THE largest grant made by the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment (SMMI) Board thus far — £33.16 million — has been awarded to the diocese of Southwell & Nottingham.
It will fund a decade-long programme of investment in parishes, specializing in “evangelism, discipleship, vocations and the event of younger leaders”. This will include the deployment of greater than 40 “frontline lay and ordained leaders”, in addition to children and youth staff. Plans include a pilot to “renew” groups of rural churches within the diocese, including expansion of the “Connect” initiative, an after-school gathering developed at St Michael’s, Farnsfield, a rural village within the diocese, where primary-school children gather for food, games, and teaching.
Investment in schools work is a theme of the most recent tranche of SMMI funding, reflecting the national goal to double the number of kids and young people within the Church by 2030.
A press release from the diocese said that the grant would construct on the strategic development funding (SDF) received since 2016, which totalled £10.4 million (towards a complete projects cost of £21.6 million). Among these earlier goals was the establishment of 25 resource churches by 2025, each with usual Sunday attendance of 150 (a complete of 3750 people). It envisaged that the diocese would have 7000 “latest disciples” by 2023.
Statistics for Mission suggests that, between 2016 and 2022, the worshipping community within the diocese fell from 18,700 to 17,300 while usual Sunday attendance fell from 11,900 to 9,700 (18 per cent — lower than the national average of 24 per cent). But the diocese records an increase in overall weekly attendance for all ages by eight per cent between 2022 and 2023, including a 14.6 per cent increase in children and young people.
Its latest annual report highlights the establishment of 5 “youth hubs”, ten “children and family flagship” churches, and an additional 25 churches in receipt of funding, with the bulk appointing children and family and youth staff. It records 203 “latest youth” and 315 “latest children”, and a rise in volunteers working with them to 175. The revitalisation of 4 churches has led to a rise in attendance of 276, while the diocesan internship scheme continues to recruit.
The SMMI announcement includes further funding for church-plants within the Holy Trinity, Brompton, network. In the diocese of Birmingham, £1.6 million has been awarded for a “church revitalisation”, at St Mary and St Ambrose, Edgbaston, which has been in emptiness since 2020. It will “mix with” Anchor Church, a plant from St Luke’s, Gas Street, in Birmingham, an HTB plant. A press release said: “The congregation of the Gas Street church in Birmingham, will gain a everlasting home while St Mary and St Ambrose will welcome younger congregation members.” The funds can pay for renovation works on the church, and staff costs.
The diocese of Portsmouth will receive £5.3 million towards its “rejuvenate” strategy, following an earlier award of £1.2 million for investment on the Isle of Wight (News, 5 January). Plans include two further plants from Harbour Church, a part of the HTB network, in central Portsmouth and Copnor, and a plant into St Peter and St Paul, Fareham (which has just rescinded its Resolutions) from St John’s, Fareham.
Money can even be invested to create latest worshipping communities in Leigh Park, home to a big council estate. An earlier proposal to merge parishes in the realm, as a part of an SDF programme, was rejected by the Church Commissioners. Two pioneer Baptist ministers involved on this earlier programme moved on in 2019 (News, 26 October 2018). The latest plan is to create a worshipping community of about 60 people based at Park Community School, led by a pioneer chaplain working with the longstanding Vicar of St Francis’s, Leigh Park, the Revd Jonathan Jeffery. There are also plans to expand on the Choir Church initiative within the diocese (News, 28 June 2019).
The diocese of Lichfield has been awarded £5.9 million for work on “revitalising the Christian presence in Stoke on Trent, largely amongst younger communities”. A press release spoke of the will to “respond more creatively and effectively than we do now to those in our parishes who experience poverty, conflict and isolation”.
The work will likely be based at All Saints’, Joiners Square, in Hanley, which is ranked by the Church Urban Fund as certainly one of the 100 most deprived parishes within the country (from a complete of 12,239). The church will likely be refurbished, with funding for lay and clergy posts. The aim is to create ten latest worshipping communities, with a concentrate on school partnership. Earlier this yr, the Church Commissioners confirmed that a covenant would prevent plans to show St John’s, Hanley, closed in 1985, right into a mosque (News, 30 August).
