Review of Christchurch Abbeydale LEP 2011 Conducted on behalf of Gloucestershire Churches Together

1. Introduction

This review of the LEP (a Single Congregational Partnership) was carried out by the Ecumenical Team (see Appendix 1) during the spring and summer of 2011. The team was briefed by the County Ecumenical Officer (The Revd Dr Alison Evans) and was provided with very comprehensive documentation by the Church. These papers included documents on governance, the 2009-10 Annual Report, recent Church Magazines and copies of the 1997 and 2004 GCT Review Reports.

Team members met with the Minister and Officers, attended services, and shared in meetings of Council and the whole Church. The report was provided in final draft to the Minister and Church Secretary for checking of factual accuracy before being finalised and presented at a Church Meeting.

The Church is now a mature institution, developed from an Anglican initiative in 1973 with the four denominational sharing agreement operating the Church in the current building from 1995. Each denomination has now contributed in turn to the Ministry at Christchurch. During the period 1985-1990, the church was served by a team of clergy drawn from the different denominations. From 1990, Christchurch Abbeydale had its own minister.

Anglican - Revd Peter Brightman (1990-1993)

(Revd Frank Godfrey, a retired Methodist minister, served as interim minister 1993-1994)

Methodist - Revd Ian Duffy (1994-1999) Baptist - Revd ErnieHall (1999-2006)

United Reformed - Revd Les Mather (2007 - to date)

2. The Church Today - Progress from the last Review.

The last review of Christchurch, Abbeydale took place in 2004. The report noted a great deal to celebrate in the life of the church citing a welcoming atmosphere, an increasing membership, vibrant and well attended Sunday worship and building which was a well utilised resource for a wide range of church and community activities.

There were, however, three areas where particular consideration was recommended; these came under the headings of worship, growth and unity. From these five specific recommendations were made and the progress made with these is considered below. The Church's own comment on each is followed by a note from the Review Team

2004 Recommendation 1

A worship consultation makes efforts to explore the rich traditions in worship of all the denominations in order to suggest how these could enhance the current patterns of worship

A worship review group was set up following the review and met under the previous minister's tenure, then continued during the pastoral vacancy. A new ecumenical Holy Communion liturgy was formulated and church members began leading intercessions in worship.

Following the arrival of the current minister, the worship review group was disbanded and a worship planning group formed, which took on the role of the old group as well as new tasks. Great progress has been made and worship has become more varied, e.g. with young people leading prayers of approach, and with the installation of new AV equipment. New formats of evening· worship have been developed more recently, including cafe church, Bible study and youth services.

Current situation 2011:

Clearly a great deal of effort has been put into this matter and many new initiatives have resulted. This is reflected in the replies to the questionnaires which indicated that most people really enjoy the 'mix' and 'richness' of the weekly worship. Nevertheless there were concerns about the level of noise before worship (fellowship?), comments regarding a lack of 'theme' in the weekly pattern of worship and a perception of over reliance on technology. Some clearly wish for the occasional full liturgy which could perhaps be accommodated in the emerging pattern of alternative evening worship which seems to be greatly appreciated.

2004 Recommendation 2 _

Church Meeting completes work on the Constitution and Declaration of Intent so as to consider a mission statement and profile in preparation for the calling of a new minister

Several Church Meetings addressed the revised Constitution which was completed and approved by all four denominations. The Church Council prepared a new profile and worked with the URC interim moderator to appoint a new minister, the Revd Les Mather, in 2007.

Current situation 2011

It is encouraging that this recommendation was completed satisfactorily. The Rev Les Mather's ministry has clearly brought many blessings to Christchurch including stability and unity after a what had been a difficult period. However, inevitably in a ministry which encompasses four denominations, the calls on the Rev Mather's time are manifold without bringing into the equation the constant pressures of pastoral care of those within the fellowship and outreach into the community. It is also evident from just reading the church magazine that the fairly small leadership team is very busy if not over burdened.

2004 Recommendation 3

The leadership considers the strategy for community links, involving more of the membership and seeking to ensure there is a spiritual dimension to such contacts

Since the last review the Church has established strong links with three local primary schools. They visit Christchurch for Experience Christmas and Experience Easter, they welcome our Open the Book teams, and are working with Christchurch in fund raising to rebuild two primary schools run by the Church of South India in Gooty, Andhra Pradesh, South India (Agape project). Extending community links to include evangelism is one of the challenges very much on the mind of the Church as we have been following the URC Vision for Life process and are currently in a year of evangelism.

Current Situation 2011

Both through extensive use of the premises and the various outreach initiatives, great progress on this recommendation has already been made and that is commendable. From comments on the questionnaires, it would be helpful to remind the membership that if they wish there to be outreach then their minister will not always be to hand in the church. An interesting suggestion to set up a retail chaplaincy has been put forward. Clearly such an innovative community initiative will require careful planning and the membership may need to consider if there are some long standing activities which could now cease in order that new ones be undertaken.

Several members raised concerns about the 'ageing' congregation; yet a great deal of the outreach work involves young people. Celebration of these ways of reaching young people would perhaps encourage members to realise that such links are being made in other less traditional ways. It was noted that every church meeting includes comprehensive reports by the various advocates on Church Council.

2004 Recommendation 4

Response to the review become a standing item on all Church Meeting and Church Council agendas until issues raised in the recommendations have been addressed.

The recommendations of the 2004 report were thoroughly discussed at these meetings and referred to on several occasions, particularly during the pastoral vacancy between ministers.

Cunent Situation 2011

This is to be commended. It is also noteworthy that the Revised Standing Orders (2011) and the local church organisation appear to work very well.

2004 Recommendation 5

2005 be a year of celebration not just of ten years of the building but of all that Christchurch is and can be as the Church in Abbeydale

2005 saw a number of special services and events commemorating the tenth year of the building of the Church. There was an even more extensive set of celebrations in 2010, which marked the 25th anniversary of the first service held by Christchurch in the Abbeydale Community Centre. Original ministers were invited back and a very successful flower festival held. As a result Christchurch reacquainted itself with its roots and affirmed its vision for the future.

Current situation 2011

It is encouraging to note from the answer to the questionnaires as well as the replies to the enquiries by the review team when they attended events and services, that the general perception is that Christchurch is a very friendly and welcoming church. This is to be celebrated. However one or two expressed the concern that it could become a 'club' whilst one or two others clearly slipped through the 'net'. Constant vigilance will be required if the fellowship continues to grow at the pleasing rate that it is currently.

3. The Future - ministry, governance, finance

"""':'0-,"-.- .. -.-

(i) Ministry

We have noted that since the foundation of Christchurch, Abbeyda1e all four participating denominations have in turn appointed a minister, which the constitution describes as being the normative practice of appointment. The timing of this review is therefore opportune. Much has changed in the years following the foundation of the Church, not least the numbers of clergy in each denomination and changes in their employment status. As members of the Review Team made clear at a meeting of the Church Council, it is for Christchurch (with the participating denominations) to decide whether the historic pattern of appointments should continue as it has or be reviewed. If no such review is undertaken then normally the next minister will be an Anglican and the appointment will be open ended. (It should be noted that the current minister's appointment is in practice permanent and that any attempt to make it time limited would be unlikely to survive legal challenge).

The provision of ministry at the Church is excellent. Members of the Church Council are designated areas of pastoral care and ministry, whereby all areas of church life come back in one way or another to the minister and the Church Council (where leadership and pastoral care is described in the Constitution as being shared). The review team noted however that those who provide care also need pastoral care and it would be good to ensure that in the ministry plan the care of the minister is not forgotten.

We strongly suggest that the Church considers the formation of a small pastoral care group for this (and future ministers) as well as broadening the current active leadership of the church.

Given the experience and talents of the current Minister and the experience of how Christchurch has developed over many years as a Local Ecumenical Partnership, an interesting area of development might be explored in the near future. This relates to contact with those preparing for ordination. The West of England Ministerial Training Course is merging with the Oxford Ministry Course and it is hoped that there may be a contact maintained with Gloucester, giving students the opportunities for placements. Christchurch Abbeydale would be a good place for the experience of ministry in an LEP, and if a base in Gloucester is established the Minister and Church Council might discuss how it could assist those whose future will be in the ministry.

(ii) Governance and Finance

The governance of the church may be divided into the two parts, governance in practice and the current legal or structural governance on paper. The Review Team considers that the latter reflects an attempt to assist a new church as it grew, an~ that the present day real governance reflects a mature and stable church. It would be a sign of this maturity to make changes to some of the agreements that exist.

The Church Council might consider a review of the layers of governance so that the Church Council and Church Meeting take as much responsibility as possible making it comparable to other churches. The Abbeydale Joint Council was established as a support mechanism, met every year but now must meet only every three. Consideration should be given as to whether this body should continue. The Church Council and Meeting should be able to decide matters relating to church life (including finance). In matters that would normally require permission relating to building work from a higher authority, then the Gloucestershire Churches Together Enabling Group would appear to be the obvious body for reference, not least as it meets frequently. It would therefore take on the responsibilities of the Joint Council.

4. Future pattern for reviews

Related to governance is the number of reviews or questionnaires that Christchurch must undertake. These are excessive and the Church should not be considered for the purposes of review as four separate churches. The Church, in the words of the constitution (paragraph 5), "will be accountable to the partner denominations through the Sponsoring Body, which is Gloucestershire Churches Together." This is important to assert.

Summary of recommendations and observations

1. Unless the constitution is revised, the pattern of appointment means that the next minister will be an Anglican and the appointment open ended. Clearly this will necessitate a rigorous financial review so that support of the ministry is the priority of the Church.

2. The Church Council should ensure that the pastoral care of the Minister is included in any ministry plan and every effort is made to share the leadership load.

3. Christchurch and its minister are an excellent resource for those preparing for ministry. The development of WEMTEC means that opportunities could rise for engagement with ordinands. We invite the Church to explore this.

4. The Governance of the Church should be considered so as to place as much responsibility for the life of the Church within the Church. In particular, the role of the Joint Council should be reviewed.

5. Christchurch is accountable to the four denominations through the Sponsoring Body and not directly. This should be asserted by the Church where it is felt that the frequency and number of reviews or questionnaires is excessive.

Appendix 1; The Review Team

Revd David Ackerman, (Anglican)

Mrs Ros Leigh, Methodist Local Preacher

Revd Kerry Birch, (Baptist)

Dr Tony Jeans, Elder of the United Reformed Church

Appendix 2; Summary of Church Membership

Membership Data at August 2011 as supplied by the Church

Denomination	Members	Male <40  Female <40	Female <40	Male > 40	Female >40
Anglican	50	/	2	16	32
Methodist	37	1	2	14	20
URC	15	/	1	5	9
Baptist	12	/	/	3	9
Ecumenical	6	3	1	2	/ /
TOTALS	120	4	6	40	70

Appendix 3; Current Financial Summary (HaIIYear)

As at 30th June 2011 prepared by Howard Francis - Treasurer

CONTRIBUTIONS
	2010			June 2011		Budget 2011		Percentage Achieved
Offerings
(Incl Gift Aid)	42,831			28,005		48,700		58.00%
Activities	5,952			1,437		4,750		30.25%
Donations &	4,793			1,172		5,700		20.56%
Fund Raising
Lettings	1,969			707		2,000		35.35%
Misc.	639			1.335		4,845		27.55 %
Total		56,184			321656		65,995		49.48%
EXPENDITURE
		2010			June 2011		Budget 2011		Percentage Spent
Ministry		43,296			21,302		44,145		48.25%
Church Expenses 2,956					1,277		3,330		38.35%
Other Mission		9,065			1,322		5,500		24.04%
Expenses
Administration		1,848			829		2,450		33.84%
Building Expenses 1,814					640		2,950		21.69%
Utilities		3,822			1,708		2,800		61.00%
Groups & Projects 2,213					380		1,600		23.75%
Equipment Purchase 900					0		500		0.00%
Mise. E"'Penditure		1,003			309		1,716		18.01 %
Total		(,6,917			27,767		64,991		42.72%
Monthly Requirements
		2010			June 2011		Budget 2011
Total Contribution			56,184		32,656		65,995
Total Expenditure			66,917		27,767		64,991
Monthly Cont. Reqllired			4,682		5,443		5,500
Monthly Exp. Required			5,576		4,628		5,416
ExeeededINot Met			-894		815		84
Tr. from Reserves			10,500		Nil		2,500
Charity Commission Suggest at least Three Months Reserves
			16,729		13,884		16,248
RESERVES
Deposit Account			2,998		3,016		5,000
Property Account			11 ,280		11,334		13,850
Current Account			1,300		6,189		7,500