The work of regeneration across the Synod grows every day. More and more churches are waking up to the idea of integrated mission where social action is closely linked with opportunities for sharing personally about the things of God.
Before a church embarks on some extensive detailed community action there are some clear principles to be laid down and information gathered. I offer some thoughts about the process through which churches should work through if considering a regeneration project. Please do contact me as early as possible to discuss any matters.
A) Churches should conduct a Community audit.
- first visit the local Council and obtain the local strategic plan, or community plan or Local development framework. Every Council has to draw up a five to ten year plan. This will detail the priorities and concerns of your local neighbourhood. It will detail issues around, employment, education, health, transport and environment and will identify issues.
- Pray over these and see if your church could take action in any of these areas, or identified action points.
- 3. conduct a community survey yourself locally to corroborate the findings and to test the market or need. Please speak with Peter if you want to design a simple questionnaire or conduct a feasibility. .
- meet with local Councillors, officers to discuss your plans
- meet with the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and the regeneration or economic development team.
This ensures there is true evidence for the need and enables early ‘buy in’ from the local authority which should smooth the path for any subsequent funding applications.
B) Conduct a Church audit
- make a list of people and their skills, passions, time availability, etc Peter is available for Vision days to facilitate this process.
- check the building for possible alterations refurbishment etc in the light of possible plans.
- Then draw up draft plans for new build etc.
C) write a draft business plan explaining:
- what you want to do- list in bullet points the aims and objectives of the proposed project
- how you will achieve your aims- including legal issues.
- when you want to do the projects- put a timeframe to the process
- who will help – identify a team of people with different skill sets.
- a business case~ with income and expenditure, cash flows clearly and well thought through.
- a funding strategy in the light of the above and with clear milestones.
- Details of engagement with professionals and legal structures- need to be clear and written down.
D) Now carry out a feasibility study or an evaluation of your project idea to ensure viability. This may entail running a small pilot project and evaluation before embarking on a larger scheme.
The Challenging Church campaign aims to:
- Raise awareness of the issues of church duplication and competition and the reasons why they need to be overcome
- Suggest new ways of working and provide resources to help churches and communities do this
- Collect stories of hop from around the country and make them publicly available
For more information visit: www.challengingchurch.net
Together We Can Report - February 2007
Building Faith in Our Future, Number 7
Regional Reports Table
