Department of Mission and Unity



Department of Mission and Unity

Supporting Mission to people in areas of New Housing

Introduction

This paper seeks to list some possible ways that the department of Mission and Unity can support mission to people in new housing areas.

Background

The church currently faces a huge mission opportunity. In recent years there has been a considerable number of new housing developments in the Diocese of Rochester and there are plans for some very large new developments especially in the Thames Gateway are and on some other “brownfield” sites around the Diocese.

Money from the church commissioners has been made available to Rochester Diocese so that the Mission Growth Team leader can support a number of parishes in developing a mission response to the people moving into these new neighbourhoods.

Newly Built Neighbourhoods

The Church in New Housing Areas (CINHA) has gathered together expertise and resources on a website (). In their experience most developments of under 500 homes can be served by existing church communities whereas large new developments of 1000 homes or more may need a concerted effort by Diocesan decision makers and ecumenical partners to formulate an appropriate response.

Responses appropriate for larger developments

A feature of larger developments is that there is usually no existing community and all facilities and community infrastructure need to be built by the developers or in cooperation with them. It is vitally important that experienced church representatives are involved in negotiations and consultations in the planning stages of these developments. The challenge for the churches is how to ensure that adequate personnel resources of mission minded people are committed to the early stages of building up a faith community in the new housing area. A variety of responses may be appropriate for larger developments.

a) Gather a congregation and build a new building

Historically the church has a good track record of building a worship centre and gathering a congregation. Often in the past these have started as a congregation in rented premises or in a mission hut. In time the local congregation raises funds for an improved building. A relatively recent example of this approach locally is the new church building completed in 1998 at Parkwood in the South Gillingham team.

More recently the Church on the Heath was planted in 2000 to serve a new community of 1800 homes at Elvetham Heath, Guildford Diocese, as an initiative of Churches Together in Fleet (the adjoining town). The church met in a hall for 6 years until the church building was constructed. The building seats 300 people and cost £2 million, most of which is coming from the local congregation.

The success of this venture to date has been encouraging. The energetic full-time minister who was one of the first residents in the new housing area worked with an initial team of volunteers from a number of churches in Fleet to begin creating a sense of community whilst being active in evangelism and nurture of new believers using the Alpha course.

b) Build a multi-purpose worship centre and community facility

St Clements in Chelmsford Diocese is a joint venture with local partnerships in the Thames Gateway to create a multi-use building including worship space. A similar example locally is the Living Well centre at St. Edmund, Temple Hill.

c) Church School and Church

Another example in our own Diocese is St Mary’s Island church and school which is an ecumenical partnership meeting in a Church of England school. This is lay led by a team of volunteers from nearby churches. It has the advantage of negligible running costs and not having to find the money to pay a stipend.

d) Network church plant

Many churches these days are finding it a challenge to finance a full-time minister and maintain a building. The culture we are in is suspicious of institutions and uncomfortable with the financial demands that churches make on their members. A network church plant is an attempt to be more culturally friendly by gathering a Christian community, meeting in homes as cell groups with occasional celebrations in a rented community facility.

An example of this approach is being pioneered at the Bridge development in Dartford by Bart Woodhouse. The local Methodist church circuit sold an old manse and bought a house for Bart and his family who were some of the first residents to move into the new development. He is working to create a sense of community and is supported by a few volunteers from nearby churches, some of whom are also hoping to move into the new housing area.

e) Mixed Economy

Sometimes the new housing developments are close enough to established churches so that residents are able to commute to a church of their preference in nearby towns or villages. In our own Diocese this has been the case with the King’s Hill development where churches in Mereworth and West Malling provide traditional Anglican worship. The thriving new church meeting within the new housing development is an evangelical Christian fellowship with an informal / modern approach to worship. Reflecting on this we can see how the modern mobile consumer culture makes it difficult to plant a traditional or inherited mode church these days. Kings Hill Christian Fellowship

Responses appropriate for medium sized and smaller housing developments

Medium sized and smaller developments will be relying to an extent on existing infrastructure and established community in the locality. Given the mobility of many new residents most will be able to commute a short distance to schools, shops and other services. They will also be able to join clubs and societies and churches nearby. Listed below are a number of approaches to mission that are appropriate for these new developments.

a) Attractional mission

i. The importance of a good welcome

With energy and a genuine loving concern for the people moving into the area churches can attract new members. Some of these will have been church members in the past. The challenge for the churches is to provide a good welcome and help the new members to feel that they belong. This normally means being willing to develop new friendships. Churches can improve their welcome by engaging in training such as Everybody Welcome by Bob Jackson and George Fisher. This is more than just a friendly handshake. The course helps church members look again at their buildings and their services through the eyes of a newcomer.

ii. Welcome packs

Visiting new residents with a welcome pack is a simple but effective way to show that the church is interested and concerned to help. When people are new to an area they are often looking to make connections into the local community and value an opportunity to meet and chat with their neighbours. It is especially good if the welcome pack can be delivered in person by someone who lives nearby and is willing to be available for further contact.

iii. Invitations to special services and events

A small team of visitors can easily deliver invitations to special events such as Christmas services and other events. These are considerably more effective at building goodwill if delivered with a friendly smile rather than pushed through the letterbox like a piece of junk mail. Back to church Sunday is most effective when people are inviting personal contacts.

iv. Good publicity

Attractive and up to date notice boards and web sites are important. Many people these days will look at the web site before deciding to attend. It is important that church web sites include the church address and postcode so that SatNav users can find them!

b) Engagement and assimilation

i. Church Premises Based Activities

Most established churches are well engaged in their existing local neighbourhood. We provide services to the community through uniformed organisations, youth clubs, parent and toddler groups, coffee mornings and our fundraising events. Our buildings are used by other community groups. People moving into new housing developments will seek out these services which will hopefully create goodwill towards the church and allow folk to experience something of the love of God through the loving service offered by the church.

ii. Involvement in Schools

Many churches have good links with Schools which can be enhanced. Clergy, youth workers, readers and retired teachers can do assemblies. Church members can offer to be community governors or can assist with the PTA activities of the school. Some can offer to help with lunchtime clubs or with reading or cooking or craft activities in the classrooms.

iii. Partnership in local community groups

A little bit of networking and research will show that there are many community groups that would welcome new members, eg residents associations, impact groups, childrens centre management groups, crime prevention panels, etc.

iv. Occasional Offices

Most of our churches have a steady trickle of people coming to our door for the occasional offices.

If we can find ways to build better relationships with those who bring their children for baptism we could see an increased number of these families joining the church. “Grannies” from the congregation could be trained as baptism visitors. They would visit the family on a couple of occasions before the baptism using the CPAS DVD “First Steps” as an aid to discussions. In this context friendship begins to grow. Hopefully they might be invited to the party after the baptism to strengthen the friendship. They might even offer to baby sit so the couple could attend an Alpha course. The key issue is will our church members be willing to put in enough time to make friends with these visitors.

In Rochester Diocese we are participating in the Weddings Project in order to enhance our retention of Wedding couples as church members.

v. Community Activities

Some churches with a generous heart have organised Community Fun Days and free barbeques for people in the new housing areas. These create good will and provide a context for the new residents to meet Christians in a non-threatening environment.

Where people come to these activities and interact with Christians through our engagement in the community there will be opportunities for developing friendships which will then also be a bridge for sharing our faith. The challenge for the church is how to provide a low key next step to exploring faith. At this stage many people are not yet ready for something as “full on” as an Alpha course.

I believe that we need to train our people in how to “gossip the gospel”. Various courses exist for training church members including “Breaking News” by J. John and “Blowing Your Cover” from Evangelism Matters.

We also need to train our members in how to begin the discipleship process on a one-to-one basis with the people who are interested. This would include simple teaching about prayer, lifestyle and how to hear God speaking through the scriptures. For example teaching the Lord’s prayer as a framework for praying, discussions about the 10 Commandments, and encouraging the use of bible reading notes.

c) Fresh Expressions

Another way of reaching out to people in new housing areas is by starting a fresh expression of church. One possibility would be to organise some door to door visiting looking for those who could be described as a “Person of Peace” (Luke 10). The aim would be to grow an organic church in the home of the person of peace using the network of family and friends that that person has.

Other Fresh Expressions of church might emerge out of listening to the needs and issues in the neighbourhood and seeking to work with the people on a response. This might begin for example as detached youth work leading to an action group and eventually a youth congregation.

Community Mission Champions Grants

Grant funding is now available to anyone in Rochester Diocese who has new housing in their area. Each applicant has to be willing to act as a local community leader, helping the church to engage with residents in new housing areas. Successful applicants will be known as Community Mission Champions.

Grants of up to £500 will be available for small scale activities or creative ideas which are people-centred, helping to form networks, build relationships and strengthen community. Relationships and community are foundational in creating a context where the good news of Jesus and his Kingdom can be communicated.

Grants might be for personal invitations to a welcome event or to series of events, to enable catering to be included in a local event, to buy professionally produced publicity, to hire facilities or equipment (eg for a fun day or community sports event), to pay for travel or the hire of a bus, to fund training or qualifications for an individual who can then offer their new skills into the community.

It is hoped that stories of good practice will emerge and assist in encouraging and informing other mission initiatives. All Community Mission Champions will be expected to keep a journal to document the story of the project or activity. The champion will also meet with the Mission Growth Team Leader to reflect theologically on the experience.

Providing a Welcome

A document entitled “Providing a Welcome” contains Ten Top Tips for parishes with new housing. The tips encourage prayer and research, and include ideas about visiting and events that can help to make the new residents feel welcomed. This document is available from the Mission Growth Team Leader.

Ross Garner

ross.garner@rochester. 12th October 2010

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