Spring 2016 Edition
Helping independent churches grow www.churchgrowth.org.uk
Happy Birthday CGT! Rooted in a vision for resourcing, supporting and encouraging independent evangelical churches in the UK, Church Growth Trust (CGT) celebrates its fifth birthday this year. With this in mind, Ruth Leigh caught up with Giles Arnold, General Manager at CGT, for a chat. Ruth: Giles, you and I first encountered each other in 2009 when you were the Property Services Manager at Stewardship. In 2010, the Stewardship trustees made the momentous decision that would see its property and trusteeship services become a new charity, Church Growth Trust. Tell me a little more about your role at Stewardship back then and how that informed what you brought to the formation of CGT? Giles: I started at Stewardship in
2003. I managed their properties, both those owned by the charity and those for which the charity was sole trustee. The aim was to proactively manage the properties and to build good relations with the occupying churches, so that we could partner with them in the Gospel and support them practically. That same desire to partner with these churches to ensure the buildings are used for Gospel purposes is still what drives CGT. (cont. on page 2)
www.churchgrowth.org.uk // t: 01536 201339 // e: enquiries@churchgrowth.org.uk
the properties. Miraculously it was all achieved within three months!
The CGT team
Ruth: What were your main challenges in the move from Stewardship? Giles: There were many challenges, but the Lord’s timing was perfect. We saw this in a number of ways. As a result of an earlier decision to register the titles to our properties, we already had a contact at the Land Registry. He was incredibly helpful and enabled us to do the remaining and new registration work ourselves at a very low cost. Even so there was a lot of legal work involved in the changeover, but our solicitor Ian Gardner was drawing near to retirement and therefore had the capacity to deal with all our legal work. After his retirement he became a trustee! We really appreciate his dedication. We were also grateful to God for providing someone within the Charity Commission who was able to help us make everything happen in as short a time as possible. Amongst other things, we had to set up a charitable company for CGT, register this as a charity and also obtain a licence from the Lord Chancellor for us to act as a Trust Corporation. This all had to be done at the same time as continuing our active management of 2
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Ruth: How quickly did the team grow? Giles: Initially it was a tiny part-time team! I worked for CGT for three days a week and our Administrator Mandy Harris just two days a week. In addition our trustees, who are all volunteers, have always played a very active role, especially where they have particular skills (e.g. legal, accounting, architectural and IT). However within two years I was working full time for CGT and we now have an Architect and an Operations Manager on board, as well as Mandy working full time. Ruth: Tell me your favourite success story from the early days of CGT. Giles: There are so many! I visited the trustees of a property in Colchester who were struggling to decide what to do with their chapel. During my visit, one of them said: “I wish we’d heard about you 12 months ago.” We’ve since been gifted that property and there’s a new church plant making full use of it, which is wonderful. We were gifted a property in Crewe, where we felt it was very important that we kept the property in Gospel use as there were no other evangelical churches in that part of the town. We eventually persuaded a local church to start a work from the building and I was delighted when, after six months, the pastor told me that the church plant was going better than he had ever imagined. Perhaps the most exciting project that we have been involved with is Miracle House in Wickford, where we sold an existing gospel hall, bought a new piece of land and built a larger modern church building for a growing local church.
Location of some CGT properties
Ruth: Can you name a “milestone” moment? Giles: Definitely! The trustees of the Midland Evangelization Trust came to us in 2011 to ask whether we would consider a merger with them. It was humbling to be told by their retiring secretary “you do the same thing as us, but you do it properly!” They were doing an excellent work, but they could see that because we employed paid staff, we were able to be more proactive in managing our properties and building relationships with the churches. Ruth: What would be your key aims for the next five years? Giles: Since 2010 we have been gifted 50% more properties! We aim to continue to grow, as the Lord allows. We are delighted to be able to help both property trustees who are struggling to continue in their responsibilities and thriving assemblies. I’d like to take on more staff and strengthen our administrative base in order to enable us to visit our properties more often and to build even better
relations with the occupying churches. I would also like to see our services expanded so that we are able to offer our connected churches advice and help in all areas of church life. I’d love to see our architectural services support growing churches more and more. So happy 5th birthday Church Growth Trust! Here’s to the next five years.
Giles Arnold church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Church growth opportunities Ruth Leigh investigates how one church in Birmingham is considering ways of adapting one of Church Growth Trust’s properties to cope with their future growth.
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orthfield is a community in the south western corner of Birmingham. Once a prosperous district supported by thriving local industry, since its heyday in the 19th and early 20th century, it has degenerated. Today it is in the top 8% of the most deprived communities in the UK with all the attendant social problems that such gloomy statistics bring. At the heart of the area is Crossway Church, a rapidly growing community of Christians with a heart and vision for
Engaging with all ages 4
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Northfield. The church was originally a Brethren congregation, known as Helier Chapel, planted in 1937. Long-time member and former elder Tony Stokes takes up the story: “When I joined the church in the early Sixties it had a strong and gifted eldership with a very good youth outreach and Sunday school. I became an elder and have been very closely involved with the church ever since. As the years went on, we remained a happy church with an ageing but functioning congregation.
“However, looking to the future, we were worried about its direction as we were all getting on in years.” It was a challenging time for the church as the membership had dropped to an all time low. Out of the blue, Tony received a letter from John James, fresh out of Bible College. Tony says, “We chatted and I knew it was of the Lord. John’s wife Sarah had grown up in the church and her parents still attended, so we felt there was a strong relationship already.” For their part, John and Sarah were feeling a slight sense of trepidation, but knew that God was calling them. “It was significant that when we went to Helier Chapel in 2010, the personal connection and established relationships were in place. As a church, we deliberately chose the phrase ‘a church revitalisation’ to describe our vision. Everyone was clear on this from the beginning,” explains John, now the Pastor. John and Sarah arrived in September 2010 at a church which had dwindled to a membership of 14. “Tony and the rest of the congregation were doing an incredible job, but they recognised that change was needed and were willing to let it happen. Together we started working to connect with the local community again, seeking to make disciples and build a healthy church to the glory of God.” And that is exactly what happened. In 2015, with their numbers increased to around 90, the church realised that they had outgrown their space. “We’ve only got 90 chairs!” explains John. “On a good Sunday, we’re at full capacity. We acknowledged that if we didn’t do something, we would plateau and be unable to fulfil the vision we have for the community.”
Front view
In March 2015, the church changed its name from Helier Chapel to Crossway Church. Shortly after this, they approached Church Growth Trust (CGT), who own the property, for advice about getting more out of their building. Gill Pedler is CGT’s Architect. She says “I met with the church elders so that I could get an idea of how the space was working for them. It’s quite an unusual building architecturally speaking. It has a concrete balcony which will be very difficult to change, as well as a leaking flat roof to the 1960s side extension. At this early stage I like throwing ideas around to get the church thinking about their options.” Tony agrees with Gill. “In many ways it is an awkward building. We never usually dream of using the balcony unless we are really full up. It’s wasted space.” At the present time Crossway are prayerfully considering their options. “Gill has given us a couple of suggestions for our current building. We could knock down the extension and rebuild it, ending up with a really good sized meeting place for 150,” explains John. “We could then divide up the original chapel area into a Sunday school area, hall, kitchen, meeting rooms and maybe a café. It would be a brilliant way of utilising what we’ve got.” (cont. on page 6) church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Existing balcony
Sketch of proposed balcony/rooms
With a growing congregation and a passionate desire to be a family of believers reaching out to their community, Crossway have their work cut out. The balcony gets mentioned again. “Psychologically it’s a bit weird!” says John. “We end up with a little exiled group who are slightly colder than everyone else. We need to make our building fit for purpose and that is the challenge we’re facing at the moment.” Gill’s proposals include adapting the balcony as a youth room and creating additional small meeting rooms off this. One significant issue is finance, as John explains. “CGT and Gill have been absolutely amazing. They have put together a very feasible plan and helped us to work out what it will cost. We don’t really have any money, but we do have an aim.” Crossway has big plans. “Our mission field has lots of poverty, single parent families, addiction, domestic violence and abuse. We would love to run CAP (Christians Against Poverty) at our own church—at the moment we partner with other local churches who use them. We want to run groups to help with addiction and recovery groups. We are in it for the long term.” Even with their fairly restricted space, Crossway runs a holiday club, Christianity
Explored courses and seminars addressing big questions. “In strategic thinking for the future, the kinds of communities in our area are often overlooked. We have a story to tell and a really clear vision for Northfield. Yes, finance is a problem, but we would try to raise as much as we can internally. We’re not afraid to go out and ask for help from grant-making organisations and charitable bodies.” As the owner of the building, CGT is discussing other ways the organisation can help Crossway, in addition to its architectural services. “Supporting this church certainly fits with our mission to help independent churches grow”, says Giles Arnold, CGT’s General Manager. “It is possible we may be able to make some financial contribution or raise a mortgage to help them fund the work to the property and make it fit for their future growth. We are extremely excited about this opportunity” Rooted in a firm spiritual foundation and with a growing congregation of committed believers, Crossway is facing up to its challenges with hope and vision. Big decisions on which way to go, how best to expand and how to fundraise are all being addressed this year. With faith, vision and the help of CGT, there is no doubt they are looking to exciting times ahead.
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DVD making an impact Church Growth Trust (CGT) launched its latest video ‘Warehouse or Wine-bar’ in 2015 and has already had some very positive feedback on it.
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he DVD challenges church property trustees to consider other options than selling redundant buildings for development or for conversion to other uses, such as warehouses, wine-bars, workshops or houses. CGT’s ministry is to ensure that assemblies continue (and thrive) in their church buildings for as long as they wish or, if they decide to close, to find another evangelical church to use the building to continue the Gospel work. Giles Arnold, CGT’s General Manager, states “One trustee who had seen the DVD wrote to me saying ‘congratulations on the professional, encouraging and challenging presentation!’ He then suggested we send it to all Brethren assemblies across the country! I have also heard of a group of trustees watching it together and another where it was shown to the whole assembly. I am delighted that it is getting into the right hands and helping people faced with difficult decision over the future of their property”.
If you would like a copy of the DVD please email mandy.harris@churchgrowth.org.uk or telephone CGT’s offices on 01536 201339.
church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Making Jesus known across the UK For more than 100 years, Counties has been sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with communities across the country. This is done through three main areas of work—supporting evangelists, providing training and providing resources.
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ounties’ evangelists are all selfemployed, but receive monthly gifts from Counties as funds allow. They work in different geographical counties across England and Wales in a variety of activities. These include church planting, leading school assemblies, visiting prisons, witnessing at agricultural shows, leading holiday clubs and camps, manning market stalls, running café churches, evangelism courses and community door-to-door visiting. Counties equips the church through its extensive range of training. Day conferences, seminars and workshops, as well as one-toone mentoring sessions, which are held throughout the year to help
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churches grow through evangelism and local mission. From major mobile exhibitions through to books and leaflets for the individual, there are plenty of Counties’ resources available to help people share the good news. The innovative Life and GSUS Live exhibitions have reached thousands of school children with the story of Jesus and their new resource ‘Key to Life?’ will reach even more! This will be launched at Easter. Key to Life? is a cutting-edge mobile experience sharing the story of Jesus through a series of interactive and immersive lessons. Although it is aimed primarily at school children, Key to Life? can also be used with adults at outreach events such as beach missions, fun days and agricultural shows and it can be hired for a day or up to a week. The experience will be housed in a converted purpose-made van, meaning that it is mobile, does not need to take up space in a building and can visit a whole
Touching families
variety of venues—in a school or church car park or town centre. Other advantages to its size include a quick and easy set up, plus only two or three volunteers are needed to run it.
Ben Telford, Counties
The programme for Key to Life? is based on the current tried and tested Life exhibition, which complements existing RE teaching within schools. Life helps primary school children learn all about Jesus—his birth, teachings, miracles, death and resurrection. Ben Telford, Key to Life? co-ordinator, says: “There’s nothing quite like this new unit out there and we are very excited to be launching Key to Life?! We believe it will be a great tool for churches who want to connect with their local school community. It will also be ideal for those smaller churches and venues who previously have wanted to host the much bigger Life exhibition but simply have not had the space for it.” Key to Life? will be available for hire for £200 a day with bursary options available from April 2016. For more details visit www.countiesuk.org church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Living the Passion – Family Time Richard Naylor, a trustee of Church Growth Trust (CGT), gives his personal view of the hugely successful ‘Living the Passion’ conference, held in October 2015.
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itting down to write this article shortly after the Christmas period I have to admit that I’ve been repeating myself (no news to my nearest and dearest!). Conversations with people we see only occasionally came down over and over to “Did you see your family over Christmas?” or “Tell me how your family are getting on.” Family is important and, even in today’s pressured society, we all know it. As children of the ‘Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth
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derives its name’ (Ephesians 3:14-15), our local congregations are the family we live with day by day. But what about a good old family get together? When do we actually have time and opportunity to spend time with our wider family—the ones who live miles away and the ones we just never seem to catch up with? One very good answer to that question came last October when the ‘Living the Passion’ conference was held in Hinckley, Leicestershire. Only the third time that this wide ranging event has taken place
Keynote speaker: John Lennox
since its inception in 2008 but, my, how it has grown. Attended by 600 people from around the UK, Living the Passion was once again organised as a collaboration between Counties, Church Growth Trust, Church Planting Initiative, GLO and Partnership, while other groups and organisations were also represented by exhibition stands and book stalls. Just being able to experience the company of so many of our Christian family members under one roof was a treat! As with any good family party, we were well fed too. Not only by the Hinckley Island Hotel, whose staff coped cheerfully with so many people not ‘trickling in’ but ‘flooding’ the dining rooms all at once, but even more memorably by those who ministered as speakers. John Lennox, our keynote speaker, addressed the conference theme of ‘Confidence’ with the thought provoking Bible teaching that is his
trademark, while leaders of a dozen seminars themed under ‘Mission’, ‘Church Growth’ and ‘Life Issues’ encouraged us to look at the practical outworking of our faith in local situations. As with any family time, there were lighter moments. Over meals and in personal conversations it was easy to see that a lot of people were enjoying their time together while the Friday and Saturday evenings concluded with sessions by Adrian Plass and Todd Alexander. Each in their own way served to remind us that God’s people can laugh and have fun together without being any less intentional about the serious stuff. You know, that could be my summing up of the whole weekend. I must not repeat myself but, if you want to enjoy the family time and come away challenged and stimulated, keep your eyes peeled for the next ‘Living the Passion’ conference. church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Multi-cultural churches
Recognising the challenge
In the first of four articles on multi-cultural churches in the UK, Mark Davies talks about recognising the challenge that multiculturalism is profoundly part of God’s plan, the need to view demographic/sociological changes in a positive light and the need for mind-set shifts, methodological changes, re-training and different workers.
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mong the powerful visions that the apostle John sees, regarding God’s purposes for creation, is the truth that no people group will be missing in those final days. Five times the phrase “every tribe, language, people and nation” is used covering the deception and rebellion of the human race (Revelation 11:9 and 13:17), the widespread proclamation of the Gospel (14:6), as well as the clear statement of the redemptive purposes of Christ (5:9) and the certainty of its outcome (7:9). This ties in perfectly with Christ’s commission to us directed through the first ‘sent ones’ (apostles) “… make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). And I have intentionally left off the geographically directive verb ‘Go’, because the challenge is that, whether we go, stay or come, our life’s objective should be to facilitate people of all cultures in the pathway of following Jesus Christ.
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The natural selfishness of the fallen heart, even among the best of God’s people tends to focus inwards, and the habits of life (culture) we develop generate a sense of security and stability in sticking with our own. Added to that, the early church (all Jewish believers) had a familiar history which evidenced God’s special calling of them as a nation to be His people. While the old covenant was clearly orientated ultimately for the blessing of all nations (Genesis 12:3 and Isaiah 42:6) it took a while for even the apostles to get their heads around embracing all nations into the Church. It was not just the theological mind-shift needed, but also the practical changes required in life style. A kosher-meat only fisherman has to handle a Roman Centurion’s household menu—and for that the Lord had to ‘triple up’ a vision which contained a fairly large overstatement about the things that God
considers to be clean! (Acts 10) And now the world has all come to us, rather than there being any necessity to travel! When my wife, family and I returned in 2003 after 20 years of missionary service in Zambia, it was to the GLO Centre and Tilsley College in Motherwell—which at that time was a town in which seeing a coloured face was a rarity. Within a year the Town Council welcomed around 70 families from Congo (DRC) as part of an official refugee resettlement programme. This along with other more recent migrations has led to a significant street-level visual change to what was a very mono-cultural Lanarkshire community. Interestingly the local Council sought and received help from local churches to welcome the refugees and help settle them, as it was quickly realised that the vast majority of them were practising Christians who naturally looked for church fellowship wherever they went. Amazingly one of the families were from the same group of
evangelical churches (Brethren-related) that we had worked with in Zambia—and we spoke a common Zambian/Congolese language. So we ended up using Cibemba on the streets of Motherwell! One of the guys we helped welcome was a Methodist pastor who, on completing an additional college course, qualified to serve in a Methodist church further south. Another brother functions as an independent evangelist and disciplemaker in Motherwell, who in his way has sought not to create an African church but to reach out to the indigenous (Lanarkshire) folk. About the same time a local college had a concerted effort to recruit cohorts of Chinese students as part of their expansion plans. Building friendships and running an International Café in the local town provided the opportunity for a number to meet practising Christians for the first time, to experience as well as hear the message of God’s love expressed to people of all nations in Christ Jesus. (cont. on page 14)
International evening church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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In the next few articles we will explore the mind-set shifts, methodological changes, re-training needed and other actions we can take to be more involved in reaching nations with the Gospel that are probably represented within 10 miles of your church building. Prepare yourselves by checking out who is in your area!
Our increasingly multi-cultural society in UK is a blend of both opportunities to reach people groups we have never imagined we could touch, as well as providing workers to help us reach our own people more effectively. Have you carried out any recent research on the demographics in your local community? What changes are taking place? Who are the new groupings of people you can now reach for Christ? Who are the new workers (fellow believers) that the Lord has brought to you?
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Mark and his wife Shirley served as missionaries in Zambia for 20 years engaging in Bible teaching and church/community development projects. From 2003 Mark worked at Tilsley College, Scotland, recently leaving his role as Principal to continue serving with GLO Europe as the Training Director and Coordinator of a national training network. Mark and Shirley are now based in London at Highgate International Church.
The Brethren – Exclusive or Open? The ‘Exclusive Brethren’ Preston Down Trust was, after a battle with the Charity Commission, accepted as a charity in 2014, on the basis that it comply with a new ‘Deed of Variation’ that ensured it worked to ‘advance the Christian religion for the public benefit’. The Charity Commission have reviewed the activities of the charity and recently issued a report on their findings.
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mongst other things the Commission’s investigation found ‘no evidence that members of the public had encountered difficulties in accessing meetings’—despite the fact that only one new person had attended their meetings since the Trust had been registered. There are more than 200 Exclusive Brethren gospel halls in the UK and so far almost half of them have adopted the Deed of Variation and registered as charities. The Charity Commission continue to monitor these charities to ensure their activities are charitable and for public benefit. Unfortunately the Commission’s staff find it hard to distinguish between the Exclusive Brethren and the Open or Christian Brethren. This has resulted in a number of Open Brethren assemblies running into difficulty when trying to register as charities, as the Commission is either expecting them to adopt a Deed of Variation that has nothing to do with them or is asking lots of irrelevant questions. Church Growth Trust (CGT) and
Partnership UK have produced a briefing paper on the Brethren Movement, clearly setting out the distinction between the different types of ‘Brethren’. This is available on CGT’s website. For anyone considering charity registration it is recommended that the briefing paper is sent with any application, as it will help to clarify that the application is not in relation to an Exclusive Brethren charity. Some would even suggest for simplicity it is better not to mention ‘Brethren’ at all and where possible use the description ‘Evangelical’ or ‘Independent’ church. If you would like general advice on charity formation and registration or for CGT to send you a copy of the Brethren Movement Briefing Paper, please contact Giles Arnold on telephone 07721 666660 or by email giles.arnold@churchgrowth. org.uk.
church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Planning Applications for Church Buildings Are you outgrowing your church building? Have you thought about a church building project, but are not sure if you will need Planning Permission or not? Perhaps you have thought about rearranging the space you have, so that it can be better used.
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f you think that your building project might need Planning Permission, here are some things that you will need to consider: • Extending your church building or changing it externally is likely to require Planning Permission from the Local Authority. • If your building is Listed, you will need Listed Building Consent for any changes or alterations to the property. • Pre-application advice is available from all Local Authority Planning Departments. This advice should highlight anything specific to your project that will need to be addressed in the full application. Depending on the size and complexity of the project, this advice could be as simple
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as a conversation with a Duty Officer on the telephone or you may be required to submit a lot of detailed information. There is usually a fee payable to the Local Authority for this pre-application advice. • In most cases you will need to have plans of the building drawn up to accompany a planning application. • A 1:1250 scale plan of your site will also be required. Digital maps are licensed and you might need help obtaining one. • It is a really good idea to be in communication with your neighbours about your proposals before the application is submitted. Public notices will be put up outside the building to invite comments and the application documents will be available on the Council’s website. Objections from neighbours and the general public can delay the application and in some cases result in a refusal. It is better to get them on board from the start. • Planning applications will attract a planning fee. The value will depend on the size of the development and you will be required to send your payment directly to the Local Council. Most Councils offer
telephone or online payment facility or you can send them a cheque. Your application will not be registered until payment has been received. • The Local Authority has an eight week statutory period to make a decision after they have validated your application. They generally comply with this period, although delays are sometimes unavoidable. • You will be allocated a Case Officer who will process your application and send it out to others, such as the Highways Department, for consultation. Sometimes the Local Authority will contact you if there is a problem with the application, but you can contact your Case Officer directly to find out about its progress. • The more complicated projects may require a meeting on site with the Planners. • Certain conditions might be applied to your approval and might need additional information to be provided at a later stage or might involve restrictions to the approval, such as limiting hours of opening. There is sometimes a fee payable to discharge conditions before you can comply with the approval. • Full Planning Permission is valid for three years. If works have not commenced within this time, you will need to apply again to renew the consent. What next? Once you have received Planning Approval for your building project, you will need to apply for Building Regulations Approval. This will be through the Building Control Department at your Local Authority, but you can use other professionals for these services too. The Building Regulations application will attract a fee payable to the Local Authority
Before and after new extension
which will vary according to the size of the project and will also attract VAT. This fee is usually payable in two stages. The first part of the fee is payable with the application and will be required for the application to be registered. The second part of the fee is payable when the work starts. This will allow the Building Control Officer to visit the site at certain stages of the project to inspect the works. Detailed plans and other drawings will be required to demonstrate compliance with the Building Regulations. If your project includes structural alterations, calculations and drawings by a Structural Engineer will also be needed at this stage. Gill Pedler is Church Growth Trust’s resident Architect and is able to give you advice about your building project if you need it. She is also able to help with full Architectural Services and can provide a fee proposal for these services. If you would like to know more please contact her on 01536 201339 or email her at gill.pedler@churchgrowth.org.uk. church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 – how does this affect independent churches? Under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 same sex marriage is now legal in England and Wales and the legal definition of marriage has been extended beyond the traditional biblical view of marriage (being the life-long, exclusive union of a man and woman).
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he 2013 Act now extends marriage to same sex couples, both within civil settings and also within religious settings where the religious body agrees to participate. The Act however recognises that many churches disagree with same sex marriage and it does not force any churches or religious bodies to perform same sex weddings. There is still concern from churches as to whether they have to permit same sex marriage ceremonies or allow events connected with same sex ceremonies to take place in their buildings or whether they could find that these are taking place in their building (by another church or group) without their consent. In order for same sex marriage ceremonies to take place in a church building the governing body (e.g. elders or church meeting) will need to agree to this, the individual official conducting
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the marriage will need to agree to it and the trustees/proprietors of the place of worship will also need to agree to this. There has to be a positive opting in for each party, rather than an assumption that they are happy for the ceremonies to take place if they do not say otherwise. This would mean that even if the owners or trustees of the property were happy for the ceremony to take place, the church leaders and/or the minister, who would normally conduct the wedding, can prevent it taking place. It also works the other way round, so if a church is happy to conduct same sex marriages the property owner/trustees can prevent this, as the proprietor (owner) would have to register the property for this. Churches are also concerned as to whether they are open to prosecution for refusing to allow same sex events on
their property or for actively preaching their biblical views on marriage. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 has also changed the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Order Act 1986 to allow for people to openly preach biblical truth, providing it is not done in a threatening and abusive way. Among other things, it is recommended that independent churches; who tend to have their own form of governance, set out clearly in their governing document (e.g. Trust Deed or Constitution) their understanding of the biblical view of marriage. They will need consistently
to put into practice their beliefs in their teaching, pastoral care and activities. Church Growth Trust (CGT) have produced a Briefing Paper on this subject to inform independent churches of the legislation, to show how it may impact them and to help them consider what action should be taken to protect themselves. This Briefing Paper is available on CGT’s website www.churchgrowth. org.uk or can be emailed or posted if a copy is requested from the office, (email: enquiries@churchgrowth.org.uk or tel: 01536 201339).
Briefing Papers Visit www.churchgrowth.org.uk to see Church Growth Trust’s NEW briefing papers on the following topics: •
Disable access to church buildings: - Accessible WCs - Corridors and internal doors - Disabled access ramps and entrance steps
• Fire exits & escape routes • Place of worship and marriage registration
church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Safeguarding There is no hotter topic for churches involved in children’s ministries (or work with vulnerable adults). If your church has a crèche, a Sunday school or runs holiday clubs, then safeguarding is something that you cannot choose to ignore.
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very adult involved in these activities will need to have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (previous known as CRB checks). In addition, did you know that there are strict ratios regarding the number of adults that should be available for the children in each group? Church Growth Trust is currently having a Briefing Note prepared by the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) on the issues that churches need to consider in order to be compliant with their responsibilities on safeguarding. It is hoped that the paper will be ready at the end of March and will be made available on the CGT
website. However, if you cannot wait that long or if you have burning questions or concerns, check out CCPAS via their website www.ccpas.co.uk or call them on 0845 120450 (Lo-call) or 01322 517817 and please mention that Church Growth Trust recommended them.
This ‘One Twenty Seven: One’ publication is one way of us keeping in touch with you. For those that have not already worked it out the clue is found in Psalms! Church Growth Trust is a Trust Corporation with the aim of helping independent churches grow by owning and acting as trustee of church properties; letting properties to growing churches; offering professional property advice; giving guidance on church governance and supporting church planting.
Designed and printed A5 size to save on postage. We encourage you to recycle. Better still, sign up to receive future editions by email. Please email us on: 127-1@churchgrowth.org.uk The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views or position of Church Growth Trust.
General Manager: Giles Arnold Operations Manager: Andy Harris Trustees: Leslie Lucas, Dave Foster, Trevor James, Richard Naylor, Neil Walker and Paul Withams Church Growth Trust The Hope Centre, 8 Princewood Road, Corby, Northants NN17 4AP T: 01536 201339 E: enquiries@churchgrowth.org.uk W: www.churchgrowth.org.uk Charity No: 1138119 Design by Simon Petherick Graphic and Web Design Ltd.