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Leading Your Church into Growth

Leading your Church into Growth

“If you’re not leading your church into growth, where are you leading it?”

Rt Revd Philip North

This one of the quotations in the materials we were given as we embarked on a three day national residential course as Swanwick in Derbyshire, and what a few days we experienced! Along with around a hundred others, Ian, Jill, Wendy and I, along with Linda from St Mary’s had a world wind tour about what this means in practice.

Thank fully this isn’t undertaken all at once but over the course of a year. The seven steps that lead to growth begin with a prayerful culture and lead to developing a planned journey for growth, with much in between. We will be looking at each stage with our PCC’s and deciding what suits us best and what may be of most use to us as a growing congregation. There will be opportunity for everyone to be included and we hope you will join us on this journey beginning in prayer that our churches may grow in the love of Christ.

Catherine

Stop the Press

Leading your Church into Growth

'Leading your Church into Growth' is the new Church of England's initiative.

We’ve spent much of the last six years taking forward the Diocesan VisionHealthy Churches Transforming Communities and I don’t think we should underestimate the work that has been undertaken by so many members of our PCC and congregation at Christ Church over this time.
We have now, as a benefice, been invited to be part of the Parish Renewal Programme, ‘Leading your Church into Growth’ which will be our focus for the coming year and beyond.
David Ascroft and I attended the first induction session at Whalley Abbey along with Revd Judith, and a representative from each of the other three churches in our Benefice.
As with all good things in our church life, the key focus is prayer and how we can create an intentionally prayerful culture of growth. We learnt of the successes of other Parishes in developing this initiative in their churches and was given a brief overview of the programme for the year.
I am truly excited by what we heard and hope this will lead to more growth in all its aspects.
There will be an induction session for our wardens, treasurer, secretary and Vision Champion at the end of September 2024 when we will learn more. But in the meantime I ask that you pray intentionally for our church here at Christ Church and the other churches in our Benefice as we find new ways and develop those of our own, to lead our precious church into growth for both now and future generations to come. Jesus told us where one or two are gathered in my name, I am there among you.
God Bless,
Revd. Catherine Hale-Heighway.


Mission Prayer

God of Mission who alone brings growth to your Church,
send your Holy Spirit to give Vision to our planning,
Wisdom to our actions, and power to our witness.
Help our church to grow in numbers,
in spiritual commitment to you,
and in service to our local community,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.