The London Policy Papers belie the oddly misinformed critique that those of us who are behind the Reform & Renewal programme are only interested in perpetuating old church, done in a certain way. In point of fact, the London policy is about letting 1000 flowers bloom. We are committed to planting 100 new churches and ecclesial communities by 2020, and the church planting policy paper which is set out below provides the framework for this.
Church
Planting
Background
The Diocese of London is committed to the parish system of
inherited Church and to the planting of new churches. Capital Vision 2020 further
commits us to develop our Church Planting Strategy as part of our desire to
share the Good News of Jesus Christ with 21st century London. Church planting
is not new in the Church of England. Daughter Churches are a familiar sight,
and there are also Chapels of Ease, Conventional Districts and Mission
Churches, each with their legal status. Church planting is an effective
expression of mission that seeks to reach as many people as possible with the
gospel.
From a certain perspective every church is the result of a
planting programme. At some point in history a conscious effort has been made
to establish a congregation, to raise a building, to develop local ministry and
mission and to encourage Christian life and discipleship to flourish.
The oversight of Mission and Ministry is entrusted to the
Bishop as a sign of the Church’s catholicity.
This oversight is shared with the college of priests throughout the
Diocese. A strategy for planting is part of an overall strategy for Mission and
Ministry. This document recognises that
the Church of England is still organised into geographical parishes as our way
of ministering to all people in the land and as an expression of its duty to
present the claims of Christ to everyone. It further recognises that many
parish Churches are flourishing and have the strength and resourcefulness to
plant within their own buildings and boundaries. The Diocese is committed to
Church Partnerships as a major expression of Church Planting.
We need, though, a broader understanding of the potential
and opportunity for Church Planting than this. The ways in which people make,
seek and join communities is now far more fluid than a century ago. There is a
need to plant in the non-institutional, networked lives of today’s population
through new and experimental ways of being Church and of incarnating the power
of God’s love.
Groundwork
Planning and co-operation are very important at every stage,
and this is reflected in the procedures below.
Whatever the procedure followed, the Mission
& Pastoral Measure 2011
should be observed and used creatively. The Measure seeks to provide a “light touch”
enabling of mission initiatives and, in particular, introduces the concept of
“Bishop’s Mission Orders” (BMOs). The
bishop has oversight of mission and ministry in the Church and the
responsibility of encouraging trust and understanding. The bishop is a focus of unity in the Church
and will encourage the development of the right conditions for the planting to
take place. The Measure sees the bishop
as ‘broker’, who will consult closely and widely, as the Measure requires, but
is empowered to override local opposition if it is right to do so. The BMO will particularly offer the
opportunity to establish church or Christian communities as “Fresh Expressions”
(not a terminology that is in currency in the Diocese of London, though we are
glad to acknowledge the contribution that the Fresh Expressions movement has
made to the Church of England over the past years).
Procedures
In developing Church Planting as a form of
mission, we will
·
Encourage
healthy churches to consider Church Planting as part of their mission strategy
·
Review
struggling churches, especially at the key moment of a vacancy
·
Examine
the need to plant into unchurched localities, including new housing areas
·
Take
the opportunities afforded by the entrepreneurialism of planters
Definitions
- A healthy church is one which
- Is
growing spiritually, numerically and financially.
- Owns
a vision.
- Encourages
all its members to play their part and use their gifts.
- Enjoys
worship and prayerfully seeks God’s purpose and direction.
- Is
willing to take risks.
- Has
different opportunities to share faith and study together.
- Has
effective and respected leadership.
- Is
engaged with the society it serves.
- Is
involved in the life of the deanery and wider Church.
- A struggling church is one which
- Is
static or declining in numbers.
- Has
no vision for its mission.
- Has
little lay ministry and does little to encourage it.
- Is
focused on maintaining the status quo.
- Does
little to encourage growth in Christian discipleship and understanding.
- Has
uninspiring and inefficient leadership.
- Shows
little interest in cooperation with the wider Church.
- Shows
little interest in serving the wider community
- A struggling church which is not adjudged to be a “potentially going
concern” will have some or all of these additional features:
- A
poorly placed or badly maintained church building
- A
long history of non-engagement with its local community
- A
very low level of numerical, spiritual or financial resources
Note:
These definitions should be used alongside the material in the Healthy Churches Handbook
including
the seven marks of a healthy church
Classification
For the purposes of developing church planting within the
framework of Capital Vision 2020, we have identified ten basic models of
planting. The classifications are about the models, not the style nor the
locality.
1. Parish intra-congregational plant:
developing a new service for a new clientele within the existing parish church.
This is, of course, nothing new. All parish priests will be looking to innovate
in order to reach new groups of people. Examples might include After School
Clubs, Saturday Night Mass, Messy Church, Café Church.
2. Church plant by parish into their own parish
This is the time-honoured approach of seeking to develop a new worship
centre in unreached parts of the parish, in a church or community building (see
Policy & Legal Framework [PLF] 1
below)
3. Parish graft: a leader and a
congregation "graft" into an existing congregation with a view to
infusing the church with new DNA and fresh energy. This is more of a
partnership between old and new, but with the understanding of change being
welcomed. This can include a cross tradition plant where an existing tradition
is supplemented with a different tradition, this offering two styles rather
than one in a single location. (e.g. St John West Ealing plant into St Mellitus
Hanwell – PLF 3 below)
4. Parish plant: a leader and congregation
are invited to "plant" into a church building that is either closed,
faces closure or needs so much help to survive that a different approach is
needed and agreed. This model "restarts" parish ministry. (e.g. St
Paul’s Shadwell, planted from Holy Trinity Brompton – PLF 3 or 4 below)
5. Network church: a leader and a
congregation start a new church in a new space that draws in people through
their network of relationships. This is not a parish church but exists
autonomously within someone else's parish. This will use a Bishop's Mission
Order. (e.g. King’s Cross Church, planted from St Mary’s Bryanston Square; Grace
Church, Hackney, planted from St Helen’s Bishopsgate; Oak Tree Anglican
Fellowship, planted from St Barnabas Kensington – PLF 2 below)
6. Third space church: “Third space” is
understood in the ways defined in community building theory – “first place” is
our home; “second place” is our workplace; third place or third space is a
place of community relationships, characterised by being
·
a neutral ground
·
a leveller – a place of commonality among its
occupants
·
a place of conversation
·
a place of accessibility and accommodation
·
a place of playfulness
·
a home away from home
A leader and a congregation
start a church in a non-sacred space with a view to inviting neighbours and
contacts in. This kind of church might start as a missional community that
intentionally grows itself beyond a small group. Third places include schools,
cafes, or pubs. Third space church may include church planting with a partner:
a leader with or without a congregation, partners with a specialist ministry,
such as Eden Network or XLP, to reach a particular group or sub-culture in that
place. (e.g. All Hallows’ Bow who partnered with Eden Network, who have settled
on the Lincoln Estate that surrounds the church building). Such partnerships
may well transcend denominational boundaries – and there may be an ecumenical
or pan-denominational dimension that will need to be considered and factored
into the legalities. Each space has different potential for reaching different
social groups. (PLF 1, 2 & 5 below)
7. Missional Communities: these are
understood as communities constituted by a specific missional purpose in
relation to a network or a place. They are not parish churches or places of
conventional worship. Policy Paper 5 spells out in more detail what is entailed
in committing the Church to the development of missional communities.
8. Second Place Church: To take seriously
our commitment to discipleship in the workplace is to entertain the possibility
of church in that context. In our current culture, where religious observance
is not actively encouraged in a workplace setting, this is not an easy option, but
may be a possibility.
9. International & Ethnic Congregations: Policy
Paper 6 spells out in detail our understanding of our calling to develop
communities of worship and mission in partnership with the great diversity of
ethnic and national groups in the World City that is London. These will include
opportunities to worship in the culture and mother tongues of groups for whom
English is not their first language
10. Churches in existing unreached communities
and new developments: London’s rapid growth and expansion means that much
new residential development is being planned without places of worship or
community spaces. Our planting strategy necessitates engagement with developers
and local authorities in order to explore the possibilities of ensuring a Christian
presence in these localities. Our calling is also to engage with those
communities that are being “left behind” and which have possibly been untouched
by the existing parochial provision.
Policy & Legal Framework
These various models require a proper framework. Some of
the considerations are listed below:
1. Planting from the parish church within the
existing parish’s boundaries
This
requires:
·
Agreement of Incumbent, PCC, Bishop
·
Authorised leader (licence or commission)
·
CofE worship framework
2. Planting a focussed congregation within
another parish
This
requires:
·
Agreement of Incumbents, PCCs, Bishop
·
If there are objections, these can be
overruled, using a Bishop’s Mission Order
·
Authorised leader (licence or commission)
·
CofE worship framework
3. Developing a struggling church by transferring
people from another church
This
requires:
·
Discussion with struggling church and deanery
·
Invitation to transfer
·
Transfer with sensitivity to existing
traditions
4. Planting into an existing parish church
This requires:
·
Agreement of Bishop, Patron, PCC – can be
facilitated by Bishop’s Mission Order.
·
If there are objections, these can be
overruled, using a Bishop’s Mission Order
·
Authorised leader (licence or commission)
·
CofE worship framework
5. Planting into a new housing area or
development
This
requires:
·
Agreement of Incumbents, PCCs, Bishop
·
If there are objections, these can be
overruled, using a Bishop’s Mission Order
·
Authorised leader (licence or commission)
·
CofE worship framework
Our policy is to keep all such
opportunities under constant review within the context of our overall Mission
& Ministry strategy, and proactively to seek opportunities for planting.
Oversight of the policy and strategy rests
with the Bishops of the Diocese as leaders in mission, with the Area Councils,
and with the Diocesan Strategic Policy Committee.
Framework for Planning and
Decision-Making
We therefore welcome proposals for
planting, and, in order to facilitate the process, set out the following
framework document to guide the conversation between Bishop/Archdeacon,
Diocesan staff and prospective planters. We aim for clarity and a capacity to
bring together
·
the intentions of church planters
·
the process by which churches become available
for planting
·
co-ordination of planting efforts
- Questions for Church Planters
Questions to be asked if
you are contemplating a plant:
- What is your strategy for
church planting? Please produce a written statement – your Mission Action
Plan or strategy document will inform the process.
- What is your desired area
for planting? Locality, network, ethnicity/people group will all be
considerations here.
3. Has
there been adequate investment in prayer in relation to the initiative?
- Where does your strategy
fit within the Diocese of London Church Planting policy and Capital Vision
2020?
- What are the objectives
of this particular planting proposal?
- Who will be involved in
the plant? (Leadership, numbers of people committed to the project, etc.)
- When will you be ready to
plant? Timescale, critical path analysis.
- How are you proposing to
fund and resource the plant?
- Capital costs
of building (if any)
- Running costs
- Stipends/salaries
and oncosts
- Housing
- Expenses
- How do you plan to
develop leadership from within the community in which you wish to plant?
- What preliminary
consultation is needed with existing Church of England parishes and
structures?
- Bishop
- Archdeacon
- Area Dean and
Deanery
- Neighbouring
Parishes
- Area Council
- What legalities will be
required? [this will probably involve you in a detailed conversation with
Bishop/Archdeacon)
- Pastoral
Scheme or Pastoral Order
- Bishop’s
Mission Order
- Licences and
Lay Commissions
- Charitable
status
- Governance
structure (including questions such as PCC and Churchwarden equivalents)
- Synodical
representation
- What do you consider to
be the probability of your being ready to plant in the coming year? In coming 5 years? Is your likelihood of being able to
plant as intended increasing or decreasing?
- What support do you need
from the Diocese to help you achieve your objectives? (These may not be deliverable, but we
want expectations to be clear on both sides.)
- Processes for making churches available for planting
Church buildings will become available either because a particular
congregation/parish has been identified by the Area Bishop or because a church previously surplus to requirements (usually,
but not always, closed for regular Anglican public worship) becomes potentially
available.
Heritage issues may well be involved in the
process of making a building available, particularly if there are proposals to
use procedures under the Mission & Pastoral
Measure 2011. The Archdeacon will be able to advise on this. In the case of
a planting opportunity with a “live” parish, the Bishop, Archdeacon and Area
Council will work up a proposal to make the church available for a graft or
transplant and approach potential planters.
In the case of a building not used for Anglican
worship becoming available, the Diocesan Strategic Policy Committee will
consider whether the building should be released for planting. Factors to be
considered will include suitability of location, existing use (especially where
the building is being used by another Christian denomination), and proximity to
other churches. If the building is released, consultation with the relevant
Area Council may be needed. The Bishop may then make an approach to potential
planters.
Some opportunities for planting will be
subject to competitive bids from a number of prospective planters. In this
context, you may need to discuss with the Bishop/Archdeacon and the Diocesan
Strategic Policy Committee how the proposal you are making fits with
·
Local Context
·
Diocesan Context
·
Economic practicalities and opportunity costs
- Co-ordination of Planting Efforts
Church Planting across the Diocese will be
regularly reviewed at DSPC, JOT and the College of Bishops. It also needs to be
an item on the agendas of Area Councils and Deaneries.
Training and Development for
Church Planting
The Bishop of London has
appointed an Adviser for Church Planting, Ric Thorpe. He has a remit to
encourage and support church planting across deaneries and diocese. The College
of Bishops is also committed to work across the spectrum, in co-operation with
St Mellitus College, to encourage and train catholic, middle of the road and
evangelical parishes towards more outward focus and exploration of
planting.
List of documents and resources
Breaking New Ground:
Church Planting in the Church of England (Church House Publishing, 1994) Bishops’
Mission Orders: a beginner’s guide (Church House Publishing, 2008)
This paper is issued by the London College of
Bishops as part of a series of Policy Papers on Mission and Ministry issues.
