Category: Ministry

A report on church closures in Greater Manchester reveals that more are being lost in areas of low income and deprivation.

The report, Is the Church Losing Faith in Low-Income Communities in Greater Manchester?, was commissioned by Church Action on Poverty and compared the number of churches in the city in 2010 with those that remain in 2020.  One of the authors, the Rev Fiona Tweedie, told a Religion Media Centre briefing that they looked at five main denominations: Baptist, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Church of England and United Reformed.  Most church closures within the CofE, Catholic, Methodist and Baptist denominations were in the most deprived areas, the report said. Only the United Reformed Church had more closures in affluent areas than in low-income areas.

It continued: “Reasons for church closures included: declining numbers attending church services; buildings falling into disrepair, coupled with churches being unable to afford their upkeep; and fewer priests and ministers to serve the churches. However, this … does not explain why many more churches have closed in deprived areas, in comparison with more affluent areas.”  Ms Tweedie said: “Sometimes while there’s fabulous work going on in deprived areas, sometimes there aren’t people to fight to save a church in the way that there are in some more affluent areas.”

Niall Cooper, director of Church Action on Poverty, said there must be a reason why churches in deprived areas were closed more frequently and there was another story going on. “I’m not saying in most cases it’s a deliberate strategy. But unconsciously, there are forces at play, where churches with less resource, less money, potentially fewer human assets are the ones that close — and those will be the ones in low-income community areas.”  He said the report was inspired by a policy from the Church of Scotland 15 years ago, to target areas of deprivation as priority areas for the denomination, as “a theological imperative”.

Eunice Attwood, the church on the margins officer for the Methodists, said she had been aware of closures in low-income communities for many years, but sometimes in such communities the building was absolutely essential and her team pleaded with churches to keep those buildings open.  However, the church was not just about buildings but communities, she said, and the Methodist Church was intentionally putting resources into low-income areas, to nurture communities — not buildings: “The church that emerges may look very different — we’ve seen walk-in churches, muddy church, a church that meets on a Wednesday, not a Sunday. New places for people need not to be tied to bricks and mortar.”

The report contains the example of the Triangle Community Church, north of Bolton, where four Methodist churches were closed and a new centre built, providing a community café and activities for people in the neighbourhood.

The Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, spoke of the Antioch Network, a group of community churches developing in Manchester on housing estates and inner-city areas. Money from central church funds is going to Manchester specifically for this purpose, he said: “We’re closing fewer buildings than we are opening new congregations.”

He pointed to the reality that churches built in Victorian times served populations which had simply moved away and the buildings were not needed in the same areas. It would be like keeping a church open in a field in Norfolk near a village that had been destroyed by the Black Death. “If a population moves, you actually have to move where you’re putting the church,” he said, and suggested more work needed to be done to analyse population numbers in the areas where churches closed.

The Rev Philip Brooks, deputy general secretary of mission for the United Reformed Church, said it would never shut a building unless there was local co-operation. Sometimes, however, buildings were a millstone.

Ecumenical projects can combine to provide purpose-built community facilities, such as one in Salford which has a place for worship alongside space for a food bank, community gardens, community café, all important for the church in areas of deprivation.

Researcher Deirdre Brower-Latz produced an accompanying report, What Does it Mean to be a Church on the Margins?, describing through interviews what church means to people living in areas of deprivation. Describing a church as on the margins was problematic. “It’s a very top-down understanding isn’t it?”, she said. “There’s almost an implied insult or a diminishing, or a potential power exchange that’s really unhelpful.” She told the briefing that their conversations with Christians in those churches had been “really wonderful”. “It opened up all kinds of conversations about inherent dignity, pride and communities that others would slight. A sense of ‘what does it mean to belong here?’, because … here is our home, and a place of life for us, and flourishing and hope. “The stories that emerge are full of ordinary miracles, tiny spaces of seeds of life, yeast, salt. It sounds very biblical, what people say back to you, you know, here’s the way we encounter Jesus in this space.”

Kate Gray, minister of the Dandelion Community in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, said there was something behind the closure decisions about class, power, resource and numbers. Her church had been under threat of closure and was often spoken about as tiny, with 15 people maximum on a Sunday morning “if there was a revival” and between 400 to 600 people part of the community through the week, involved in community events such as a gym, carers group, mental health group, community café and food bank. But she told the briefing that the threat of closure had gone as the wider church had changed its approach in recent years and listened to local wisdom and experience, while the local church had “skilled up” to speak the language of the wider church and “join in middle-class conversations”.

Eddie Tulasiewicz, of the National Churches Trust, challenged people on the call to talk about money as well as power. He said the government had given £50m via the Heritage Stimulus Fund, much of which went to beautiful churches with small communities. But there was a conversation needed about where the next tranche would go — to heritage or a community stimulus fund, he questioned. He urged people to contact their MP and local council and find if money was available. He said many churches lost out because they were not Grade I listed, which automatically attracted funds. But he cautioned against demolishing buildings: there was less climate impact if buildings were kept going.

Reflecting on the report findings and the future of the church in deprived areas, Mr Cooper said they were communities of hope. “This is the gospel priority, to ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable communities are ones that are supported, to be the best communities that they can be. That’s why we’ve commissioned this. “And now we’re looking into the next phase about how we enable people in those communities for their voices to be heard, to shape the strategies and decisions of the churches as institutions, which ultimately will be how those communities get access to power and are able to ensure that they have dignity and agency. “This is not just a conversation about church, it’s how all communities are represented in society, and are able to articulate that they should get justice in terms of our wider decisions about resources within societies, communities, and ultimately as a country.”

This article was written by Ruth Peacock and published here, in February 2023: https://religionmediacentre.org.uk/news/the-poorer-the-area-the-quicker-the-churches-are-closing/
Photo by Kate Remmer on unsplash.com

So, in which direction is the church moving, or perhaps which are the most prominent winds in society which are going to move the church in a particular direction?  It is difficult to make predictions, but sometimes when one hears a consider thought it rings true.  Perhaps, something here might ring true with your experience and provide some guidance as to your ministry, the direction for your church, or simply give you hope.

I stumbled across and article entitled “Ten (Very Different) Church Trends for 2022” by Thom S. Ranier.  You can find the article here: https://churchanswers.com/blog/ten-very-different-church-trends-for-2022/
The article is worth a read, despite being over a year old, and you can click through and do that.  I am only going to highlight a few things which Thom has predicted and which I think are particularly interesting, and insightful.

Thom predicted that:

Worship attendance will average 80% of pre-COVID numbers. That has proved correct if perhaps a little optimistic.

Neighbourhood churches will become a movement. He defines these as congregations that are laser-focused on ministering to a specific geographical area.  He is writing in an American context, but I think this is a particularly interesting in the UK context.  Is this perhaps what we are seeing in the growing number of churches evolving into community hubs and community centres?  Does this mean that we will see a decline in global mission and in the desire to support mission in other parts of the Connexion.  I hope not, but do think it might be happening already.  With this he suggests will come more community focus than any period in the last 30 years. If this is indicative of a stronger, local incarnation of the gospel that is good news, but if it simply drawing our vision and not seeing mission value beyond what will help us grow and survive as an institution that is really bad news.  Time will tell.  This relates to another prediction of Thom’s that there will be a far greater emphasis on evangelism than in the recent past.  It is no secret how much the Methodist Church is putting into Evangelism and Growth, but again the value will be shown in whether this proves to be truly missional or about institutional survival.

Finally, for this post, Thom predicts that the micro church could become a movement.  (A micro church is defined as a congregation with 30 or fewer attendees). This is certainly true and an intentional move in some areas of the church, and one that was growing until COVID.  It also links back to our Wesleyan Revival Heritage of societies, class meetings and bands.  What is interesting is that there as so many churches in the UK which fit into this category (but are not branded micro-churches), and fail to recognise the positive aspects which they could embrace.  Of course, most newly established micro churches have little or no administrative obligations, and are even less likely to have building maintenance and assessment obligations.  So, to make the most of this opportunity and to really embrace the trend we will need a new structure or a new way of operating.

More on those new structures and ways of operating as well as related trends of ministry in the next bog post.

Photo by Daniel Gonzalez on Unsplash

I’ve dealt with a wide range of church issues over my career. I’m well-equipped to offer insight and suggestions because many of these challenges are similar to those I’ve encountered elsewhere.

So, what are the typical issues facing churches?
Do you know of any that might affect your church?

Without a clear vision and strategy, people are likely to do their own thing. If there is no clear vision, there will be division – literally, two visions. Organizational drift and leadership that is based on reaction rather than intention are the outcomes. Uncertainty and disorientation pervade as a result of a lack of a clear guiding image. This issue is far too common. Clarity, purpose and direction, are all provided by a vision. The nature of vision should be prophetic; that is, focused on the future and coming from God’s heart. A vision statement can be beneficial, but only when it is more than clever words on a piece of paper.
If your church has a clear vision but no progress, your strategy might not be aligned with it. Saying you’re going somewhere is one thing but it takes consistent and enduring action to move towards that goal.

We are going nowhere if the culture doesn’t support the vision. A clear vision helps us understand what we’re trying to accomplish. However, the culture determines the growth and will play a significant role in our vision’s success or failure. Culture must be developed intentionally and strategically, with clear values rooted in what we believe about our mission and vision.
People’s hearts and minds cannot be changed by a vision statement, but culture does have the power to do this. However if people fail to adopt beliefs and behaviours that are consistent with the church’s vision, in other words if they are not discipled, we will see the culture clashes and culture gaps which cause leaders to feel defeated and frustrated.  We have to disciple – teach, model, share and reinforce our core values.

Structures must encourage, rather than prevent growth. Church structure should be organic and flexible to grow with where God is leading. It is about who you are and what you do, and is reflected in your policies, procedures and systems.  Structure can facilitate God’s blessings, resources, and opportunities but excessive, or insufficient, structure can undermine the same.  A church should not be built around structure. Instead, structure ought to act like a trellis, supporting the development of a culture that serves the vision.
Sometimes churches have historic and traditional ministry activities that impede their expansion.

The church is the only organisation which, by definition, exists for those who are not a part of it. The church will eventually dwindle and disappear if it fails to prioritise taking the good news of the gospel to those who have not yet accepted it. You can take a quick inventory of your ministries by asking, “How many of our ministries serve those outside of the church?”
We set ourselves up for failure when we devote our resources and time to making those around us happy. Examining how we can serve the world and spread the kingdom through word and deed is better, and more biblical. If you look around the church and see no new faces, recognise that as a problem.

Often the discipleship of members is inadequate. In most cases there is no churchwide plan to people grow into Christian, because there is no culture of discipleship.
The ministries and programs are not bad, in and of themselves, but, often, they are hit-and-miss in terms of discipleship. People are empowered to take specific actions when there is a clear path. They should have access to resources, opportunities, tools, and people that will help them develop their faith.

There is too much hesitation regarding digital ministry, including our internal and external communications. Technology is constantly evolving, but when it comes to online ministry, many churches are not moving with the trends and falling further behind. WE don’t just need a static church website we need to find ways of doing digital ministry well.
This is the way forward, regardless of what you think about social media, the internet, and digital ministry. There are difficulties associated with technology and social media and it has the potential to cause a great deal of harm; however, this is not an issue pertaining to the church; rather, it is an issue pertaining to society. It can also bring a lot of opportunities and benefits.

Teams can increase ministry effectiveness, but difficult issues arise when teams are imbalanced. This could be caused by uneven power dynamics, control, a lack of empowerment, a lack of awareness of dysfunctions in leadership styles, teams with too few gifts or experiences, or teams with gifting gaps. As previously stated, the culture of a church is shaped by its leadership teams, so a dysfunctional team leads to a dysfunctional culture. That’s why the New Testament has a lot to say about who belongs on a church leadership team and who shouldn’t. Identifying your team’s temperaments, ministry interests, and leadership styles are excellent first steps.

There is a declining pool of leaders in the church at the moment. Sometimes that is because there are no new leaders coming forward, sometimes because the leadership training is ineffective and sometimes because we fail to hand leadership on to those who can grow into it. We want leaders who are pretty much like us, who won’t shake things up too much or take us off in a new direction.
Sometimes the problem is from the other side – there are more things that need a lead than there are leaders to take them on.  There are too many ministries going on at once. It is better to wait for a leader than to start ministry too quickly.  Churches should be intentional in creating leadership pipelines to find, educate, and promote leaders to various levels of ministry leadership; leadership pipelines that start at the fringes guided by values like equality, diversity and inclusion.

Regardless of the issue which your church is facing, it is not new and you are not alone. Others will have dealt with it and come out on the other side. Often it is helpful to gain an outsider’s perspective in order to better understand the real issues.

Photo by Kimson Doan on Unsplash