In working for the benefit of our churches, we are active in five specific areas, each supported by a Director:

Transcription

1 Annual Report

2 About us The mission of FIEC is to encourage Independent churches to work together to reach Great Britain for Christ. We want to be growing gospel-driven churches looking to make Christ known in every community across the country. The FIEC central team works to give local churches a national vision by envisioning, equipping and encouraging them for their gospel ministry, and engaging with others on their behalf at a national level. In working for the benefit of our churches, we are active in five specific areas, each supported by a Director: NATIONAL issues, vision and representation PASTORAL care of churches and those who serve them PRACTICAL support and legal advice TRAINING for different types of Christian service MISSION strategy, both here in Great Britain and further afield Over the course of the last year we have once again experienced God s goodness and blessing as we have sought to serve our churches and fulfil our mission. I want to place on record my thanks to the FIEC Trust Board for their continued support of our vision and mission. I am particularly grateful to Mark Lawrence who has Chaired the Trust Board for the last three years and to Alan McKnight who succeeded Mark as Chair in July. What follows is an executive summary, followed by an annual report to inform you of our work and ministry. John Stevens National Director, FIEC 2

3 Executive Summary > 15 new churches affiliated to FIEC > 2016 Leaders Conference fully booked with 563 people attending > 2017 Leaders Conference venue found in Torquay with a capacity of 1,500 > Church donations of almost 600,000 given - praise God for the generosity of his people! > Adrian Reynolds appointed as new FIEC Training Director > Trevor Archer to become first FIEC London Director > Phil Walter joined FIEC as full-time Church Revitalisation Coordinator > Seven church plants recognised and supported by FIEC > 18,000 given in grants over two years to provide church plants with governing documents and 130,000 given in grants to facilitate mission in three communities > 18,000 made in loans to help church plant set-up costs > FIEC Training Fund has now received more than 1m in donations which have been given out as grants since with 125,000 awarded this year > Pastors Network membership grown to 520 men leading to: > 463 people attending Pastors Network Conferences - an increase of 43% > 12 churches engaging with revitalisation process and 40 more seeking help > Two churches closed, two resigned their membership > 29 women workers attended our Thrive Conference > Ministry Wives Consultation held > Certificate in Independent Church Ministry course started at Edinburgh Theological Seminary > 117 churches and six gospel charities helped by FIEC Practical Services > First three editions of our theological resource Primer published > Video project to share news from our churches launched 3

4 National Director - John Stevens FIEC Growth The past year has been a tremendously encouraging time of growth and progress for FIEC, which is enabling us to develop our gospel vision for the nation. As a Fellowship of churches we are passionately committed to the gospel, to the belief that local churches ought to be autonomous and self-governing, but also to the need to work together if we are to bring the good news of the Lord Jesus to every community in Britain. I am delighted that more and more churches are recognising the value of our vision and are choosing to identify with us. In the last year 15 new churches have been affiliated by FIEC, bringing the number of new churches that have joined us since 2010 to more than 100. In the last 12 months, two churches have closed and two others have resigned their membership. Of the resigning churches, one is joining a network with a different theological stance to FIEC and the other has been revitalised by a different gospel network and plans to affiliate with them. Together with the new church plants that have been recognised this year, the total number of churches affiliated to FIEC now comes to 565, making us the largest group of unashamedly Bible-centred churches in the country, with more than 46,000 people regularly attending an FIEC church. Whilst these numbers might seem positive, perhaps even impressive, they ought to be seen against the backdrop of the desperate spiritual need of our nation. Best estimates suggest no more than 3% of the 65 million people in the UK today know Christ in a saving way, and so we long and pray for growth and revival. Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh 4

5 FIEC Staff Team Whilst the work of the gospel is done by the churches of FIEC, our central staff team exists to envision, equip, and encourage our churches as they fulfil their mission. The various ways that we do this are highlighted in the reports that follow. I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Adrian Reynolds to join FIEC as our new Training Director from the beginning of April Adrian, who is currently Director of Ministry for the Proclamation Trust, will be taking this role on from Trevor Archer, who has done a wonderful job on behalf of FIEC over the past six years. Trevor has started The Hub Conference and established the Training Fund that has invested over 1m in preparing men and women for gospel ministry and helping churches to employ additional workers. It is even better that Trevor won t be leaving FIEC, but will be switching role to become our first FIEC London Director, working in a voluntary capacity. This will enable us to coordinate and develop the ministry of FIEC in London, which is home to more than eight million people, and is of strategic importance both for Great Britain and the wider world. Silver Street Community Church, London In the past FIEC has been weaker in London than other parts of the country, but it is vital for our national gospel vision that we grow and support thriving churches to proclaim Christ and make disciples in the capital city. It is particularly exciting that Phil Walter has been able to start work for FIEC as full time Church Revitalisation Coordinator, funded by generous donations from churches and individuals here and in the USA. We hope and pray that this threeyear project will ensure that many of our smaller churches are helped to become thriving gospel witnesses for the future. We have also been able to gather local church leaders together in Cumbria to help them work together to advance the gospel in the county, and are planning to do the same in Cornwall, Wales and part of East-Anglia in the coming year. 5

6 We are very conscious that our churches value and appreciate the work done on their behalf by FIEC Practical Services, who are now able to provide expert legal advice to churches on constitutional matters, and undertake conveyancing work for them at significantly lower costs than with other solicitors. Of course, this work is undertaken by those who are sympathetic to the unique needs of independent churches. The volume of work in this area is growing significantly, and we have recruited new staff to enable us to provide an ever-improving service. The FIEC Leaders Conference Crucial to developing our cohesion as a gospel movement is our annual Leaders Conference, which is held in November and includes the FIEC AGM. In 2016 the main theme of the conference was Engaging Evangelism, and it is thrilling that it was fully booked with 563 people by the end of July. But it means that more than 60 people were unable to join us because of the space constraints of our current venue. We are delighted that next year we will be moving to a new conference venue in Torquay which is cost-effective, available at the right time of the year, and able to take up to 1,500 delegates. Bookings are open now at fiec.org.uk/events. FIEC Leaders Conference 2015 FIEC Finances We are very conscious that our churches give generously and sacrificially to fund the work of FIEC, and once again the Lord has met all of our financial needs this year. We have received 83% of the suggested church donations for the year, as against a budgeted target of 85%, which is very similar to the previous year. Almost 600,000 has been given - thank you for your generosity. Over the last two years suggested church donations have increased by up to 5% plus the rate of inflation affecting FIEC, and this will be the last year in the planned three-year programme of such increases. Next year we will limit the increases in church donations to the level of inflation. However we will be asking churches and individuals to consider supporting the FIEC Training Fund, or to become Personal Partners. 6

7 Sharing your stories I hope that you will be encouraged by all that is happening in FIEC, and that you will be praying for us and for our churches. You can hear many more great stories about how the Lord is at work around the country on our website fiec.org.uk or in Together magazine. You can follow on Twitter or like our Facebook page. Please do contact us at the FIEC office if there is anything else you would like to know, or if there is anything you would like to share with us for the encouragement of others. We know that heaven rejoices when a single sinner repents and comes to salvation, so we especially love to hear testimonies of conversions and baptisms from across our church family. Our contact details are on the back of this report. Theological Team - David Shaw Primer has been the main focus in the last year. We've now published three issues and are working hard to see Primer established as a must-buy resource for evangelical gospel workers. Primer Issue 03 - True to Form In the coming year we plan to publish issue 04 on the Doctrine of Justification in May 2017 and another issue in November In addition to Primer, I've been contributing to many of the regional Pastors Network conferences, several other training courses and a number of writing projects. Primer is available from thegoodbook.co.uk. 7

8 Mission Director - Andy Paterson People supported We ve met with a large number of gospel-led individuals and churches over the past year to provide support for church growth and planting. Some of our conversations have helped with early plans, and others have contributed to shaping the final arrangements for the launch of new churches. There are currently 20 church plants recognised by FIEC. Some of those we ve helped this year are: Cornerstone Church, Portsmouth; Christ Church Cambourne, Cambridgeshire; Barlanark 20schemes, Glasgow; Welshpool Community Church, Wales; St Augustines, Isle of Man and Trinity Church Milnthorpe, Cumbria. Money given Financial support has been given from FIEC s Mission Fund and Loan Fund to support church plants that have been recognised by FIEC. Since the scheme was launched at the Leaders Conference in 2014, grants totalling almost 18,000 have been made available to eligible churches. This enables FIEC Practical Services to work with recognised plants, putting initial charity governing documents in place. Meanwhile, loans offered at below market rates have seen more than 18,000 from the Loan Fund lent to church plants to help them with set-up costs and essential equipment including Bibles, digital projectors and musical instruments. In the past two years we have given 130,000 for church planting projects from the proceeds of churches that have taken the decision to close. We expect to add to this with another 100,000 available for distribution in the coming year. Plans for the next 12 months There are incredibly encouraging signs that God is at work in some of the most gospel-needy areas of the country, with a good number of people setting to work in some of FIEC s 50 Places and elsewhere. We plan to offer follow-up reports on the 50 Places in the January issue of Together magazine and will continue to work pro-actively to galvanise our relationships with other planting organisations. Our plans for the coming year also include strengthening a team of church planting coaches, organising a retreat for church planters and their wives, and undertaking some research to underpin some of our future work. 8

9 Training Director - Trevor Archer The past year has seen gifts to the Training Fund pass the 1million mark, a wonderful provision from the Lord! We have awarded grants this year of 125,000 to seven churches to appoint an additional gospel worker and four individuals to help towards the cost of their college or church-based training courses. In God s goodness, 80,000 has been given to the Training Fund this year but we need to replenish the fund to keep awarding grants at the same level. We are currently piloting a Giving Day with some of our larger churches to help raise money for the Fund as this money does not come from regular church donations. The Hub Conference has become an annual part of the FIEC landscape and has now seen well over 400 men and women attend a weekend to seek advice and wisdom on their journey into Christian service. Bookings for The Hub 2017 are being taken now at fiec.org.uk/events. The Hub Conference 2016 The Ministry Journeys books that 10ofThose have started to publish arising from The Hub Conference have been well received and appreciated by the churches. We have so much to thank God for - not least in the past months the appointment of my successor, Adrian Reynolds, who is a wonderful provision for FIEC training. Please pray for him and Celia, his wife, as they move to Market Harborough in the spring and Adrian begins serving with us after Easter has also seen the establishment of The Children s and Youth Ministry (CYM) Development Group which will seek to resource and support our churches in this vital ministry to the coming generations. 9

10 Pastoral Ministries - Richard Underwood The Pastors Network (PN) has grown to 520 an increase in serving members of 5%. More importantly, the Network has grown in terms of depth with the highest ever number of people attending our day conferences this year 463 compared with 323 in Encouragingly, we are seeing significant growth in the number of wives attending up from 72 to 105. Pastors Network Day Conference, Birmingham 2016 The Pastors Network Support Team is currently carrying out an audit of the 2014 Pastoral Well-Being Survey. Progress has been made in three particular areas highlighted by the survey: > there is a growing sense of ownership of the conferences by regional leaders. Increasingly, the conferences are acting as a catalyst for developing local avenues of mutual support; > the focus on prayer in the 2016 day conferences has been helpful and widely welcomed; and > a pastoral well-being code of best practice is being disseminated which will help both churches and pastors to improve the standards of pastoral care and spiritual health of those involved in church leadership. This will be published both across the FIEC family of churches and across the Living Leadership network. Our planning team will meet in January to shape the content of the day conferences in Again, the theme has emerged from the well-being survey Serving out of our Identity in Christ. You can book for the Pastors Network day conferences 2017 at fiec.org.uk/events Ongoing challenges include: > increasing the proportion of serving FIEC pastors who belong to the Network; > encouraging non-affiliated churches led by PN men to join FIEC. 10

11 Church Revitalisation - Phil Walter An encouraging start has been made this year as the role has become a full-time post. Much of the time initially was taken up with: > Strategy and vision; > Making contacts with key people; > Getting to know those who have shaped the project so far; > Ensuring the best use of time and resources. I am currently working with 12 churches. There are another 40 who are seeking help and are going through our internal assessment which will enable me to offer appropriate support. Initial signs are positive and already some really good outcomes are being seen. The stories thus far recognise that although help for these churches comes in different forms, the scenario where a larger church is willing to invest into the smaller struggling church has the best outcome certainly in the short term. Revitalisation Process > Larger church involvement; > Linking a group of struggling churches in one small geographical area and encouraging them to look at working together, this may include a central hub church ; > Let s Look programme which encourages churches through a facilitator provided by FIEC to consider what a healthy church looks like. Two have been completed and one started in October; > Where closure seems the only option helping them to do so well for the sake of the gospel; > Joint working with others of like mind e.g London City Mission, Rural Ministries. 11

12 Women s Ministry - Elisabeth Smyth Highlights of the past year Our fifth Thrive conference for women s workers held in May was once again marked by God s gracious blessing. 29 women joined us this year, meaning a total of 64 different women s workers have attended Thrive over the past five years. Jane McNabb s ministry in Psalms 15, 16 and 17 set the scene for a wonderful three days of ministry, fellowship and refreshment. In July a Ministry Wives Consultation took place in London as we sought to hear from a diverse group of women married to men in ministry about how best FIEC can help to support and encourage them. Thrive Conference 2016 Goals for the year to come: Working on one of the outcomes of the Consultation, a retreat for Ministry Wives is being planned for May This will follow on from Thrive 2017 at the same venue, Holland House near Pershore. For Women, a bi-monthly electronic newsletter which can be subscribed to via the homepage of the FIEC website, is now one year old. Over this coming year our plan is to increase the number of contributors to ensure that a greater variety of content can be included. Keep an eye on fiec.org.uk/events for booking information. 12

13 Practical Services - Gemma Adam In the course of the last year FIEC Practical Services has advised on various property transactions. This has included tenancy agreements, residential and commercial property acquisitions and disposals and we have acted for two gospel charities dealing with complex property matters with a value in excess of 1million. We helped two churches go through the process of closure, providing pastoral care as well as the legal expertise in dealing with the dissolution of the assets. The assets of both closed churches will now be used for church planting initiatives. Overall we have helped 117 churches or church plants (88 from FIEC, 29 from outside the Fellowship) and six gospel charities with things like governance reviews or formation of charitable incorporated organisation structures including the transfer of staff, property and assets. We have produced a new employment pack providing all the policies and documentation required for a church to employ staff. As well as being available through the office to purchase, this product will soon be available to purchase online. 2,252 has been raised for the Mission Fund by churches accessing their insurance through Moreland Insurance Brokers, following the negotiation of a deal by FIEC Practical Services to reduce premiums for churches linked to FIEC. We have dealt with hundreds of calls and enquiries coming into the office from FIEC churches and produced website articles on key legal issues. To enable us to increase our service and expertise we have recruited three new staff an HR consultant, a residential conveyancer and a charity law expert. Our focus for the next year is further expansion of our team as our workload continues to increase. You can contact FIEC Practical Services on or by ing practicalservices@fiec.org.uk 13

14 Scotland Director - Andy Hunter The development of FIEC in Scotland continues to be encouraging. In January the second Pathways conference was held in Glasgow. This FIEC initiative (based on The Hub conference) has now helped almost 100 men and women in Scotland in their journeys towards vocational gospel service. The first Certificates in Independent Church Ministry were awarded to students at Edinburgh Theological Seminary in May. The course has now started its second year with an increased number of students attending (including online). The course reflects a strong relationship with the Free Church of Scotland and our commitment to supporting and working with good biblical training providers across Scotland. A Link Pastor network in which FIEC pastors in Scotland and key church leaders are grouped geographically for mutual support and friendship has been rolled-out with an accompanying Prayer Directory. This along with the second FIEC overnight Pastoral Retreat in August is a key development. Scotland Pastoral Retreat 2015 Church and Pastors Network growth is slow but positive. The interest of new churches to become church plants recognised by FIEC is particularly encouraging as is the continued addition of pastors from a wide variety of backgrounds and locations. Of particular note has been the provision of new pastors for some key church vacancies who are strongly committed to FIEC and have gospel vision for the nation as a whole. Please pray for the Scottish Vision Team (Andy Hunter; Paul Rees Pastor of Charlotte Chapel, David Childs Pastor of Strathaven Evangelical Church and Adam Broughton Pastor of Newcraigs Evangelical Church, Kirkcaldy) as they work together in developing FIEC further in Scotland. 14

15 Communication - Phil Topham In response to requests from our churches, we have invested heavily in film content over the last 12 months. I am delighted that Andy Toovey from 2V Films is now contracted to work two days a week on film content for FIEC. Andy is an Elder at Hill City Church, an Independent church in South Wales. In April & May 2016, Andy and I took a tour of more than 30 FIEC churches around Great Britain that meet in various contexts and are reaching different communities. We premiered the first five videos at the Leaders Conference in 2016 and following the conference they were made available on fiec.org.uk. More content will follow in the months to come. We continue to produce Together magazine and have now changed the way we distribute this so it is sent to individuals and not in bulk to churches as we announced at the Leaders Conference in This includes stories from our churches and messages from the Directors Team. Throughout the last 12 months we have seen a steady increase in traffic to our website fiec.org.uk with an increase of 15% in user numbers and a 21% increase in page views. We have also increased our output to two stories or resources every week, rather than one. We plan to commission a brand new website in It will be fully device agnostic for use on mobile phones and tablets. Meanwhile we continue to be active on social media and this year we have launched an Instagram account on top of our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube offerings. In terms of raising the profile of FIEC, we have been delighted to exhibit at Forum (training week for UCCF leaders) and at the Evangelism Conferences organised by The Good Book Company. growing gospel-driven churches Our current strapline 15

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