Create a Powerful Culture of Growth:
(Matthew 12:31-32)

At the Christ Church PCC meeting on Tuesday 28th January 2025, Rev. Catherine and Wendy shared the learning from the LYCiG session at Whalley Abbey, which they recently attended.

Just by way of context, members of Christ Church PCC were invited to participate in LYCiG and as such, some of us attended an enlightening three day course at the Christian Conference Centre in Swanwick in Derbyshire. This is all part of the Diocesan Renewal Programme led by Rev. Steve Haskett, who recently preached at Christ Church. I’m sure that you will have noticed the prayer postcards in church highlighting our “Growth Prayer”.

This particular session was entitled “Creating a Prayerful Culture of Growth”. We started by discussing the culture of our church. It was agreed that when our culture is empowered and guided by our prayers, then something positive begins to happen. We decided that we have a warm and welcoming culture and that by concentrating more through prayer, we may grow numerically in the future. There was chat about church attendance numbers and how they may grow over the next few years.

The next part of the session focussed on the DNA of church growth. These are just the headlines:

• DESIRE   : Churches only grow when the leaders and members have a desire to grow.
• PLAN      : Rather than doing lots of disconnected activities there needs to be a clear plan in place.
• ACTION : Churches need to act in order to grow. For churches to grow, this DNA needs to run through all the clergy, the leaders, volunteers and all activities of the church.
  

Whilst at the Abbey, Bishop Joe described this section as working smarter not harder. He said that Jesus doesn’t want us to be fearful of this work, he will not push us from behind into something that we do not want to do. Rather Bishop Joe described it as Jesus inspiring and enthusing us to do the right thing and being drawn lovingly towards Him.

There was then further discussion about what we should be doing as individuals and what we should be doing as a church. Our next session of the programme concentrates on growth through the 4 P’s of Prayer, Presence, Proclamation and Persuasion. I look forward to updating everyone in the future.

Wendy Walker (CCC LYCiG representative)

Prayer, Presence, Proclamation and Persuasion:
Kingdom Come (Matt. 6.10)

Prayer has to be integrated into our lives and the church, not just used at the beginning and end of services or meetings.
We should aim to increase our presence on websites and social media, ensuring we continue to be a welcoming and friendly church.
Spreading the good news at special events and services and finally telling everyone about our church and beliefs and welcoming new members to our congregation.

Positive Action

• Prayer postcards are in every pew in church highlighting our “Growth Prayer”.
• Quiet day for praying for LYCiG at Whalley Abbey.
• New visitors and families are continued to be made welcome.
• Palm Sunday Procession through the village therfore Increasing community presence.
• Continuing to promote our activities on this Website and our Facebook page.
• Messy Church is particularly well attended with their activities promoted on Website and Facebook.
• Village Newsletter distributed to every home in Chatburn and Worston.
• Vision 2026 updates continue to promote all the church activities.

Practice Fruitful Evangelism:
Catching Fish (Mark 1.17)

This session was held on the 11th March 2025 at Whalley Abbey. As Wendy Walker was unable to attend on this occasion David Ascroft represented Christ Church along with Reverend Catherine. The Bishop of Blackburn Rt. Reverend Philip North, Reverend Sarah O’Donoghue (Parish Renewal Officer) and Reverend Sue Cooke (National Director) of LyCIG led the session.

What is Evangelism?

• The proclaiming of the message of Good News.
• Helping people to respond.

Evangelism is about sharing God’s message with people and telling them about your story and how you came to faith.

Telling your story

i) Before knowing Jesus

People were asked:-
What their life was like before they came to know Jesus.

ii) During

When Jesus became real to them in their lives, how they chose to follow him or alternatively when their faith deeper or more committed due to a significant event.

iii) After

After knowing Jesus what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ, or alternatively, reflect on how their faith had changed them as they grew up.

Our special people.

Participants had to identify 5 people who they knew who might be interested in God and want to know more about their life in the church.

Ways to share faith with your special people.

I) There may be an opportunity to share your story.
ii) There will certainly be opportunities to invite them to a special event or gathering.
Iii) At the right moment you will see an opportunity to simply ask them what they think about God.

Key Phrase for inviting people.

I’m going, it’s going to be good, would you like to come with me?

Questions are important.

1. Who are you:-
Tell me about yourself, life, family, work, hobbies, etc.
2. Where are you (with God)?
3. Do you believe in god? Have you ever prayed? Have you ever sensed that there is more to life than meets the eye.
4. Why don’t you…? Have you heard about the special service in church, or the course we are running? Why don’t you come along…?

The Engel Scale

The Engel scale was developed by James F. Engel as a way of representing the journey from no knowledge of God, through to spiritual maturity as a Christian believer. It can be used to identify where a person is on their Christian journey, help with conversations or messages in a more effective way.

Questions to be asked:-

What do you think about God?
What should individuals be doing?
What should the church be doing?

On Tuesday 27th March 2025 Reverend Catherine invited Reverend Sarah Parish Renewal Officer to our mid week Holy Communion Service. Following the service we shared hospitality with Sarah and she told us her story about her own faith journey. Others present shared their faith journeys and special ‘God ‘ moments. It was an excellent discussion with people feeling they could share very personal stories.

Develop Engaging Worship:
Holy Ground (Exodus 3.5)

The fourth session in ‘Leading Your church into growth’ was held at Whalley Abbey on the 13th May 2025.
The evening was led by Reverend Sarah Donoghue (Diocesan Renewal officer) and Reverend Linda Tomlinson(Rector of Ribbleton).
Reverend Catherine was unable to attend and was represented by Lynn Farrimond on this occasion.

General Points to consider:-

1. Worship is not about seeking perfection but rather it is about integrity and an honesty around our skills.
2. The church is the ’shop window’ and an entry point for those searching for faith. Church can turn people on or off.
3. Worship should be interesting, attractive and enjoyable.
4. Successful growing churches adopt ‘a lets give it a go’ mentality. These churches try different initiatives as experiments - if they work they invest in them, if they don’t they drop them.
5. The process of attracting people is divided into three stages:-
i) The people who pass through our churches become the occasional.
ii) Then occasional people become regular.
Iii) Regular members become committed and involved in the life of the church.
6. As we come into church we have to remember that we are meeting with the risen Christ and treat church as an ‘encounter with Jesus Christ’.
It would be preferable to mark a silence before the service begins and for all the congregation to be in their places.
7. A warm welcome should be extended to all the church family and the ‘Peace’ is important, but need to be mindful that some people cannot tolerate touching or closeness.
8. People should be encouraged to stay for refreshments after or before the service.
9. Sharing family news is very important and celebrating birthdays.
10. People find sacred silences in a service difficult but these should be encouraged. ie.After the sermon and before the creed.
11. Changes of posture should be incorporated. If anyone wishes to kneel in the aisle this should be encouraged.
12. Worship should be user friendly. Not everyone knows the service and may need guidance through it.
13. Little things can make a big impact. The service and instructions should be easy to understand and legible for all either in a booklet form or on screen. Larger print bibles and hymn books should be available.
14. People with mobility issues or other disabilities should not be excluded from the awesome family moment when Holy Communion is distributed. Need to consider everyone receiving at the steps rather than at the altar. For those wishing to go to the altar consider having a monthly service where this is encouraged.
15. Consider asking someone to be a ‘mystery worshipper’ and give honest feedback about a service to the incumbent/PCC.
16. Worship is enriched with music. Hymns and songs should be appropriate to the theme and in line with theology.

Questions to be considered.

1. What might make people happy?
2. What might make them sad?
3. What might confuse them?
4. What might make them angry?
5. What might bore them?
6. What might interest them?

CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND WORSHIP.

1. Children and young people are an integral part of the church, not a ‘bolt on’ or a section in our worship.
2. Ask children what they would like to see in services and involve them as much as possible in the service.
3. What ‘faces’ do children/ young people see at church. Is it a smiling glad to see you face or a scowling face where people want to see them come, but not heard.
4. Are young people given an active role in worship?
5. Are young people able to understand and engage in the service?
6. Will children and young people want to come back?
7. If there are only one or two children present is there still something available for them to engage in.

I would draw your attention to a June (newsletter article) which was written by Lynn following this session.

Become a Welcoming and Inviting Church:
Banquet (Luke 14.21)

The fifth session in ‘Leading Your Church into Growth’ was held at Whalley Abbey on the 15th July 2025.
Following Evening prayer and a meal the session got underway being led by Reverend Sarah Donoghue (Diocesan Renewal Officer) and Reverend Canon David Banbury who is a member of the national LYCiG team.
Reverend Catherine was unable to attend on this occasion and represented by Lynn Farrimond.

Main Points:

The meeting opened with prayer followed by a discussion about the term ‘community’ and what it means today. Reverend David went on to say that a warm loving loving, community is created form ‘belonging’. In past times communities were about open doors, and people going in and out of each others houses. This is not the case today particularly where there are new housing estates and people do not know their neighbours.

We were asked to identify which of the following statements stood out for us individually:-

• Different ethnic groups in an urban area are often far apart with not many bridge builders.
• Life on an estate can be threatening and intimidating.
• We have lots of acquaintances but fewer friends.
• Traditional gathering places, such as pubs and clubs, are in steep decline.
• The poor and elderly are increasingly marginalised.

The reality we were told is that people are not good at doing community, by way of conversations and in communicating.
A good church at its best can do community well, being open and friendly.

The big question is ‘Can we do it?’

Some facts for you to consider.

• One in five children have ‘major relationship building difficulties’.
• Loneliness is increasingly described as a plague.
• In many villages and other communities people live behind electric gates.
• The main meeting place is the school gates.
• The gap between rich and poor is widening.
• Food banks are normal.

One of the exercises that the group had undertaken previously was the diagram of a fridge and a radiator. The group were asked to place a mark along a scale to identify where they thought there church was. I would like to think that at Christ Church we are very much closer to the radiator than the fridge in welcoming people.

Reverend David emphasised that if a new person is spotted attending church then someone must be responsible for welcoming them and perhaps consider sitting with them initially.
Additionally it is very important that people’s names are known.

A Culture of Invitation.

What is our Mission filed and where should we start inviting?

The group undertook a mapping exercise called ‘Our Galilee’.
In this session we had to discuss the church contacts we have relating to Christ Church. I identified 40+ contacts but I’m sure there will be more. For example to name a few, Parish Council, Nursing Home, Shops and businesses, food bank, school, different activity groups etc.

This exercise was based on the story of Jesus when he helped the disciples to catch more fish by telling them to cast their nets near the boat. So a helpful hint on our mission, start with near our church and contacts.

The mission we are advised should be small to start with and it is advisable not to launch on big estates.
The main emphasis should be on the invitation.

• Keep asking, known fact that people will often accept at the seventh time of asking.
• Make sure people are being invited to a warm, positive experience.
• Remember the phrase to use. “I’m going, it’s going to be good would you like to come with me?”
• Web sites and social media should always be kept up to date for enquirers.
• Always invite people to a social event first.
• The more local the event the better.
• Use personal invitation printed cards to give to the congregation to circulate to their contacts.
• Work on the basis of personal invitations,rather than mass leafleting.
• Invites are all about relationships.

Invitation and Intentional Prayer.

• Consider establishing in church intercessions those people you have committed to pray for that they will come to know Jesus.
• Pray for a street in the intercessions and put prayer cards regularly on Facebook.

Helpful Steps along the Mission Journey

Step 1. Write your list of five names down and keep handy for those you are praying to know about Jesus.

Step 2. Turn prayer into action by

• Inviting them for a coffee.
• Go out for a meal.
• Go for a walk.
• Go to a sports event together.
• Call in on them.

Step 3. If people on your list are interested then explore what the next steps may be.

For example.

• Invite them to a church social event.
• Invite them to a special service.
• Invite them to attend an enquirer’s course and accompany them.

Some of the churches in the cohort had undertaken their ‘Mission Events’. This is still to take place at Christ Church as part of the LYCiG programme.
Every Thursday evening the LYCiG team pray for all the churches undertaking the programme and for any mission events taking place. (This mission is separate to the Vision 2026 mission weekends taking place in September 2026.)
The next session at Whalley Abbey will be held on the 9th September 2025 and this will be the last meeting before vision planning meetings. Reverend Sarah or other members of the team will be available, providing assistance with vision planning if required.
Reverend Sarah suggests that our vision should be developed within a 6-8 month timescale and only concentrating on 3 main priorities.
In ending the session, emphasis was placed on encouraging networking in our churches, with a commitment to prayer, with invitations to a warm community of deep faith.

Make a Pathway for Seekers to become Disciples:
Make Disciples (Matthew 28.19)

9th September 2025

Begin a Planned Journey of Growth:
Early Church (Acts 5.14)

October 2025