growth-with-grace-stpb-2015-pdf

Rev’d John F. Sanderson

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Burwood 2 December, 2015

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015 

Welcome and Opening Prayer

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Introduction

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Background

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Acknowledgements

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Scope

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Content

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Q&A

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Where to next…

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Closing Prayer

The Key Literature

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

What makes our church grow?

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The Venerable (Rtd) Bob Jackson

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Brisbane – Grafton – Canberra & Golburn 2015

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Church growth comes in 3 dimensions

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Numerical – the circumference of the community

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Spiritual – the depth of the community

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Vitality – the life and power of the church’s mission

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

What is church growth made of?

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

What is church growth made of?

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

What is church growth made of?

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

What is church growth made of?

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

What is church growth made of?

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

What is church growth made of?

PEOPLE

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Not statistics‌

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Church growth is about‌

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Are Anglican churches growing or shrinking? 

In the UK the answer to that question depends on the time period and the indicator you pick

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Average Sunday attendance is still going down

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But average weekly attendance is almost stable – slightly fewer adults and more children

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And the numbers of people going to church is rising

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More people are coming less often

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The weekly Sunday pensioner is being replaced by the monthly weekday family

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Increase in attendance or church growth?

An example Diocese of Lichfield 2013

1st timers 1205

died

1096

returnees 557

leavers

396

net 161

trans in

trans out 283

net 130

413

moved in 498

moved out

Net Church Growth

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

552 346

net 109

net - 54

Average Sunday Attendances 2004 2014

Interregnum: 29 April 2012 21 January 2013

Average Weekday Attendances 2004 2014

Interregnum: 29 April 2012 21 January 2013

Christmas Attendance & Communicants 2003 - 2014

What happened 2008 - 2014?

Holy Week 2002 2015

Key changes: SAP 16 February 2014 Rector 21 January 2013 Interregnum

Easter Attendance & Communicants 2003 2014

Easter is trending upwards as compared to Christmas

Actual Attendance & Communicants 2003 2014

2009 - 2012 Decrease 1,000 2003 - 2014 Increase 4,000

2nd Sunday in October 2003-2014

Decrease 2009-2011 Increase 2012-2014

So are things better than the media tell us? 

Yes they are – there is a lot of new life and a lot of growing churches

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We are finding new ways of reaching families and children

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But traditional congregations are still shrinking and ageing

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New churchgoers have weaker affiliation and attend less often

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Western society as a whole is moving away from Christian faith and values pretty quickly

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We are not exactly staging a comeback just yet

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But the Christian Church is resilient and will survive, perhaps round the edges of society rather than in the centre

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Can my church thrive and grow in the future? 

Of course it can

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If church decline were the inevitable result of societal change all churches would be shrinking

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Churches of all sizes, traditions, settings and styles are growing today

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Churches that can offer quality, relevance and spiritual reality meet deep human needs and will continue growing

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Is it our job to make the church grow?

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No it isn’t – it is God’s job to grow the church

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Read 1 Corinthians Ch. 3.5-9 and Matthew Ch. 16.13-18

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Our job is to make the church good and healthy, to make Jesus the centre of it, and to become like him

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“When I am lifted up I will draw everyone to me” John Ch.12.32

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

How are churches managing to grow?

Intending to grow

‘Anecdote to Evidence’ found that churches indicating that numerical growth was their top priority were much more likely to be growing – What a surprise! 

The difference between ‘Magic Roundabout’ churches and ‘Gospel Train’ churches 

Mission Action Planning (MAP) as a tool for intentional growth

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Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Leading to grow?

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Almost all church growth stories start with the appointment of a new leader

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Good leadership is a necessary but not sufficient condition for growth

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But leadership structures are just as important as the quality of individual leaders

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Focal Ministers

Missionary Communities

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

In the Garden of Eden

Key:

The Shepherd The Flock

Every Vicar with a Church, every Church with a Vicar

After the Fall… in numbers

Key :

The Ranchers

“Cursed is the ground… by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food”

The Flocks

The Nightmare Vision

Vicar having nervous breakdown

Key : Sheep without a shepherd

“I, even I only,am left” (Elijah)

Arise the Team

The ministry Team (NSM, reader, authorised people)

Key :

Vicar The Ministered-to

“The load is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone” Jethro

Focal Ministries

Stipendiary Priest - Focal ministry for one Church - Oversight over others

Key :

Focal Ministers (each could be a small team)

Christian community with focal leaders

“If anyone sets his heart in being an overseer, he desires a noble heart� [Paul to Timothy]

Missionary Communities

Stipendiary Priest - Focal ministry for one Church - Oversight over others

Key :

Focal Ministers

Missionary Communities who share the faith by word and deed

And all are trained for their roles!

Threefold Ministry Training

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Stipendiary Clergy (& others?) for oversight and focal ministry

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Focal Ministers for church community leadership, whatever the hat or title

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Everybody as part of a missionary community sharing the faith by word and deed

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Much of the training should be in the parish

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Focussed on outward mission not interior maintenance

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Churches as missionary communities

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Whole churches need to be trained together as ‘missionary congregations’ e.g. ‘Everybody Welcome’, ‘LyCiG-Local’ Recognising everyone’s gift and ability, not just the chosen few – the ministry of all believers

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And they should be trained in outward-focussed ministries

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And led into being attractive communities of faith

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Not to maintain the institution but to share the faith

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Training to grow 

Church leaders and church communities are, in part, born and not made

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Some churches will grow whether they do any training or not, others will never grow however good the training

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However, for most churches, appropriate training can be very important

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Training is best when the whole community does it together and when it is to help people do mission better rather than to promote individuals up the ecclesiastical ladder

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Changing to grow

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Churches that don’t make changes tend to shrink

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Churches that do make changes tend to grow

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Survey data shows this time and again

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Intentional change to church life necessary for church growth

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Eight changes that lead to church growth 

Planting new congregations

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Making worship less formal, more relaxed

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Better provision for children and young people (Family Services, Sunday Schools, Youth provision)

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Improving welcome and integration

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Better quality, more varied, contemporary music

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More lay involvement in leadership

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Better small groups and pastoral care

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Improvements to buildings

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Families to grow 

Families are the most responsive group to church-offers today

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The younger the age profile the more likely is a church to grow

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Most people come to faith when they are young

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Church growth in c19th followed the rise of Sunday Schools

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Church shrinkage in c20th followed the demise of Sunday Schools

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Churchgoing has attracted an ever smaller % of each age cohort

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Inviting to grow 

Only 25% of Anglicans invite people to come to church with them – what if we all habitually invited people?

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Clergy have a unique opportunity to build up a list of warm contacts and invite them to special services and events

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Back to Church Sunday can work – one year in Lichfield Diocese 4000 people came by invitation on the day and 12% were still coming at least monthly 6 months later Use electronic invitations as well as paper and personal

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Why are we poor at inviting? 

I suffer in my church services and so would others

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Our services are unpredictable – I don’t really trust them

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Our church is boring – it would put my friend off

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My friend would not want to go

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I don’t want to be rejected

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We have no non-churchgoing friends

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It’s the leaders’ job to fill the church – not mine

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My friend said ‘no’ when I asked them last year

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Why are we poor at inviting? 

It might damage my friendship

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The congregation will think my friend is not ‘our’ type of person

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My friends are not the right type of people for our church

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The church is pretty full already – where would they sit?

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I’m shy so I would find it difficult

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Faith is a private thing

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I don’t want to be seen as strange – a Bible basher

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I wouldn’t know what to say if they asked me hard theological Qs

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They might ask me why I go to church

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Why do leaders avoid the invitation issue? 

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The last ‘invitation Sunday’ was a flop – the people are terrible at it Invitation is not our preferred medium for mission I’m doing my best, don’t heap guilt on me for not doing one of an impossibly long list of good things to do

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We see new people every week anyway

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I am just too busy with other priorities

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Our people are tired of inviting once a year

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We live in a secular society and people don’t respond to invites

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Why do leaders avoid the invitation issue? 

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Trad church is not relevant to most people – we have to incarnate fresh expressions rather than invite people to our existing culturally inappropriate services The congregation would put them off if they came. I can’t change the culture of the church, I’ve given up trying The congregation is too old, the church is a care home annex and younger people will never join it I don’t think anything will work, decline is inevitable and my job is to organise it humanely

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Archbishop Justin’s Vision 

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There is no reason why the C of E could not double in size in the next 15-25 years if we renew our prayer life, achieve reconciliation within the church & beyond it, and recover the priority of evangelism at every level of the church: Boards, Councils, committees, PCCs – our agendas, diaries and budgets should be dominated not by money, buildings and internal conflicts but by evangelism – by the drive to become witnessing disciples Every Christian should routinely invite people to their church, should be informed and confident in their faith, and should be capable of witnessing to it

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

A way forward: Everybody Welcome

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The Sower and the seed (Luke 8)

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The Prodigal Son (Luke 15)

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The Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor 5)

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All one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3)

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I was a stranger and you invited me in (Matthew 25)

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Practice hospitality (Romans 12)

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

What is the biggest single reason why churches don’t grow?

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

What is the biggest single reason why churches don’t grow? 

The people who try us out don’t stay!

Some Statistics: 

About 90% of people who try our churches fail to become regular church members

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It is not always their fault - sometimes

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God sends us the people

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But we send them away

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A Tear fund telephone survey in the UK found that there are around 3m people who say they would like to go to church if only someone would invite them

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Four outcomes from Everybody Welcome course

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Every church member looking at their part in the welcome their church offers

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The setting up of a ‘Welcome Team’ in the church

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Identifying priorities for decision and action by church councils

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Focussed prayer for God to draw people to the church

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Prayer and Growth

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It’s God’s job to grow the church – ‘I will build my church’, ‘The Lord added to their number daily’, ‘I planted, Apollos watered but God made it grow’ – but he prefers us to get involved and ask him to work It’s our job to pray for, invite, welcome, integrate and disciple the people God sends us So pray that God will send the people and prepare to welcome them!

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Write a prayer – use it in every service

Heavenly Father, you have welcomed us into your kingdom and your heart’s desire is to draw every human being to yourself. Grant us clear eyes to see people as you see them, sensitive feet to stand in their shoes, and warm smiles to welcome them in your name. Give us such generous hearts that our church becomes a foretaste of heaven where every soul you send us finds their loving home in the community of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Which hurdle is Becher’s Brook?

1. Discovering your are there

1. Discovering your are there 2. Meeting church members

1. Discovering your are there 2. Meeting church members

3. Attending an initial service

1. Discovering your are there 2. Meeting church members 4. Early friendliness 3. Attending an initial service

1. Discovering your are there 2. Meeting church members 4. Early friendliness 3. Attending an initial service

5. Making new friends

1. Discovering your are there 2. Meeting church members 4. Early friendliness 3. Attending an initial service

5. Making new friends

6. Small groups & belonging

1. Discovering your are there 2. Meeting church members 4. Early friendliness 3. Attending an initial service

5. Making new friends

7. Making a contribution – full identity

6. Small groups & belonging

Church growth comes in 3 dimensions



Numerical – the circumference of the community



Spiritual – the depth of the community



Vitality – the life and power of the church’s mission

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Questions and Answers

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Where to next… 

Pray for growth

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Share capacity and capability

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2016

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Do the reading….together

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Everybody Welcome

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Study Tour: Lead Your Church Into Growth & Ministry Visits

2017 

Lead Your Church Into Growth - Local

Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

Leading Your Church Into Growth and Plan For Growth

Preparation LyCiG Leaders Conference LyCiG Local

Plan For Growth Implement Review Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015

God of Mission Who alone brings growth to your Church, Send your Holy Spirit to give Vision to our planning, Wisdom to our actions, And power to our witness.

Help our church to grow in numbers, In spiritual commitment to you, And in service to our local community, Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen Growth with grace: UK Study Tour 2015