Reflections. No. 3: Community in action. Discoveries from congregational stories: Inverness: Hilton

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1 Reflections No. 3: Community in action Discoveries from congregational stories: Inverness: Hilton 1

2 Community in Action The Mission Statement of Inverness Hilton Church: "As gifted by the Father, and following the leading of His Spirit, we seek the building up of Christ's church in love, reaching out with the Good News of Jesus Christ to the community of Hilton and beyond, all for God's glory". Introduction Inverness has a long history, having evolved from an ancient fort to the Capital of the Highlands. The city and the surrounding area is now home to 65,000 people, but it was much smaller when St Columba visited the Royal Court of the Pictish King Brude in 565AD. Legend has it that, in 1040, Macbeth (of Shakespeare fame) built his stronghold in Inverness. In 1158 King David of Scotland awarded Inverness its charter as a Royal Burgh. Robert the Bruce (of spider fame) seized the first of the city's five castles from English forces in 1307 and, in 1562; Mary Queen of Scots had the Governor of Inverness Castle hanged for refusing her entry to the Burgh. Bonnie Prince Charlie and 2

3 his Jacobite troops were defeated in the famous Battle of Culloden the last battle on British soil in Thereafter, Fort George now considered the finest 18th century fort in Europe was established just outside the city. In 1822 the spectacular Caledonian Canal was completed by Thomas Telford, linking Inverness to the west coast of Scotland. In 1921 Inverness Town House hosted a historic meeting of the British Cabinet, at that time the only Cabinet meeting of the British Government ever held outside London. A momentous day for Inverness came in 2001 when it was formally declared Scotland's newest city. The area of Hilton is a former village located adjacent to Inverness and now treated as part of it. It is widely considered a working class area due to the large amount of council housing which was built there in the latter half of the 20th century. Its parish population is approximately 8 9,000 and is described as a large housing estate. On their website they describe themselves as, We have a membership of around 250 and the average age of the congregation is much less than 65 so don't worry about bringing along the children, we love them!

4 Methodology The story of Hilton Church over the past 15 years has been pieced together following a series of interviews of both staff and congregational members. The questions asked of the five congregational members were: How long have you been part of the life of Hilton Church? Why did you come here? What keeps you here? What role(s) do you have at the moment? Tell me about the congregation its achievements, weaknesses, priorities and vision for the future 4

5 The people interviewed were: 1 Male, retired 2 Female, 60 s 3 Male, 70 s 4 Female, 50 s 5 Female, 80 s Length of time as part of the Positions held congregation 3 years Lighthouse management team, Clerk to the Board, Blythswood representative, former Elder, on pastoral care team, works with family worker on issues of budgeting 11 years Elder, oversees the welcoming teams, runs a home group, part of evangelism team, part of Street Pastors 41 years Elder, previous Clerk and chair of the Board, former Alpha leader, roll keeper 15 years Elder for years, former Sunday club leader, involved in counselling at the Lighthouse, Lighthouse management team, Street Pastors, helps with children s club From the beginning! The staff interviewed were the minister, probationer, parish worker, children s worker and administrator. 5

6 The story begins The major theme of Reflections 3 is all about change, but more accurately should be described as transition. Since 1994, what have been the levers for change in this congregation, and how have people reacted to them? What have been the outcomes in the ever changing story and faith journey of the people of Hilton church, and what can we learn from them? Duncan McPherson was inducted as minister on March 11 th 1994, and so has been minister of Hilton Church for 15 years. The situation did not seem promising. At the time of the vacancy, there had been few applications, there was talk of a possible linkage, the congregation was in decline, it was aid receiving, there seemed little happening and there was no real sense of direction. So why accept the call? Duncan sensed possibilities, and it was good for ministry in spite of difficult signs. He believed he was being called by God to a place of potential. One of the major aspects in the life of Hilton Church is intentional change, but change does not come without some 6

7 form of conflict. It affects people s lives. In the first year of Duncan s ministry, some people did leave, but, in Duncan s own words, it is difficult to argue with a full church. In a real sense a culture of change has been developed at Hilton and, out of that, people have become more open to a changing environment. So what has actually happened? We seek here to put together the pieces of the jigsaw, some in chronological order as they happened, others simply trying to learn the principles of what this congregation is seeking to put into practice. We begin in the years , where four major aspects of church life were developed. Worship One of the first things to change was the time of the worship service on the Sunday morning to 10.30am. This had been 11.15am due to an organist, 20 years ago, who played at a psychiatric hospital and so needed time to get from one place to another! In the life of our congregations, I wonder how often history determines the present, without considering why. Over the years the character of worship has also changed. It now has a contemporary feel, developed first through evening services, but soon becoming the norm on a weekly basis. It is less minister dominated, less formal, with people given 7

8 responsibility and trust in a supportive environment to develop their gifts. This has resulted in increased participation in leading worship. For example, there are now approximately 40 people involved in the music, with four different bands playing during both morning worship (with about 200 people attending) and evening worship at 6.30pm, with no organist. There are also a number of people who preach and, over any three month period, this could be as high as 10 different people. These developments have helped to establish an ethos of worship that is centred on the whole body of Christ. It is these principles of participation and delegation that are key factors in the process of ministry and leadership 2 development. The church building The physical environment did not look good, therefore work parties were set up and painted everything within 18 months. Apart from the obvious improvement in aesthetics and environment, it had other spinoffs: there was a significant involvement of men, again the theme of participation and, since place looked better, people felt better about it. This not only started to build up good 2 For details of the Impact Café, visit: 8

9 relationships, but it was the church taking responsibility and saying something very important to the local community. A positive statement: here was a congregation who cared and was interested. If the church building was originally at arms length from the community, here was the beginning of the movement towards those who were outside the life of the faith community. Seeking to answer this question of how to build up contacts and ministry, through the building as a resource to the community, continues to this day in the development of the Lighthouse Project. Here is a practical example of the church, through a good use of its buildings, seeking to use them in a way that is well thought out, organised and offering hospitality, with the direct intention that some people will find their way into the life of the faith community through this side door. However, this is not where the theme of hospitality first emerged. It began many years before the development of the Lighthouse Project, at early evening services. Children s work Another part of the early jigsaw was a recognition on Duncan s part that the development of children s work is absolutely vital. When Duncan first came to Hilton there was no crèche and the Sunday School had only a small number of children aged four and five, so one of the first things was to develop teams to build up this area of work. This originally developed into a parent and toddlers group that became over subscribed. 9

10 This kind of work is not new, but two things are important. The first is the practicalities and importance of intentional planning, with prayer playing a key role and, secondly, the sense of just having children and families around the church. The next step was to recognise their financial constraints and to ask, how does a congregation like Hilton develop youth and children s ministry? Well, head on, and by being proactive! Within six months of Duncan s arrival they approached Care Force, who offered gap placements in challenging areas, and by 1995 a person had been appointed for a year, who was involved in music and in schools work. The next person developed IT skills in the church, in the schools and was involved in youth work. The third enjoyed outdoor pursuits. If intentionality is the important principle, then the next question was how to move from gap placements to employment, to turn early vision into reality. The practical issue was to source grant funding. This came from various sources, for example the Parish Development Fund, and individuals from the congregation who were committed to this area of work. The first person to be employed was the second Care Force worker on a four year contract and this post continues to the present, with the focus dependent on the person s gifts and skills. For although originally the focus was on youth work, today, Chris (the second person in this post) has a focus on children s work. 10

11 What should be noted here is an emphasis on gifting, rather than the previous job description. Again it is about intentional change. When speaking to Chris he had completed three and a half years of a four year contract. He plays to his strengths by focusing on children s work and is involved in both local primary schools, developing good relationships with head teachers, teachers and children. He is seen as a resource beyond his job description, leading SU groups, doing assemblies, being on the school board, doing some RE classes and giving advice to teachers on religious observance. To do this, Chris spends about one day a week in each of the two local primary schools. One of the interesting programmes is a youth mentoring scheme that has been running for the past 18 months. Here, members of the congregation mentor young people in groups of two to three on a monthly basis, which is designed to encourage the young people in their walk with God. The age group is S1 S6, with numbers presently involved over 20, using a model of eating, praying and studying the bible together. To sustain this and to show commitment, there are contracts for both mentors and young people. This is an innovative scheme, but a question remains outstanding. How will this continue beyond the life of Hilton Church? Interestingly, a phrase used by Duncan in this area of work is for the bar to be raised with each appointment. Everything is intentional; nothing is left to chance or to drift along. 11

12 Other groups include, Hyphop, a children s outreach group for P1 P5 that meets every second Friday evening, and MYC (Monday Youth Club) which is an activities based youth group for young people in P6&7 that meets every second Monday. One point to note is that these groups were originally combined but, when they split into two groups for different ages, the numbers of both went up. What does this say about group identity? There is also a holiday club in the summer for P1 P7, which is fed by the other groups, and for young people S3 S6 there is NiteLife AM, which meets every Sunday in the Cafe area of the Lighthouse from 11.30am till 12.30pm. What happened next was pivotal and foundational for the future. Discipleship To give a focus on discipleship, Hilton used Michael Green s book, New life, new lifestyle to encourage people to find out more about the Christian faith. It ran once a week for six weeks, with people trained to run it. This course led many people to join the church, with relationships and friendships formed at that time that still last to this day. In 1996 Hilton started to run Alpha courses, initially three per year, now annually. An interesting off shoot of this was the Kirk Session starting to meet and eat together, another part of the developing ethos of the life of the congregation. The Emmaus course has also been foundational for many people. The next development took place in when Duncan met up with Peter Neilson at Crieff. The issue was how to give 12

13 shape to all this energy, recognising there was still some controversy in the life of the congregation and that Duncan was still new to ministry. What was offered was material entitled Congregational Mission Design, done over eight sessions, a Saturday, six evenings and a retreat at Crieff (1996), led by respected Presbytery trainers. 40 people were invited, key leaders and gatekeepers of the congregation, with 30 attending the retreat. This was a watershed for the church, and the majority of these people are still present in leadership in the life of the congregation. The main theme was maintenance to mission and out of this came the formation of various teams; worship, pastoral care, mission and Christian education. 3 Again, this might not seem very new to people today, but this is not just an issue of training, it is about the facilitation of a process, of discernment for the future and the mentoring of leadership, key principles that are vital to developing the life of local communities of faith. 4 The Eldership One of the factors in the dynamic of change operating in Hilton was that Duncan inherited a small Kirk Session and has, over 3 Current structure of purpose groups that recognises the different areas within church life and the fact that different people have different giftings and aptitude. There are five groups that attempt to cover the main areas of responsibility within church life. These are; Worship and Praise, Discipleship, Outreach, Service and Administration. 4 See blog section on Hilton website for contacts with Northumbrian community and Renovare groups 13

14 the past 15 years, operated a session of between 10 and 12 Elders. This makes consensus leadership so much more possible. Within a year of Duncan coming to Hilton, the church departed from traditional Elders districts. Interestingly, there seemed to be no great argument over this. It must be assumed that this was directly linked with the outcomes of Congregational Mission Design and the formation of a Pastoral Care team. Here is the movement of pastoral care away from the Eldership as a formal structure that delivers pastoral care, to the importance of gift recognition, and those who feel God is calling them into this area of work. In any case, in a large parish how realistic is a district model? Is it only reacting to situations as they happen, described by Duncan as a bit like a black hole, that consumes people s energy and time? Meaningful pastoral care is one of the visions behind the Lighthouse, offering low cost food and hospitality, especially for older people. Old ground was being cleared in order that rebuilding could take place, but for a reason. Everything that had happened since 1994 was foundational for the future, and under girded by biblical teaching on the themes, issues and challenges as they were being faced. Communication is also key. Once people understand the missional issues, does that make the change and transition easier? The final comment in this section is from Duncan. The age profile of the minister and family, and what they see as 14

15 priorities, will determine a lot of the work that will be undertaken, as well as the age group of the people contacted. From 1998 onwards, the story continues In 1998 things hit the buffers! Duncan is honest enough to admit that he did not fully understand the change process 5 and people s response. For him, change was purely pragmatic. It needed to happen, but there was an underlying dynamic taking place and the teams were starting to look at how their areas of work could be developed. For example, the worship team started to think about changing the layout of the worship space. But for many others, this was too traumatic, so initially they had to retrace their steps, and for six months go back to the original layout. At that point in time, the Kirk Session could not be persuaded. What is interesting, is how decisions are made at Hilton. It is a consensual approach, with no votes ever taken. Within a year they changed again, this time back to the original vision, and have stuck with it. This altered the whole ethos and feel of the congregation. Children and family work 5 There are many books looking at the change process. See Managing Transitions by William Bridges (NB Publishing) & Change Directions by David Cormack (Monarch, available second hand on Amazon UK website). 15

16 Although at this time the church was becoming more involved in the community with children and families, and they were recognising more of their needs, many of the challenging issues were still not being touched. To begin to meet these challenges, two projects were set up. In 2000, with a significant grant from Children in Need, a trust was set up to work with parent and toddlers, families, single parents, and children aged 0 5. A person, trained as a nurse, was employed, and the project ran for four years. In 2001, a Family Support Worker (Colm Black) was appointed as a project worker under the Board of National Mission, and is now employed by the Ministries Council. Colm s work is multifaceted. He runs various courses, eg Parent Talk, The Money Secret, How to Drug Proof your Kids and Time Out, which offers time away from the kids every two weeks on a Wednesday morning. Child care is provided and the adults do arts, crafts and relax. 6 Colm also spends a lot of his time investing in relationships. He recognises that the church is in a unique place to help with such issues as marriage and family life. It has been around for 50 years and therefore shows a commitment to the area. 6 To access online information go to 16

17 However, life is not ever that simple! The issues are vital, but it is still difficult to get people to connect with the courses. It is like swimming upstream. The idea of helping people to help themselves is a good one, but it is hard work! Other aspects of Colm s work include connecting and listening to individuals, dealing with what is in front of us in people s situations, giving information and directing people to other places. At the heart of this work is having good links with the local school which, for Colm, is the most important institution in the community. So what of the future? Develop more contacts, mainly by word of mouth, push the courses and help people to think strategically. Here is a great example of the importance of dedicating time and space, which says to the community, we are interested in you! World church 7 In one of the Alpha course participants came to faith and went to work in Jamaica. The church s response was to raise money to help and support her. What is important here is the personal connection. The next step was Duncan taking study leave and going with the Vine Trust to Peru. Since then, 80 people have visited, helping to fund a school and being involved with the Amazon Hope ship. 7 Visit for details of a street project in Lesotho 17

18 Not all 80 were members of the church, but they do share common issues. Here is an involvement that offers joint participation through a recognition of shared concerns and, at the same time, speaks well of the local church. The Lighthouse Project: getting to grips with today s culture In a real sense, many of these issues had led to the development of the Lighthouse Project. This has been the major focal point for the congregation over the last few years and, again, some level of controversy has been attached to it. It involved the conversion of the old manse situated next to the church, and began when Duncan recognised how busy the shops across the road were. Up to that point, the church was very much organisational, offering more a closed door rather then hospitality and being organic. Duncan had seen for 10 years that this building could be key to being the hub for contact with the local community. Originally, an architect was brought in to look at the church building, but people did not like the plans, which were simply to increase the capacity of the building at a cost of 250,000! If a building project was to be undertaken, there were some key 18

19 questions to be asked. How do we make any project sustainable? How do we do something appropriate with the building, and at the same time keep everything else going as well? There was also the question of needing another manse! In 2004 Duncan came back from study leave in Peru, and during this time there was the funeral of a family member of someone connected to a local construction company who offered 10,000 for youth work. Duncan took this opportunity to speak to him about the Lighthouse Project and he agreed to donate 40,000 with architects costs, provide back up for the project and a new house at market rate. Can we hear the message God blesses risk taking! This was in March 2004, with the building not opening until September This was going to be a five year journey, and not without its objections. So how did it happen? The Kirk Session put together a project team, with the costs standing at 260,000. Monies were to come not from the church budget, but from grant bodies and others outside the church, eg Highlands Council and Lloyds TSB who knew the good reputation of Hilton s youth work. In all, 190,000 was raised by a professional fundraiser in six months, with the last 60,000 coming from a local single donation. 19

20 The next issues to face were that of a management team, the vision for the building s use and obtaining funding for a manager and café manager. Many of these issues are still being worked through. Today, it runs as a charitable trust limited by guarantee, and is well worth a visit to see it in action. The trustees are members of the congregation, with the building vested in the General Trustees. The minister is one of the trustees. In the church, what is success? In this story it is based on an entrepreneurial spirit, achieved under God, rooted in faith and trust. Through all of this, amazingly, the stewardship of the congregation has gone up, and a key principle maintained: the mission of the church must be not compromised. How easy it would have been to see the project as a sole focus that detracted from the rest of the life of the congregation, and then to sit back once the building was opened and say, our work is done! The final footnote is this: the new manse, costing 250,000, has been paid for by individuals who bought half (vested in a local trust) and the General Trustees, to be paid back over six years. The Lighthouse is now used as a café, meeting place, counselling centre and family debt project. It is truly a Hub for the community. There is another factor to this success story. In Hilton there is a deep sense of commitment to prayer in the leadership team, 20

21 in small groups and as a congregation. This gives a true sense of focus upon God, for direction and resources. Amazing things happen when people step out in faith! Gwen is the manager of the Lighthouse and took up her post in September She reports to, and is supported by, a management team who are all volunteers, and is line managed by the chairperson of the management team. The present management team consists of members of the original project team, the minister, some members of the Kirk Session, and Clerk to the Board. In February 2009 a café manager/deputy was employed, with everything else done by volunteers, including a volunteer church officer and volunteer warden. Since it is a community café, some of the volunteers are required to have the appropriate food and hygiene certificates. Gwen s main tasks are to develop the work of the café, including publicity, volunteer induction and room letting, with the main use of the centre being for people and groups outside church, including NHS support for neonatal death and a harp music group. This is the main income stream for the Lighthouse. Rooms are also used by church groups, Sunday school, Nitelife AM, debt management and counselling. The work is gradually building up, with a need to balance increasing 21

22 workload with the number of volunteers required. There is still much work to be done, including use for children s parties, developing the outside garden area and more use by outside agencies. The main aim is that people will drop in, build relationships and form community. The rest of the team Apart from the members of the team already identified, Hilton also has a probationer and an administrator. It can be no coincidence that churches which seem to be bucking the trend of decline have, in some form or other, a paid staff team. Does it allow gifts to be used where otherwise there might be a gap? Is it about the giving of time and commitment that can only come from people who know that is their role? Or is it about positive signals sent out to the community, by the church that says we are willing to invest in you? Having raised these questions, it is not just about individuals, but how the team functions together and achieves its goals. When visiting Hilton, Jonathan was the probationer and, like most of the interviewees, I met up with him over coffee at the Lighthouse. He talked about being part of a staff team. It meets every Tuesday morning, a time set apart for fellowship, study and prayer. For Jonathan, the importance of team is being able to play to your strengths, seeing other people as colleagues, and being able to help each other. He describes the team ethos as having a missional focus, in which there is the freedom to explore different expressions of worship and ministry. This allows fluidity in the practice of ministry, as seen in the blurred boundaries between church and community at 22

23 Hilton. It is a ministry with people and, at its hub, the Lighthouse as a place for ministry that has a positive mindset, where things are possible. Jonathan s specific responsibilities include his project, which is the second service that runs in the Lighthouse at 11.30am, attended by about people. 8 It is a form of café church and, due to its timing, is predominantly attended by older people. He is also involved in leading staff prayers, the Tuesday prayer group and monthly assemblies at the High School. Sandra has been the church s administer on a part time basis for the past seven years, but has been part of the congregation for 15. Along with other members, she was willing to reflect on the life of Hilton Church in the time of Duncan s ministry. What did they say about Hilton Church that enables us to learn more about this faith community? What did the people say? Before looking at their comments, two things should be noted. Those interviewed range from people who have lived through Duncan s entire ministry and before, to those more recently involved in the life of the congregation. It is also a very small sample, so can only be interpreted as a flavour, rather than any statistical analysis. 8 Now replaced by Nitelife AM 23

24 First impressions This is vital in the life of Hilton Church. One person, who on her own admission was initially not made welcome prior to Duncan s ministry, came back because of a conversation and encouragement by member of congregation who said, we have a new minister he is really good. They now describe the congregation as welcoming and child friendly, a church of all ages, with good facilities. Another who came to Hilton 11 years ago following a spur of the moment visit to the church on a Sunday morning by her husband, echoes a similar theme. The congregation is good hearted and caring, welcoming and outward looking. Another interviewee was looking for a church with life and a more contemporary form of worship. He describes Hilton as lively, informal, family orientated with younger parents, and refreshing. The last example is that of someone moving into the area, who was remembered on her second Sunday! She found a church that was relevant to children, had all ages, numbers of young children and families, and was friendly and accepting. People seek a church, or search for God, for lots of different reasons, but first impressions are important. Is it one of welcome, hospitality, giving people a sense of belonging, value and worth? Change What about those who have been around for a while? One person was honest enough to admit that she has had to get used to the changes. At first she did not like them! But now she is happy to be part of a modern and outgoing 24

25 congregation. It is about living through change, being part of the change process and owning that change. Success? How did people understand success? There is little correlation between age and length of membership, and what people said. Success is still determined in some respects by numbers, by building up the congregation, but at the same time balanced by the importance of the other work that the congregation is involved in, particularly the Lighthouse Project. One person described it like a form of emerging church, touching lives through the use of the building. It should come as no surprise that the Lighthouse, as the most recent and major development in the congregation s history, seen in such a positive light, is equated with success. One caveat regarding the Lighthouse is the question of whose vision it was. There is no doubt that this is a congregation with vision. One person described it like this: there is vision from both the leadership team and the minister, with the use of people s gifts being appreciated. However for a couple of people at least, Duncan was the driving force behind the Lighthouse and, when asked about priorities, one respondent commented, has the congregation got a vision? Is there a separation between the congregation in general and the decision makers, with other people going along with what has been proposed? For one interviewee, lack of vision was even one of the congregation s weaknesses. 25

26 We need innovators. Research tells us that in any group of people about 2.5% will be visionaries. However, many people do wish to be associated with success and that will, in long run, bring more people to own the vision. In a sense, the vision is caught by it being successful! It is worth adding here some comments about how people see Duncan s role as minister. As well as being a person of vision he is also seen as a spiritual leader. Research in England highlighted two factors in growing congregations: vision and leadership; both are seen in Hilton Church. Good leaders also delegate and, importantly, Duncan develops new leaders. At the moment, there are three people going through assessment for various form of ministry. He is also described as approachable, a listener, and is respected. In part, this comes from Duncan s own valuable experience of being mentored and supported by other experienced ministers in the congregation. Openness to learn taken into the life of the congregation. The other aspects of how people see success are determined by their own needs and what they see as a priority. For some, it will be children and family work; for others, it will be how worship is carried out; and for others it will be youth mentoring or home groups. How could we do this better? One of the anomalies of asking people s opinions is that one person s strength can be another person s weakness. The best example is congregational participation. For a congregation that seems to have so much participation, the major weakness 26

27 identified was lack of participation! Described by one person in this way: few are involved and passionate, even if people come on Sunday; many are not so involved, and it is difficult to find volunteers except the usual suspects. Another weakness identified was communication, which was related to a lack of Elders districts. Arising out of one change taken for good reasons, other situations arise that need to be dealt with. Another interesting one is contact with the community. This is why the Lighthouse has been developed, yet this contact is still contained within a building. One person said we need to get out of the church, increase personal contact and walk the streets. Some comments can be grouped under the changing role of the minister and worship, eg a different style of preaching, and more delegation making the minister less visible. This is a direct consequence of building the team and sharing responsibility. For some there needs to be a greater stress on discipleship,to be more to be in touch with God, not just believing in God, but to live 24/7 discipleship. Somehow or other not taking 27

28 spirituality to a lowest common denominator, but developing a congregation that is spiritually mature. The final comment is a cry heard throughout the land, that there are not enough young people associated with the life of the congregation. Since Hilton has many active youth groups, maybe this comparison is not with others, but with a desire to reach more young people for Christ. The future? So what does the future hold? For most people, this centres on the Lighthouse in making contact and building relationships with the community. Comment has already been made about the dangers of having a single focus, but the vision of the Lighthouse and its use certainly seems to be understood and owned by people within the life of this congregation! There is also a desire to extend spiritual formation groups, to move people from the fringe of congregational life to its core and to pray more with children. Conclusion If this story has excited you, then visit their website or, even better, pay Hilton a visit at the Lighthouse. Sit and relax, have a coffee or something to eat, watch the world go round and bserve community in action. oif Mission & Discipleship Council The Church of Scotland 121 George Street EDINBURGH EH2 4YN Tel: / mandd@cofscotland.org.uk 28