“This project exists that all of Ipswich may be inspired through local Anglican church communities, to live lives full of faith, hope and love.”
“This project exists that all of Ipswich may be inspired through local Anglican church communities, to live lives full of faith, hope and love.”
“This project exists that all of Ipswich may be inspired through local Anglican church communities, to live lives full of faith, hope and love.”
Together, we are seeking to increase the positive impact that local church communities make to others. That means caring for children, families and young people; looking out for those in greatest need; and helping individuals explore and develop their gifts
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Together, we are seeking to increase the positive impact that local church communities make to others. That means caring for children, families and young people; looking out for those in greatest need; and helping individuals explore and develop their gifts
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Deanery Workshop Monday 7 September
Deanery Workshop Monday 7 September
Part of the Church of England in Suffolk
Transform your Church
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What would it look like to do things differently in order to reach new people in new places in new ways?
That's a question that we are responding to by launching new worshipping communities; new ways of doing and being church which are all about being where people are already...
These communities form around familiar contexts and shared interests like...
A football team
A Café
A Pub
(yep, that's allowed!)
In the great outdoors!
The one thing these communities have in common is that they exist to help people explore faith and become part of a community that grows together, learns together, and worships together, no matter what their background, previous beliefs or experience of traditional church...
Church Planting
"Church planting clearly demonstrates that church growth is possible. When a new church is planted, there is now either a new church community where there had been none before; or a stronger, larger church community than before the plant was started. Moreover, if a team arriving from a sending church initiated the plant, the sending church normally replaces those sent over time, thereby encouraging further growth. This may seem to be stating the obvious but it is important to be clear about this so we are not lulled into a belief that we are inevitably facing a culture of decline."
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- Church Growth Research Project, November 2013
"Church Planting is simply about starting a brand new church with a fresh imagination for what that church can look like in its worship and who it can reach. Here in Ipswich we are seeking to help FOUR new church plants to get on their feet and start connecting with people in communities or demographics that currently aren't engaged in Church. Church planting requires generosity from the sending church; prayer and discernment about the right places to plant; vision, planning and funding; a great team who are equipped to serve and get stuck in; and above all a willingness to go into new places and share good news in relevant and contextual ways. Church Planting is also about multiplying; the idea being that new churches look ahead to a future where they too will plant another church...Church planting keeps us all on our toes, always seeking to connect with more people and make room for them!" - Archdeacon Rhiannon​
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The sending team from St Matthew's to Bridge Church Ipswich
Planning for Growth
in Existing Churches
From anecdote to evidence
"The findings of the church profiling survey together with evidence found elsewhere in this report... clearly point to the conclusion that there is “no single recipe for growth” but there are a number of “ingredients” which are linked to growth in parish churches and can be applied to any setting.
"I planted, Apollos watered, but God is the one who has made it grow"
Churches are being much more intentional about how we plant and water, in order to see growth
Since 2019, churches have been preparing and implementing plans for growth.
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In November 2020, in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic, Learning Communities from every parish/benefice gathered online for a full weekend of inspiration, challenge, practical exercises and worship led by Leading your Church into Growth