City Centre Church Plants

Transcription

1 City Centre Church Plants By Catherine Ellerby, freelance writer, in conversation with the Revd Archie Coates, Vicar of St Peter s Church, Brighton, and the Revd Ian Dyble, Vicar of St Thomas s Church, Norwich Summary The case studies that follow describe how two city centre church plants, from Holy Trinity Brompton in central London, are growing and developing in their respective contexts of Brighton and Norwich. Introduction A strategy of church planting has been integral to HTB s growth and mission strategy since the 1980s when the Revd John Collins and his then curate the Revd. Sandy Millar first heard the concept from the American church leader, John Wimber, and became convinced that planting held real potential for church growth. From that time, planting has been in HTB s DNA and, since 1985, HTB has planted teams of 10 to 200 people into a variety of churches in London and outside. The stories explored here are of two HTB church plants outside London: to St Peter s church in Brighton and St Thomas s church in Norwich. The case studies highlight similarities and differences in these two journeys so far, as well as showing how planting has led to significant growth in both cases. Factors which have led to growth The case studies highlight a number of key factors which have led to growth in both contexts: A clear overall vision and a vision to grow and plant again Clear priorities in their respective contexts An ability to stick to the vision, without being discouraged or distracted along the way Entrepreneurial leadership and an ability to motivate people and to build trust in people An outward focus intentionally making church accessible Good communication including intentional and directed use of social media Willingness to have a go, take risks and not be afraid to fail 1

2 Conclusion The experiences of the Revd Archie Coates at St Peter s Brighton and of the Revd Ian Dyble at St Thomas s Norwich and their teams have been quite different and they continue to face varying challenges. What stands out, however, is that both churches have at their heart, a vision to use planting as a means to growth and a strategy which is allowing them to reach out to more people, extending Christ s love and sharing the gospel story with those to whom God has called them to minister. Read the case studies that follow to find out more. 2

3 Background St Peter s Brighton Brighton is a large and lively town on the south coast, it has a large artistic and creative community, and attracts many students and young families who make a home there. An hour from London on the train, many commute to London for work. St Peter s church stands in the centre of the city and is affectionately known as the Cathedral of Brighton. In 2003, however, a review of churches in the Brighton and Hove area had recommended its closure - the building was in a poor state and the church in long-term decline. This announcement provoked a local outcry, not only from the tiny congregation but also from many others, for whom the church was an iconic landmark. Some time after this, an approach was made directly to the Church Commissioners by an individual with links to HTB requesting that other options might be explored before the closure was signed off. As a result, in 2008, the Revd Nicky Gumbel from HTB and the Bishop of Chichester met to look together at the possibility of an HTB plant in Brighton and a way forward for St Peter s started to take shape. The building was closed in June 2009 and re-opened three months later, by a scheme under the Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure, to be led by the Revd Archie Coates who brought a team of 30 with him to begin the work of planting. This marked the first of HTB s plants outside London. Archie remembers his first Sunday as vicar: The congregation was made up of the planting team and others, the remnant of the original members. They were very welcoming and delighted that the church had been re-opened. It was a big change for them but our arrival marked a totally fresh start which probably made it easier for us. The building was in such a bad state that only the chancel was useable and they quickly got to work on some basic improvements, holding working parties most Saturdays. 3

4 Archie explains: Apart from painting, we invested some money in a good basic PA system which we felt was essential. This was made possible with our 50,000 seed money which each church plant receives from HTB. The money is to invest in growth and then passed on to bless another church when you plant again. Vision, shape and purpose Archie admits: we didn t really know how to start but knew we needed to put a few stakes in the ground. We focused on getting a few things in place and running, including three Sunday services, Alpha, and Safehaven - a place where we offered a meal and a safe place for the homeless in Brighton. Apart from providing a framework and meeting immediate local need, these priorities helped to bring a sense of shape and purpose early on. They also offered plenty of opportunities for those who were starting to attend the church to help out and get involved. Brighton has a young population and large numbers of students so the student ministry is very strong at St Peter s. We have noticed that young people who come along want to do something, to join in and make a difference. Archie says that they enjoyed the support of the local press who were enthusiastic in reporting the good news that this well-known church was now re-opening. This publicity, added to their own communications and word of mouth, was helpful in attracting people to St Peter s in the early days. An outward focus Keeping an intentionally outward focus was important at the beginning and has continued to be so in the Brighton context as Archie explains: This is a fun, creative and informal place and we ve asked ourselves how can we best reflect this in the way we are at church, and in our expectations the bar is set fairly low as we don t want any barriers to people feeling at home so, for example, dress code is extremely informal, and music very accessible to people and there is food with almost everything. The test is, would I bring my friend to this? Staffing and volunteers There is now a staff team of nine (three ordained clergy) and six interns, students who joined St Peter s while studying at the local universities before being recruited to the team. But Archie is keen to keep up what he describes as the life and energy round the edges and warns against automatically employing people who are good at doing something. He says that focusing the mission energy on volunteers is a better way to encouraging people to use their gifts. 4

5 Finance The seed money given by HTB to its plants is a gift to help with start-up costs and beyond that the plant is expected to be self- supporting. Archie says that the agreement with the Diocese of Chichester was that re-opening St Peter s wouldn t cost them anything. The church relies on and encourages regular giving for its income and to fund its ministries. St Peter s also applies for and has benefitted from specific grants, for example from English Heritage and from a number of small trusts who award funds to those helping the homeless, like Safehaven ministries. Growing numbers In their first year, Sunday attendance grew from around 20 to 150, and more space in the church was opened up to accommodate the growing numbers. They now regularly see 450 people on Sunday mornings and 150 children, with 250 adults attending in the evening. In an attempt to find out more about the profile of the congregation, Archie conducts an informal survey of the adults attending on one Sunday each year. The results of the latest survey show that the average age in the morning services is 43 years, while the average age in the evening is 23 years. In a question about faith, the results showed that roughly 10 per cent would not describe themselves as Christian. Archie says it is difficult to measure exactly where all the growth has come from. Some people come through the Alpha course which they run three times a year, while others come via friends, by coming to an event or by contact with the church s other ministries. He acknowledges that some people have transferred from other churches. Some transfer growth is inevitable and it s really important to realise the effect a plant has on churches in the same area. If a church plant comes and sucks the life out of the local churches, rearranging all the Christians, then that s not good. We try to make sure that if people want to transfer they know they will be asked to serve in this respect we set the bar high but in the end we welcome anyone. People haven t generally transferred from other Church of England churches around because they are so different in style. Some have, however, come from local nonconformist churches - Christians who have found St Peter s closer to what they are seeking, or people who have not been attending church regularly but who have found a home there, including some new Christians. 5

6 A few families each year transfer from smaller churches, because they are looking for children s or youth work which a larger church can offer. Others have joined having moved to Brighton with their families or as students. St Peter s is a church with a regular turnover of students, but also of young single people who move out of Brighton, having lived there for a while. Relationships with other churches For a church planting into a new area, building good relationships in advance with local churches of all denominations has been essential and Archie invested time before he arrived, meeting with local church leaders and getting to know them. It was a chance to explain what the vision was, and to do everything possible to avoid misunderstandings or being seen as a threat. We get on very well with other churches and there is good understanding between us - where there may be differences in approach I think the relationships help; people would often say that they re not sure they like the way we re doing things but they quite like me and the team! Growing outwards and planting again St Peter s has been open to other opportunities and there is now a weekly service attracting about 75 students at Sussex University where St Peter s curate is also the Anglican chaplain. In November 2013 a team of 25 were sent to launch Whitehawk, a worshipping community being built in the heart of the Whitehawk estate. This is a partnership rather than plant because the team has joined an existing congregation to build relationships and work alongside them. Expanding the vision to grow and plant, plans are already underway to plant a church in nearby Hastings. It s a biblical principle to grow, sow and reap, says Archie, and not to look inwards and build your own thing. We have been invited by the Bishop of Chichester to plant Hastings and want to be a blessing there it s very exciting. Pioneers and Planters In general, Archie says that people who plant churches tend to be fairly entrepreneurial pioneers rather than settlers, he says. With that entrepreneurial spirit he, like, others, is happy to try new things and to take risks even if they don t work. He openly admits that some of my bright ideas have totally failed, but is happy to move on and continues to look for new ways to build and bless in the area. Lessons learned or things which would be done differently if planting again Looking back over the last five years, Archie says that having such a strong focus on outreach may have led to less emphasis on the pastoral needs of those within the church community. Maybe we have missed something here, our approach has always been to be on the front foot, to get people to come, join a team, serve, help all very action and outward-focused. 6

7 We have now realised that we need to get the balance right and to make sure that by caring for the needs of people who are outside our church community, we don t overlook those who may be hurting inside the church We haven t been so great at that but we have just set up hub groups, which we hope will start to help us support one another. Conclusion In the five years since it was planted, St Peter s has been put back on the map as a thriving and growing church. With a clear vision to welcome and involve everyone, it is reaching out in mission to all its local communities, demonstrating Jesus s love and sharing the gospel in Brighton. For further information, please go to the church website at or contact the Revd Archie Coates at archie@stpetersbrighton.org 7

8 Background St Thomas s Church, Norwich St Thomas s church was established in 1888 and holds a strategic position in a residential area on the main route into Norwich, about half way between the city centre and the university. There is a bus stop just outside. In 2012, the church had been declining for five years and could not afford its parish share. There was a small congregation of 30, no children and not many under the age of 40. Talks began between the Bishop of Norwich and HTB to explore the possibility of a church partnership and in March 2013, the Revd Ian Dyble was appointed as vicar. Ian, originally from Norfolk, had been working as a curate at HTB after ordination training. Previously a lawyer, and an elder with New Frontiers, he had planted a church before in a market town setting. I was keen to plant again, he says, and this time in a city, so when I heard about the vacancy at St Thomas s, it seemed like an opportunity which made sense. Building a partnership team Although the HTB planting model usually involves a team of about 30 people, it was slightly different for Ian and his wife, Jo. Ian explains: Asking people to move to Norwich from London is asking them to move their whole lives. You can t really commute from Norwich and although there are some big employers here, jobs are more limited. We weren t able to persuade people to come with us but we knew that God was guiding us to St Thomas so we went ahead. Unlike the welcome which Archie had received in Brighton, the reception for Ian was rather more mixed. When the Bishop had announced to the congregation that the new vicar was from HTB, someone burst into tears, and they were not tears of joy. I think people immediately thought I would be bringing white sofas, smoke machines and smoothies.with me. There was definitely a strong feeling throughout the congregation that they would lose the tradition that was so precious to them. Some people left, even before I arrived; it was disappointing but I expected it. After I arrived, some changes were too hard for people, for example, some were upset that I didn t wear robes. I explained that if we were to engage with the community, robing would not help bridge the gap. On the whole though, most people have been really supportive. Although we didn t have a team to bring, we met with about ten people we had a connection with and, amazingly, three couples had already felt a call to come to St Thomas s. We have been very blessed by them. The team has been built this way, by God s hand being on us. 8

9 Sundays and numerical growth Ian focused on Sundays first and on making them really good, while also being sensitive to the fact that some were nervous of change. With the seed money given by HTB to St Thomas s, Ian invested in two priorities - sound and staff - in particular, a worship leader: Worship is so important. For the first six months, anyone who could offer any worship skills or gifts did it even I led worship once or twice. We appointed to the role in September; our worship leader came to us from Soul Survivor and since then it has been great, having a good worship leader makes such a difference. Initially, the service timings continued as before including the 8am BCP Holy Communion service, a service of morning worship at and Evensong at 5.30pm. After Easter in 2013, Ian introduced a contemporary service at 11am which meant moving the traditional morning service to 9.30am. Some people found the change difficult, but Ian says that they had to make space to do something new. The new service grew quickly and now there are 150 (mostly young) people attending. The 9.30am service has also doubled with 48 people taking communion some Sundays and there is evidence of the ages mixing with one or two students singing in the traditional choir. A new 7pm service was introduced, deliberately targeting the student population, and this is now regularly gathering 75 each week. Ian thinks that significant use of social media helped to raise their profile at the beginning and has continued to help publicise and attract people to St Thomas s. We have used Facebook, Twitter and our website in a deliberate and directed way, he says. 9

10 Growing the Children s work Children s work was another priority and there were two willing volunteers ready to begin. Ian says: We started from week one. People asked why we needed children s work when we didn t have any children, but I knew that it was essential to grow the church. If a young family arrives and we have no children s work, they won t stay. There are now about 30 under 11 s and 12 youth members all of whom come at 11am. Ian says: We always speak to and engage with the children in the first part of the service helped by Tommy the Tiger who welcomes people at the door and engages in the family action songs we sing every week. We also have some great children s workers. Vision to connect Ian says that he believes that keeping things simple is helpful so St Thomas s vision is focussed on Connecting so that all activities and groups connect: with God; with each other; and with the world. It s good to run all sorts of groups, but we want to avoid holy huddles. I am all for low control and high accountability and if people want to start up something, that s fine as long as it engages with God, each other and the world. When people do Alpha we get them to move on and connect with others and God in groups which will take them on in their faith. Growth in people s faith as well as in numbers is very important. A few weeks ago, we were privileged to baptise six believers, and some of those people had come to faith recently which was very exciting. Serving at St Thomas With growth happening faster than Ian had imagined, he says that they have been running to keep ahead and it has only been possible with lay and ordained people working together and people being willing to get stuck in even if something is not their particular area of gifting. As is often the case with church plants, it has been, he says, all hands to the pump. 10

11 Currently St Thomas s church has a curate, Dave Lloyd, who trained with Ian and felt called to work with him. The rest of the team are volunteers but three interns have just been appointed: two of them are students just finishing at the University of East Anglia who will work respectively with children and youth; the other is coming from Guatemala and - to Ian s delight - likes administration. Finance St Thomas s church is now totally self-supporting and there is an expectation that the 50,000 seed money given to them by HTB money will be passed on to another church plant in due course. Where has growth come from? Ian, like Archie, is realistic about some of their significant growth being transferred from other churches. Some have been drawn by a more charismatic style which sets St Thomas s church apart from other local Anglican churches: We know that some of our growth is transfer growth I would guess that maybe 50% have come from other churches. The rest are de-churched/unchurched or people moving into the area. There is bound to be some transfer, although if I know that someone is moving from another church, I insist that it is done well, ideally that they get sent rather than leave. In the end, I want to see Christ glorified in the city, rather than numbers in the pews. Relationships with other churches Churches in the area have been positive. Ian meets regularly with other church leaders and they are very encouraging. At the moment 64 churches of all denominations are working together towards a mission in Norwich in the summer. I see us as becoming a resourcing church, says Ian which blesses others and encourages them. I d like to be able to send teams to support smaller churches, for example in worship. It would be great if others can benefit in time from our size, growth and resources. Lessons learned and things to do differently Ian has found partnering a church harder than planting. He says: Going into a situation with an existing congregation, however small, you may have to consider the needs of a very small minority of people who need to be considered in everything. It has been hard work and those who have wanted to keep things the same have been very fearful. I ve had to build trust with them by loving them, meeting with them and re-assuring them.. He says it would have been easy to give in sometimes but feels it s important to persevere and work with people to resolve issues where possible; obviously this benefits the church but also means that the model can be replicated elsewhere. One year into the partnership, St Thomas s is looking for opportunities to plant in another part of the city and Ian would ideally love to have more than one plant, and to be able to share staff and resources across the city. 11

12 Asked what he would do differently, he says that organising administrative support earlier would be a higher priority, resources permitting: I haven t had time for the blue sky stuff I ve been looking after the nuts and bolts most days. I m looking forward to having someone who can not only answer the phone but take ideas, put them into practice and deliver on them. It would have been good to have office space sooner too; up to eight people have sometimes used my study in the vicarage over the course of a week. We have just moved into some office space in the church which is great it is wonderful to have a separate phone line at last! Further information For further information, please go to the church website at or contact the Revd Ian Dyble at ian@stthomasnorwich.org 12