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Growing your Church

From building new worshipping communities to leading your church into growth...

Growth in our churches is crucial for the Church of England to achieve three priorities:

To become a church of missional disciples;

To be a church of mixed ecology;

To be a church that is younger and more diverse.

New Worshipping Communities

The current model of “church” is not reaching or appealing to many potential new worshippers. It is vital that we avert the consequences of a “do nothing” approach. New worshipping communities (NWCs) offer ways of connecting with greater numbers of people of all ages, in ways that are more widely accessible and offering diverse opportunities to engage with God.

Typically, a new worshipping community can be defined by the following characteristics:

Reaching people who do not current attend church;

Including “closed” communities e.g. care homes, prisons, schools etc.

Become “reimagined” i.e. applied to existing community gatherings;

Include Christian worship content and helping people to grow in their faith;

Involving initially two, but eventually all, of the following, which reflect the culture and tradition of the gathering: Prayer, Scripture, Praise, Sacrament, Acts of Service.

For more information on new worshipping communities (NWCs) or to explore/discuss emerging opportunities within your own parish(es), contact the Revd Dave Battison – Project Lead NWCs dave.battison@peterborough-diocese.org.uk 07772 393325

Leading your Church into Growth (LyCiG)

A Christian organisation equipping leaders and churches to grow in faith, mission, and number.

LyCiG exists to equip the local church to create an achievable and hopeful plan for growth and prioritises prayer with intentional action, trusting in God who brings the growth.

Equipping: providing tools for clergy and laity to work together for growth

Local: a commitment to supporting the growth of the local church. 

Achievable: providing space for all churches to create a realistic plan for growth. 

Hopeful: fuelling the belief that growth is possible and helping churches to reach their potential. 

Growing: encouraging and valuing spiritual, missional and numerical growth.