church – good hospitality & welcome might draw some in • Priority to improve after-service care • ‘Open Door’ and school music ministry • Major appeal for visitor-offer, organ & Learning Centre (£1m) • Good links with Meths & RCs

6. St Peter • Eclectic city-centre congregation with lots of visitors inc students and overseas • How can people find a way in to the heart of the church community? • Perhaps you should look at developing small groups, including (eg) specialist ones for singles/overseas, for relational glue

7. St John • Small congregation, care well for each other • Now in vacancy • Cut off from parish by ring road • Splendid building, good for concerts • Shopping area expanding to its doorstep • New city-living, young adults, nightlife • Might fund initiatives through re-developing flats/hall adjacent

8. St John • Develop as a city-centre resource while sustaining the existing congregation • Could it be the base for a new city-centre young adult fresh expression of church? • And so develop a ministry to the city-centre scene? • Together with the Methodists

9. Young Adult Fresh Expression • Large young adult congregations exist in many city centre locations • Can we appoint a church planter? • We have a strategy for a young adult church-planter in each major pop centre (Stoke, Telford, West Brom) • Vision for the building but flexibility of concept • Sources of finance – Bridgebuilders Fund, Growth Fund, Methodists

10. Young Adult Fresh Expression • This would not take money away from existing posts or budgets – an extra • We hope to manage three years’ initial funding • Application in to Growth Fund – appoint next year if all goes well

11. All Saints • In area of deprivation & most members no longer live in area so hard to make links • In vacancy – 0.5 available in about a year • Sunday am service c20 people – warm, welcoming, foundation for growth • Problems with past re-ordering (no link between church & comm centre sections)

12. All Saints • AS school closed, re-developing as community facility - time to look at place of church facilities • Growth may come through schools and community-facility links • And worship styles appropriate for local people • And serious prayer for local community from a mission-minded congregation

13. St Chad & Mark • Two congregations now well integrated • Talented congregation committed to being a community church, good social/ethnic mix • Youth club in back of church • Hall (dilapidated) well used for eg English as 2nd language classes • Re-develop site as a learning hub? (young families, child, youth provision, hall for parties)

14. St Chad & Mark • Could worship space be opened up for multi-use during week? (pews to chairs?) • Looking at Godly Play • 70-80 committed members but average 40 adults on Sundays – never know who in advance! • Need clarity of vision for next stage

15. The Central Team • Lots of big issues and expensive projects • St Peter development/New era for St Johns/ All Saints Building/St Chad learning hub • Needing co-ordination, courage, vision • And a clear sense of priorities and the place in the big picture • Not to mention a mountain of money • Community projects are great but you have to grow congregations to deliver & sustain them!

16. St Luke • Evan/BCP tradition but 2x month 8am/ 6.30pm BCP congs are small (3-4/15-22) • 11am Contemporary style 50-60 adults & 10-20 children with two Sun School groups • Area in process of re-development inc new St Lukes infant & junior school • New housing around Pond Lane mission, but a threat to the building

17. St Luke • 4x year school services – more parents coming – can this be developed? • After-school worship event in the new school? • Th am drop in/clothes sale – can this develop through community to worship to church? • Growth strategy through evangelism, Bible teaching, a range of courses providing pathways from unbelief to maturity

18. St Luke • 5 year goals 2003-8 (more men, Sun att of 150, 2 extra workers, evan among asians, salt in community) • Ageing cong, shortage of leaders, costly building. Despite these: • Some progress (a few new men, recent growth in nos, curate & childrens worker, links with Asian Chr Fell) • So there is hope for future growth

19. St Andrew • Migrant, high pop turnover area, school closures/falling rolls • Older cong members find rapid change hard • Church at mercy of outside forces eg young families moved out to other areas by council • Three tenant congs (Latvian, Afro-Carib, Hungarian) – can you make closer links? Identify other groups and find a pastor?

20. St Andrew • Social involvement – City Challenge etc & good inter-faith links esp post 9-11 Muslims • Mandated Ministry Team shrinking • Regeneration money for bld (phone-care, drop in) • Natural Ch Dev profile – poor in loving relationships, hard to break in to core group

21. St Andrew • 8am 2-5 people 10am c 30 people • Wed am 5-10 people Fri even HC small • Sun 4pm new this year monthly families service – stared with 10 families had contact with – promising start, good choice of time • Growth hopes – better welcome/integration; links into ethnic groups & churches;Sun 4

22. St Jude • Steady numbers – glass ceiling church • Sun am good spread of ages and ethnic mix, growing numbers in 2005 • Sun even grown recently through ‘Bible speaks today’ informal, interactive format • NCD weakness in small groups (essential in larger congs) – being tackled

23. St Jude • Alpha been key to new life – kept courses going since 1996. Without it nos down to 80 or 90? • New Stip & OLM curates – new initiatives/growth • New pastoral care team keeping track of people • About to appoint a FT children & families outreach worker • Getting ingredients in place for breaking through the Glass Ceiling

24. The Family Church – 1 to 50 members (45%?) • Dominated by a few dynasties • Church as extended family • Can be hard to join – gatekeepers • Everyone knows everyone else • Can have high level community & continuity • Minister is chaplain to the family

25. The Pastoral Church – 50 to 150 members (100 adults – 45%?) • The family entrust greater leadership to the minister • The minister is pastor to everyone • High expectations of personal care • Easy to join because key relationship is with the minister • A good minister can grow the Church, but only up to the pastoral care ceiling, and the growth is vulnerable to the minister leaving • What most clergy are trained for and expect

26. The multiple benefice church • One minister serves several churches • Each is either a family or pastoral church but the minister is not around enough to play the full ministerial role • Minister gives back up to lay ministries to fill gaps • Frantic effort to avoid real change and to manage decline? • Or a way of de-clericalising for organic growth?

27. The Programme Church 150-400 members (100-300 adults – 9%?) • A range of ministries & lay-led programmes • Small groups & extended pastoral-care net • Assistant staff and formal administration • Teams, specialisation and collaboration • Minister resources programmes,enables the ministry of others, gives dynamic vision & leads others in mission -more of a manager than a pastor • Problems with belonging,communication, and burnout

28. The Resource Church – over 400 people (300 adults – 1%?) • Multiple congregations • Team of specialist staff i.c. own areas • Volunteer ministries become professional • A quality magnet but voyeurism & turnover • Some people may be underused • Minister is chairman rather than manager • Can resource other churches but may be unpopular

29. The Glass Ceiling • Lies between the pastoral church and the programme church • It operates like a non-return valve • Can raise it slightly by working harder • Can raise it more by introducing assistant staff • But the only practical way of breaking through to continuous growth is for the whole church to live in a different way

30. The Glass Ceiling - Evidence Adult uSa fall through rise through ratio 200 44 17 1 to 3 180 49 20 1 to 2 160 47 17 1 to 3 140 53 8 1 to 7 120 70 25 1 to 3 100 85 31 1 to 3 80 80 33 1 to 2 60 101 32 1 to 3 Churches in six dioceses over varying periods

31. The Glass Ceiling –how to break through Not easy –most fail - they don’t see the ceiling The whole church must be involved A different job description for the vicar Recognise, release, resource gifts/ministries Go with the flow of talents – round pegs Get pastoral care better organised Small groups, multiply small congregations Money matters – empowers change/pays for posts

32. Eight changes that lead to church growth In general churches only grow when they change • Surveys show that churches that don’t change are shrinking, churches that do change are probably growing • Not every change is associated with growth – new prayer books or hymn books are not • But usually the choice is change or decay

33. Survey results –innovations and electoral roll change Churches ER change% ER making… 96-02 change No innovation - 917 -22 17 Min 1 innovation + 166 +3 32 no. of churches

34. Eight changes that lead to church growth • Planting new congregations • Making worship less formal, more relaxed • Better provision for children and young people (Family Services, Sunday Schools, Youth provision) • Improving welcome & integration • Better quality, more varied, contemporary music • More lay involvement in leadership • Better small groups & pastoral care • Improvements to buildings

35. Help from the Diocese ‘The Growth Fund’ is now operational • You have received application forms from the Bishop of Lichfield • Grants will be offered on a matched funding basis • For mission & evangelism initiatives aimed at growing the church, especially for initiatives aimed at people under 40 & for Fresh Expressions

36. Help from the Diocese • The funds are a mix of diocesan capital and of annual grants from the Church Commissioners for mission initiatives • Parishes, Clusters, Deaneries,any unit, may apply • We are starting with over £250,000pa • We can apply this money to the Growth Fund rather than stipends because of the tremendous response on Parish Share! • Time to pray and think about your initiative!!

37. Over to you…. Have we seen it right?

38. Over to you…. How do you propose developing these priorities? What might you develop with others in the cluster or deanery?

39. Over to you…… Can you draw up your proposals in the next few months and share them with: : The Deanery : The Area Bishop & Archdeacon :The Divisions (for their support)