Research to identify support needs

Transcription

1 Research to identify support needs Fieldwork conducted in September 2017 Benita Hewitt 9Dot Research 112 Blandford Avenue, Kettering NN16 9AS T: M: E:

2 Research to identify support needs 2 CONTENTS Introduction 3 Church Strategy 5 Church vision 5 Sources of support for church strategy, and rating of diocese 5 Support needed for church strategy 6 Mission and growth 7 Areas where support would be valued 7 Sources of support for mission and growth, rating of the diocese 8 Support needed for mission and growth 8 Church management, finance and administration 9 Areas where support would be valued 9 Sources of support and rating of the diocese 10 Support needed with management, finance and administration 10 Discipleship 12 Areas where support would be valued 12 Sources of support for discipleship and rating of the diocese 12 Support needed with discipleship 13 Looking after clergy 14 Areas where support would be valued 14 Sources of support for looking after clergy 14 Ratings of the diocese 15 Support needed by clergy 16 Looking after lay people 17 Areas where support would be valued 17 Sources of support for looking after lay people 17 Ratings of the diocese 17 Support needed by lay people 18 Ranking of 31 needs 20 Diocese of Liverpool ratings 21 Other ways the diocese could better support churches 22 Current communications and events 23 Potential new areas of support 25 What the diocese should do more of 27 What the diocese should do less of 29 Other comments 29 Recommendations 30 Appendices 33 Questionnaire 33 Sample details 43 Other information 45

3 Research to identify support needs 3 Introduction Background Liverpool Diocese is committed to being a Bigger Church making a Bigger Difference. St James House wishes to ensure it is doing all it can to encourage, support and resource parish churches in their local communities in order to bring about this vision. Research was needed to help St James House understand where it is now, find out the needs of local churches and then create a vision of where it wants to be, and work together with parishes to develop its support, resources and communications. Research objectives The aim of the project was to gain the views of clergy, church wardens, treasures and other key parish officers on the services they receive from St James House. The stated objectives of the research project were to: 1. gain a clearer understanding of what parishes need from SJH 2. enable SJH decision makers to have greater information on how they should focus their resources 3. test opinions on some of our key products, events and how parishes want to be communicated with 4. establish an ongoing dialogue with parishes Objective 4 will be addressed with ongoing research using a panel of people recruited via this project. Method For this part of the research project an online survey was developed and invites were sent to all clergy and lay people on the St James House database. Questionnaires were fully completed by 43% of clergy and 22% of lay people. A further 12% gave partial responses. In total, 615 responded to the survey invite. Full details of the sample are in the appendix, here is some information about the sample: 136 clergy (88 incumbents) 479 lay people (165 PCC members, 120 Church Wardens) 72 representing villages, 115 from cities 134 representing churches with less than 50 people 43% clergy fully responded, 12% partially

4 Research to identify support needs 4 Questionnaire Respondents were asked to what extent they would value support for 31 needs spread across the following areas: Church Strategy Mission and growth Church management, finance and admin Discipleship Support for clergy Support for church lay people They were also asked where they would look for support in each of these areas and to rate the Diocese of Liverpool. There was also space for respondents to make comments on the support they would value in each of these areas. Other questions included: Rating of Diocese of Liverpool on a number of dimensions Ratings of existing communications Interest in a range of new ideas A series of open questions Classification A copy of the full questionnaire used is in the appendix.

5 Research to identify support needs 5 Church Strategy Church vision 55% of respondents claimed their churches had a vision, which church members were reasonably well aware of and for which there was a plan for reaching the vision. However, only 11% claimed to have a very clear vision with a very clear plan for reaching this vision these tended to be respondents from larger churches. A further 26% had a vision which members were largely unaware of, or for which there is no clear plan. Where there was a vision, it was most likely to include Making a bigger difference in the community (86%) and A growing church (83%), reflecting the vision of the diocese as a whole. Visions were a little less likely to include Better discipleship (63%) and even less likely to include A commitment to social action (46%). 20% claimed there was no vision for their church. There is clearly a need to encourage vision building with the other 20%, although in some cases there may be a vision that the lay people who responded were not aware of. Those who were more likely to say their church did not have a vision were: In smaller churches In small towns or villages had been in their role for more than 10 years PCC members or readers (rather than incumbents or church wardens) 86% said they would value support in creating a vision, including 88% of incumbents. Sources of support for church strategy, and rating of diocese Around 60% of respondents would look for support from the Diocese of Liverpool and from church colleagues. Other main sources of support include Christian organisations such as New Wine and CPAS, the Church of England and people with relevant expertise in churches or networks. Although 48% rated the Diocese of Liverpool as good for support with church strategy, 25% felt it was poor and 28% had no idea or were unaware of support in this area. 31% of incumbents rated the diocese as poor.

6 Research to identify support needs 6 Support needed for church strategy This chart shows the extent to which respondents would value support in each of these areas. % are of the total sample responding to the question. Although there was a strong need for help with vision building there was even greater need for realising the vision, with at least 90% of respondents saying they would value support in these areas: Ideas for church growth Building a strategic plan Embracing change Respondents were asked an open-ended question about what support was needed to help churches with strategy. The main need was not for creating vision but for practical help with implementation, to facilitate the vision becoming more of a reality. This included: How to communicate, engage with and motivate church members regarding vision and strategy How to encourage church members to look beyond their church Working together as a team with shared goals in church, dealing with change and conflict Working with limited resources, particularly in small churches with elderly congregations Making progress whilst been overburdened by immediate needs such as buildings or finances Mapping small steps towards the bigger vision

7 Research to identify support needs 7 There were also requests for support in these areas: Advice or mentoring from those with experience - people from other churches or other experts Learning from others, such as sharing best practices and case histories Improved training and facilitation Access to resources, particularly online resources or signposting to good resources Incumbent: I would say as a team we would value help in how to develop a practical strategy in take the people within our pew to own the vision, how to look forward and not keep looking back. Incumbent: I would value some support in helping me work through getting the church talking about the subject PCC member: We seem to be in a state of just trying to hold onto what we have and any outlook strategy is not greeted with any enthusiasm. This may be partly due to the shortage of members who have gifts in this area and the pressure on those who are already heavily committed to other duties. In addition, our vicar has ideas for outreach etc. but seems not to have the capability to move the ideas forward. Mission and growth Areas where support would be valued This chart shows the extent to which respondents would value support in each of these areas. % are of the total sample responding to the question.

8 Research to identify support needs 8 The two areas where respondents claimed support was most needed were engaging with young people and families, and growing or multiplying congregations. Sources of support for mission and growth, rating of the diocese Two-thirds of respondents claimed they would look to the diocese for support with mission and growth and 56% would look to church colleagues. Other main sources of support include Christian organisations such as New Wine and CPAS, the Church of England and people with relevant expertise in churches or networks. Incumbents were most likely to seek support from church colleagues. 60% rated the Diocese of Liverpool as good for support with mission and growth, 21% felt it was poor and 20% had no idea or were unaware of support in this area. 23% of incumbents rated the diocese as poor. Support needed for mission and growth Respondents were asked an open-ended question about what support was needed to help churches with mission and growth. Responses included: How to engage the whole church in mission - motivating church members into action, helping with growing and training lay leaders Ideas for mission and growth Encouragement Learning from the experiences of others, e.g. case histories, networking Practical support Training Help with identifying community needs How to reach families and young people How to disciple and retain new people Release from other activities in order to become more missional Direction on how to be more missional Curate: The challenge we have is adequately resourcing mission and growth, both financially and in terms of volunteers. Help with growing lay leaders would be welcome. Church Warden: Not sure what help is available - perhaps our Clergy have not been made aware of the support the Diocese can give. We need guidance on how to make our congregation more proactive in spreading / sharing the gospel. They are quite happy to just carry on as they have always done - leaving mission to 'others' PCC member: Require ideas that apply to our church from people who understand & have experience with churches having similar problems and conditions.

9 Research to identify support needs 9 Church management, finance and administration Areas where support would be valued This chart shows the extent to which respondents would value support in each of these areas. % are of the total sample responding to the question. More respondents claimed they would value support with getting grants than any of the other 30 needs shown in the survey. This need was greatest in medium sized churches (50-100) and in large towns, whilst the need was less strong in larger churches and in village/small town churches. Although there appears to be less of a need for managing employees there was, understandably, a wide variation by size of church. Just 9% of those from smaller churches said they would value support in this area to a large extent compared with 34% of those from larger churches. In nearly all the areas relating to management and finance, incumbents expressed a higher level of need than other respondents. Incumbents said they would value support to a large extent in these areas: Safeguarding 42% Management of buildings 40% Financial management/accounts 35% Church administration 30% Managing volunteers 30%

10 Research to identify support needs 10 Sources of support and rating of the diocese 77% of respondents said that they would look to the diocese for support with management, finance and administration more than for any other area. The other main sources of support were church colleagues (42%), Church of England (24%), other experts (18%) within or outside the church, and other Christian organisations (16%) such as CPAS. The diocese is rated more highly for management, finance and administration than for any other area, with 16% rating it as very good and 48% as quite good. Clergy rated the diocese most highly (18% very/61%quite good) as well as those in larger churches (19% very/62% quite good). This may well reflect the fact that clergy and larger churches have greater experience of using the diocese for support in these areas. Support needed with management, finance and administration Respondents were asked an open-ended question about what support was needed to help churches with management, finance and administration. Here is a summary of responses. Sharing of ideas and best practices from other churches Assistance with simplifying or streamlining administration and finance, in order to release more time and energy for mission, discipleship and social action More training and support for admin and finance, particularly for those without administrators. Suggestions included: o Training for those new to lay roles such as simple guidelines and role descriptions, where to go to for support etc. o Help with setting up and managing accounts o Regular updates on rules and regulations o How to instill good practice into church finance Improved communication, including: o Clear, easily accessible information on what support is available o More clarity on what is needed and why regarding accounts and statistics o Directory of contacts each area, such as legal issues and so on Respondents made a variety of suggestions for ideas that might help with support, including: A centralised admin provision for sharing between groups of churches Standard templates and training guides for areas such as Health & Safety, risk assessment, etc. Lists of recommended suppliers, software etc.

11 Research to identify support needs 11 Respondents would particularly value support in these areas Grant support and fundraising, particularly for buildings Building maintenance e.g. list of recommended suppliers Employee management e.g. payroll, pensions There were also a variety of negative comments made about the parish share and the ways in which it is calculated. PCC member: With Finance and admin. being so strictly regulated, especially for registered charities, very few are prepared to take on the jobs of Warden, Treasurer etc. It would be a great help if the Diocese could, in some way, progress people forward to take on these responsible and arbitrary positions. It's all very well training Treasurers etc. but how about encouraging and training people to shadow these jobs and to take them on? I know each church should be able to manage this aspect of admin. themselves, but the reality is it is proving very difficult. Reader: Although we do have a great deal of expertise in finance or administration we would appreciate some refresher courses or training on up to date rules and regulations including church rules and management structures. Also some information on what is available to churches and how to find out about what is on offer. Curate: Again, the support I would be looking for is something that pushes boundaries to simplify and streamline administrative functions so as to release more energy into mission, discipleship and social action. In this sense the support needs to be clear, intuitive and releasing.

12 Research to identify support needs 12 Discipleship Areas where support would be valued This chart shows the extent to which respondents would value support in each of these areas. % are of the total sample responding to the question. The two areas where respondents would value most support were with encouraging churchgoers to have a more active faith and with nurturing new Christians. These two issues have already been mentioned in response to the open question relating to Mission and Growth. Sources of support for discipleship and rating of the diocese Two-thirds of respondents said they would look to the diocese for support with discipleship. Other sources of support were: church colleagues (52%), other Christian organisations such as New Wine or CPAS (38%), the Church of England (26%) and experts within the church or other networks (16%). Incumbents were more likely to look for support with church colleagues (71%) than the diocese (55%). The diocese was not rated highly for support with discipleship, with only 10% rating it as very good and 20% rating it as poor, 30% of incumbents rated the diocese as poor. Interestingly, 16% of respondents from larger churches rated the diocese as very good, compared with just 7% of respondents from smaller churches.

13 Research to identify support needs 13 Support needed with discipleship Respondents were asked an open-ended question about what support was needed to help churches with discipleship. Here is a summary of responses. A facility to share ideas with other churches Best practices in discipleship, perhaps a database of case histories A means of networking of churchgoers, enabling them to learn from and share with others who are similar Sharing of current discipleship related stories - both clergy and church members Advice on how to create a discipleship culture within churches, particularly to support with discipling of established churchgoers and encourage them to become more actively engaged Easily accessible and easy to use resources and ideas, perhaps a searchable database More resources and discipleship ideas for people who are not middle class, literate, stable or available for regular attendance More resources and discipleship ideas suitable for multi-cultural, deprived or refugee settings More focus on discipleship which relates faith to everyday life and work Training and/or mentoring Incumbent: Discipling those who have been church goers for a long time and who may not have engaged with 'faith' is a challenge. PCC member: The current support offered needs better and greater communications on what is available to the local church from the diocese Curate: This is the area we struggle with most as a church, in my opinion. Most discipleship resources seem designed for middle class, literate, stable people. They often require people to attend some kind of regular event (e.g. Alpha, bible studies etc.) which do not work for shift workers, young families and others less familiar with conceptual or cerebral conversation. Developing resources and approaches that address these societal changes and challenges would be welcome.

14 Research to identify support needs 14 Looking after clergy Areas where support would be valued This chart shows the extent to which respondents would value support in each of these areas. % are of all clergy responding to the question. Clergy would most value support through encouragement, affirmation and professional development. However, there were differences by clergy role where incumbents would most value encouragement whereas other clergy would most value professional development. Sources of support for looking after clergy 64% of clergy said they would look to church colleagues for support, 55% said the diocese and 34% other Christian organisations. In the open-ended response about where else they might look, these were mentioned: Spiritual Director Colleagues/Clergy friends Accountability groups Counsellors Retreat houses Secular books/talks etc. Healthcare professionals Sheldon Community

15 Research to identify support needs 15 Ratings of the diocese This chart shows ratings of the diocese in each of these areas. % are of all clergy responding to the question. Only 14% of clergy felt that the diocese was very good at looking after clergy and 42% felt it was poor. Those who rated the diocese more highly tended to be in larger charges or had been in the current role for less than two years. Clergy were asked to what extent the diocese helped them to feel valued, respected and so on. The findings are in the following chart.

16 Research to identify support needs 16 The diocese was rated most highly for helping to keep clergy informed and least highly for inspiring clergy. Those in larger churches were more likely to say the diocese helped them to feel valued, respected and part of something bigger. Support needed by clergy Clergy were asked an open-ended question about what support they needed. Here is a summary of responses. Better pastoral support, including o Being cared for and valued more o More encouragement o Ensuring that clergy are emotionally and spiritually healthy o Making it easier for clergy to find personal support when it is needed Helping clergy feel less isolated Better support for clergy working in deprived parishes To have consistent direction from the diocese, without too many new initiatives or changes of direction More opportunities for informal networking For the diocese to have realistic expectations of what clergy and churches can achieve Better housing support For the Ministerial Development Review to be more genuinely helpful and less like an inspection Incumbent: I know that we are aiming to grow a bigger church and I am committed to this. I do find it frustrating when we are encouraged 'down a path' only to find that then another route is given. An example would be that we were persuaded to pursue team ministry. This was an exhausting and challenging task. We worked very hard only to be told that there was now the evidence that team ministries did not grow bigger churches. This is so discouraging. From a leadership point of view we can feel we are leading people in one direction only to then tell people that we are going in another direction. I embrace change with a purpose and have spent my life helping others to embrace change. Diocesan as well as church strategy needs to be clear and consistent. Other clergy: It's a very hard balance to strike, but I think clergy are left to try and make up their 'job', which is multi-faceted and often extremely draining. I think Area Deans could be given support and training on how to really help colleagues find the kinds of support they should get to keep them encouraged and emotionally and spiritually healthy. SSM: I think the system of MDR's is not very effective. It is like meeting with OFSTED. For me as an SSM there needs to a greater emphasis on having a system that we can "tap" into as and when needed. There is sometimes too much formality about structures in the Cof E that dissuades people from seeking help and stifles creative thinking.

17 Research to identify support needs 17 Looking after lay people Areas where support would be valued This chart shows the extent to which lay people would value support in each of these areas. % are of all lay people responding to the question. PCC members would particularly value encouragement, coaching and practical support. Church Wardens would most value training and practical support. Readers would most value encouragement and spiritual direction. Sources of support for looking after lay people 70% of lay people would look to the diocese for support, 50% would look to church colleagues, 27% to other Christian organisations such as CPAS and 22% the Church of England. Other sources mentioned in the openended question included family and friends, online, books and local networks. Ratings of the diocese One in four lay people either had no idea or were unaware of support for lay people from the diocese. 10% rated the diocese as very good, 45% as quite good and 20% as poor. There were no significant differences in ratings by Readers, PCC members and Church Wardens. Those that had been in the role for less than five years rated the diocese higher than those that had been in their roles for over ten years. Those in larger churches rated the diocese higher than those in smaller churches.

18 Research to identify support needs 18 Lay people were asked to what extent the diocese helped them to feel valued, respected and so on. The findings are in the following chart. The diocese was rated most highly for helping lay people to feel part of something bigger and least highly for being inspiring. Readers were much more likely than other lay people to say the diocese helped them to feel informed. Lay people in larger churches were much more likely to say the diocese helped them to feel inspired. Support needed by lay people Lay people were asked an open-ended question about what support they needed. Here is a summary of responses. Lay people would like to feel more valued, and would welcome: o more recognition, respect and acknowledgement that their role is valued o better communication, both in terms of communication to lay people and in them having more of a voice in the diocese o feeling less isolated within the diocese Lay people would welcome more training, coaching and/or mentoring, particularly for those new into roles as Church Wardens or PCC Secretaries Better support for those in interregnum, when lay people can feel isolated and unsupported More practical support Better networking with other lay leaders to enable learning, sharing of ideas and to help lay people feel more a part of the diocese and less isolated It was also mentioned that some lay people could be used more to benefit churches and the diocese.

19 Research to identify support needs 19 Another church member: I don't think this is the Diocese's fault but a lot of attention is placed nowadays on ordination and that is where you hear all the talk about 'calling' from God. It can be quite disempowering. LML: There is still too much emphasis on those who wear the collars! Where church communities are needing a leader, lay people should be used more, including for all the roles currently carried out by church ministers. The lay leaders should be vetted, trained, encouraged and supported in these roles. Reader: Lay leaders need more practical support on an individual basis. Lay leaders need more recognition, authority and support. As a reader I feel that my local chapter does very little in the way of support although I do have support from further on in the diocese such as Readers Warden and Bishop Richard. On the whole, in my local situation, readers are often treated with less respect and authority that church wardens. Readers work very hard and in many instances keep the services and offices of the church going, in the absence of Clergy, particularly over holiday periods, but out talents and gifts are not fully recognised or used. I realise that this is not the case in all local churches but this may need addressing in clergy training and in future lay leadership training

20 Research to identify support needs 20 Ranking of 31 needs Here is a ranking of the 31 needs assessed, showing the % who felt their churches would value support to a large extent

21 Research to identify support needs 21 Diocese of Liverpool ratings Respondents were asked to rate the Diocese of Liverpool on a number of dimensions. This charts shows responses for the total sample of those responding. The diocese was rated most highly for being the administrative centre. It was also rated well for offering good resources and providing strategic direction for the diocese. It was felt to be poor at reducing the administrative burden on churches, making life easier for churches, understanding the needs of churches and facilitating networking. Larger churches (150 or more) and evangelical churches rated the diocese more positively on all dimensions. Churches with and village churches rated the diocese more negatively on all dimensions.

22 Research to identify support needs 22 Other ways the diocese could better support churches Respondents were asked to write down any others ways they felt the Diocese of Liverpool could be providing better support to churches. Here is a summary of the responses. Communications Improve the website, particularly the search facility Be more responsive, including having adequate resourcing at St James House to do so Better online support, such as how to guides that are easy to access and clear to follow Have clear directories of who to contact about what, and of what support is available Provide clear and simple procedural information, without any assumed knowledge Communicate better to those who are not clergy Do more listening Other support the diocese could give Provide more training and support for lay leaders (particularly for those new to roles such as Church Warden or PCC Secretary) and be more respectful Be more proactive in caring for clergy, rather than just being reactive when there are problems Support churches better that are in interregnum Provide better support for parishes outside Liverpool (Warrington was mentioned in particular) Provide better support for church finances and accounts Consider what could be done to support those who are not computer literate or do not use the Internet Practical suggestions Facilitate networking - of clergy, of lay leaders and with members across churches Help with sharing of best practices Offer spiritual retreats Create a directory of lay readers/retired clergy for when cover is needed Offer draft policies Health and Safety policies, Risk Assessments, IT policies, Safety Inspections, etc. Employ people to provide support across the diocese, to help reduce the administrative diocesan workload, allowing churches to focus more on mission and discipleship Offer conflict resolution for teams C0oordinate information requests, rather than asking churches for information and statistics throughout the year Other comments and suggestions Have a clear, consistent strategy - focus on one initiative before introducing new ones Work more in partnership with churches, with more of a bottom up culture There were various comments relating to parish share

23 Research to identify support needs 23 Other clergy: Help with conflict and resolution for both clergy and for PCC! Working with teams who are not happy eg teams who don't want to be together. Working diocese wide. Help with social interaction good not putting all courses or teaching days on a Saturday! It's the day off for many who are busy with family etc. Please also try other days /eve Incumbent: Sort out the structure of the website - still impossible to find anything. Stop cutting St. James' House - at some point it becomes counterproductive. Better buildings management support - especially how to monetise assets. Proper communications - more than just a very limited weekly . Other dioceses produce occasional bulletins and magazines to enable parishes to know what's going on. Church Warden: There are practical matters that need to be addressed and not all churches have the skill or knowledge. Sorry to return to the same theme but churches need H&S policies, Risk Assessments, IT Policies, Safety Inspections etc.. I am not aware than any of these are available. All over the Diocese there will be wheels being reinvented. Current communications and events This chart shows ratings of the usefulness of various current communications and events. % are of the total sample responding to the question.

24 Research to identify support needs 24 Clearly, the two most valued communication vehicles are the diocesan website and the weekly bulletin. Similarly, the two least useful communication vehicles are Facebook and Twitter- levels of awareness are relatively low, especially with lay people, and those who are aware do not find them particularly useful. Lack of awareness is an issue, particularly with lay people. The following table shows the % of lay people that were unaware of each of these: Open the Box events 62% Stewardship Matters 59% Twitter feed 57% Facebook page 50% Making it easier training 47% Autumn/Spring study courses 45% Cycle of prayer 38% Archdeacon Parish Reviews 33% Growth Planning Framework 30% Treasurer and Gift Aid training 29% Finance Dashboard 25% Attendance Dashboard 23% Weekly bulletin 12% Diocesan website 3% Awareness was less of an issue with clergy although at least one in four were unaware of the Twitter feed, Facebook page and Stewardship Matters . For clergy, the main issue was the lack of usefulness. The following table shows the % of incumbents that did not find these to be useful: Facebook page 52% Twitter feed 46% Ministerial Development Review 40% Growth Planning Framework 39% Archdeacon Parish Reviews 37% Stewardship Matters 32%

25 Research to identify support needs 25 Autumn and Spring study courses 30% Attendance Dashboard 26% Finance Dashboard 25% Making it easier training 22% Diocesan website 21% Open the Box events 17% Cycle of prayer 16% Weekly bulletin 15% Treasurer and Gift Aid training 10% Potential new areas of support Respondents were asked for their level of interest in a range of new areas. This chart shows the level of interest in various other areas of support. % are of the total sample responding to the question.

26 Research to identify support needs 26 Overall, the highest levels of interest were shown for other training, legal advice, communications and IT support for the parish. The lowest levels of interest were for payroll and bookkeeping support. However, the levels of interest varied by respondent characteristics. Clergy were more interested in all these areas than lay people, with incumbents showing more interest in all areas than other clergy (except for starting a social justice campaign). 47% of incumbents were very interested in better IT support and 44% very interested in legal advice. Naturally, there was more interest shown in payroll management by those in larger than those in smaller churches. Comments on new ideas Respondents were given space to comment on the new ideas. Respondents welcomed the idea of more practical support, although some said support in these areas was expected. They would like more clarity on how to access support, searchable resources, a place for FAQs and to ask other questions, and sharing of good practice in these areas. They would also welcome sample contracts and policies as well as recommendations for suitable software. PCC member: Some form of legal matters/safeguarding/finance resource for quick questions or advice could be useful. Perhaps via or website. This would also help the Diocese build a picture of current issues churches are dealing with. Incumbent: Advice on payroll, contracts, computer software, mass electronic communication options would all be helpful. These and similar areas take time, money and expertise. Sample policies rather than just advice about policies.

27 Research to identify support needs 27 What the diocese should do more of Respondents were asked to give three suggestions for what else the Diocese of Liverpool could be doing to better support churches. Here is a summary of the responses. Communications suggestions Make it clear what the diocese currently offers Improve the website Provide a user friendly directory of people Create profiles diocesan officials, to allow people to put faces to names Communicate diocesan news to church members Share more news from the parishes Practical suggestions Coordinate and rollout digital strategy and support Facilitate finding cover for clergy when needed or during interregna Provide a greater variety of practical support, including off the shelf material for common needs Set up a diocesan wide Estate Office to centralise sales of church land or buildings Facilitate links between churches and schools Provide help with getting grants Produce a register of approved contractors People related suggestions Provide access to coaching and mentoring within the diocese Offer conflict resolution for teams Facilitate the sharing of ideas and networking Create learning communities Share best practices with churches Encourage churches to work together rather than in competition with each other Provide more training, such as in IT, finance and for lay leaders Provide more opportunities to bring people together as a diocese (other than cathedral services) Care for clergy better Other suggestions Help churches with identifying community needs Provide support to help reduce the administration burden More actively support ministry in deprived areas Provide resources for discipleship and mission Give more support and advice for small churches with elderly congregations

28 Research to identify support needs 28 Provide better support for churches in interregnum Be clearer guidance on what is mandatory and what is optional Provide better support and advice for property management Other comments There were various other comments including mentions of parish share and the Transforming Wigan initiative. Some respondents also made positive comments about support provided by the diocese. A full listing of all comments made in the research is available as a separate document. Curate: Opening up forums and platforms where parishes can share ideas for discipleship and mission. Re-evaluate the approach to future pastoral reorganisation (at the moment it feels neither top down, nor truly bottom up). Offer a compelling vision or set up a framework for grassroots conversations. Invest in training of local lay workers. Incumbent: 1. Could have introduced/linked a new incumbent into the Church school, rather than allowing it to happen or not as the case may be - bit late now though. 2. Maybe initiate a Learning Community locally for bigger churches, or maybe all churches regarding change/mission/discipleship - I discussed this with Steve Pierce (and Simon Glyn), but nothing has come of it 3. Wardens training for new Wardens in May/June Incumbent: Be realistic about the challenges of finding good leadership in urban areas. Actively support with resources the ministry in difficult and challenging situations. Estate Ministry Offer proper pastoral support for the clergy to prevent burn out. Church Warden: Sending all correspondence to the correct people. A directory that's accessible to wardens of who's who especially during an interregnum A list of people who are prepared to preach during interregnum Reader: 1. Reassess Parish Share 2. Networking with other parishes - greater use of deanery synod meetings and special events 3. Remembering that not all parishes are actually in Liverpool, and those outside Liverpool are just as important Reader: I love being part of the Diocese of Liverpool but I don't always feel comfortable. Very often it feels as though our overall mission to build God's Kingdom is lost in a plethora of targets and statistics that mean very little to Mrs Smith who comes to church every Sunday and takes us away from ensuring that her encounter with God is fulfilling and enabling

29 Research to identify support needs 29 What the diocese should do less of Respondents were asked what they felt the Diocese of Liverpool should stop of do less of. Responses included the following: Increasing the administrative burden for churches The trendy liberal agenda Using Bigger Church, Bigger Difference Introducing new initiatives Equating success with church size Focussing on Liverpool Communicating to middle-class/educated people Incumbent: Drop the pro-lgbt agenda and other trendy 'liberal' stuff. Change from 'bigger church, bigger difference' to something that puts Christ at the fore. Stop bugging us for figures and paperwork. Incumbent: Fewer new initiatives and big strategic ideas. Even the good ones take *much* longer to be implemented in parishes than people who work in offices think. Reader: Less emphasis on numerical growth, more on developing the current membership to be more Christ like Other comments Respondents were invited to write down any other comments at the end of the survey. A full listing of these and all over comments is available in a separate document. Here are some examples of more positive and less positive comments. Example of less positive comments Our church does not feel supported by the Diocese of Liverpool We seem to have lost connection somehow I often feel we are just left to get on with it Greater emphasis needs to be placed on prayer Examples of more positive comments St James staff are very helpful when telephoned and folk are usually very willing to help The diocese are a great support for churches and work well in most areas SJH is a very accessible and friendly place. People could be made more aware of all the good work it and the staff there do for the diocese

30 Research to identify support needs 30 Recommendations Here are some recommendations, based on the findings of this research project. 1. Facilitate sharing Facilitate networking between churches, clergy lay people and church members Promote people to share good ideas in order to support others Encourage people to recommend resources they have found useful Encourage cooperative working, both within and between churches Proactively share case studies and best practices, particularly to enable those from similar contexts to learn from others 2. Review communications Clearly communicate what support is available from the Diocese of Liverpool Develop a clear and easily accessible directory of contacts for support Provide a directory of people who can provide clergy cover when needed Improve the functionality of website, particularly the search facility Improve the reach of communications so that lay people feel more engaged with and supported by the diocese Raise awareness of and engagement with current communications Review the use of social media determine who is currently using it and develop a strategy for improving reach to include primary target audiences, review the relevancy of content, drive more active engagement, consider and monitor the value of social media to the diocese 3. Offer more practical support and reduce duplication of effort Produce a range of practical resources in order to reduce duplication of effort across churches, including: Templates How to guides Recommendations for suppliers, software etc. Draft policies e.g. Health and Safety, Risk Assessment, IT Online support such as FAQs for popular areas, searchable databases of ideas/resources etc. Churches would welcome practical support particularly in relation to these areas: Grants Fundraising Legal issues Managing buildings Managing people Administration

31 Research to identify support needs 31 It was felt that increased practical support would help release time for strategy, mission and discipleship. 4. Assist churches with strategy, mission and growth It was clear that churches needed more help with implementation and realising visions rather than with creating visions. Internally this included help with engaging, inspiring and motivating people in congregations to become more active members. They would also welcome assistance in dealing with issues associated with change, including creating stronger teamworking within churches in order to facilitate growth. Churches would also welcome more guidance on how best to engage young people and families, as well as practical help for building relationships with schools Assistance on identifying social needs would be helpful, as well as direction on how to meet those local needs Provide more advice and practical suggestions for building relationships with local communities Review and improve the usefulness of the Growth Planning Framework 5. Focus more on discipleship Churches recognised the need to improve discipleship, both of new people to the church and of existing church members and would welcome more support from the diocese in these areas Discipleship of new people, in order to help: build relationships, improve retention build fruitful foundations of faith grow congregations Discipleship of existing church members in order to: encourage a more fruitful, active faith 6. Support clergy better Consider ways in which clergy could be given better pastoral support o By being more proactive with encouragement, affirmation and valuing clergy o By helping clergy be emotionally and spiritually healthy o By making it easier to find help when it is needed Provide better housing support, particularly with maintenance and repairs Facilitate professional development Make reviews more valuable to clergy

32 Research to identify support needs Support lay people better The diocese could be doing more to encourage and support lay people. Value lay people better o Provide more training, particularly for those new into roles as Church Wardens or PCC Secretaries o Recognise, encourage and respect lay people better o Help lay people feel less isolated, communicate with them more and give them more of a voice in the diocese Provide access to coaching or mentoring, particularly for taking on new responsibilities Provide better support for those in interregnum 8. More actively support smaller churches The research clearly showed that larger churches, with 150 or more in the worshipping community, feel more supported by the diocese than smaller churches. The diocese should consider how best to communicate with and more proactively support those in smaller churches.

33 Research to identify support needs 33 Appendices Questionnaire Q1 Which of these are you? Parish incumbent Curate Self supporting minister Another clergy Local missional leader Reader Church warden PCC member Another church leader Another church member/churchgoer Q2 Ask if Q1 = option 10 or 9 Please write down any area of responsibility within your church? Q3 Ask if Q1 <9Have long have you been a {Q1} in your church? up to 2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years years Over 15 years Q4 Ask if Q1 <10How long have you been active in church leadership in the Diocese of Liverpool? up to 2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years years Over 15 years Church Strategy Q5 Do you believe your church has a...? Very clear vision Quite a clear vision No clear vision Go to Q9a

34 Research to identify support needs 34 Not sure/no idea Go to Q9a Q6 Which of these are included in your church vision? A growing church Making a bigger difference in the community Better discipleship A commitment to social action None of these Q7 To what extent do you think church members are aware of the vision for your church? Totally aware Very aware Quite aware Not aware Not sure/no idea Q8 To what extent is there a plan or strategy for reaching the vision? Very clear plan, the focus for all decision making Quite a clear plan No clear plan, but we bear it in mind when decision making Not sure/no idea Q9 To what extent do you feel churches like yours would value support with each of the following? This support could be from the diocese or elsewhere and could include training, guidance, ideas or tools, for example. Large extent Small extent Not at all Creating a vision Building a strategic plan Ideas for church growth Embracing change Q10 How would you rate the Diocese of Liverpool for the support we give to develop your church strategy? Very good Quite good Quite poor Very poor No idea

35 Research to identify support needs 35 Unaware of support for church strategy Q11 If you wanted support developing your church strategy where would you be most likely to look for support? Tick as many as apply Diocese of Liverpool Church of England Church colleagues Other Christian organisations Other experts Elsewhere No idea Q12 Please give more detail on where you would look for support Q13 Please use this space for comments on support you need to develop your church strategy Mission and growth Q14 To what extent do you feel churches like yours would value support with each of the following? Large extent Small extent Not at all Building relationships with the local community Getting young people/families engaged with church Engaging with local schools Doing occasional offices/life events well Being welcoming Being inclusive Developing new worship styles/services Growing or multiplying congregations Engagement with mission events Engaging with social needs Q15 How would you rate the Diocese of Liverpool for the support we give for mission and growth? Very good Quite good Quite poor Very poor

36 Research to identify support needs 36 No idea Unaware of support for mission and growth Q16 If you wanted support with mission and growth where would you be most likely to look for support? Tick as many as apply Diocese of Liverpool Church of England Church colleagues Other Christian organisations Other experts Elsewhere No idea Q17 Please give more detail on where you would look for support Q18 Please use this space for comments on support you might need for mission and growth Church Management, Finance and Administration Q19 To what extent do you feel churches like yours would value support with each of the following? Fundraising activities Management of buildings Managing volunteers Managing employees Safeguarding Financial management and accounts PCC governance Church administration Getting grants Supporting giving strategies Q20 How would you rate Diocese of Liverpool for the support we give you for church management, finance and administration? Very good Quite good Quite poor Very poor No idea

37 Research to identify support needs 37 Unaware of support in these areas Q21 If you wanted support with church management, finance or administration where would you be most likely to look for support? Tick as many as apply Discipleship Diocese of Liverpool Church of England Church colleagues Other Christian organisations Other experts Elsewhere No idea Q22 Please give more detail on where you would look for support Q23 Please use this space for comments on support needed for church management, finance or administration Q24 To what extent do you feel churches like yours would value support with each of the following? Nurturing new Christians Encouraging churchgoers to have a more active faith Supporting faith in the home Support with prayer ideas Supporting spiritual direction and engagement Support in encouraging new vocations Providing practical support for social injustice projects Q25 How would you rate the Diocese of Liverpool for the support given for discipleship? Very good Quite good Quite poor Very poor No idea Unaware of support for discipleship Q26 If you wanted support with discipleship where would you be most likely to look for support?