Planning for Growth

Growing Churches Group

A group has been formed to steer development in mission with a particular emphasis on ‘growing churches’. The Bishop of Bolton, who has a particular brief for mission in the diocese, will chair the group which will develop a strategy to help churches meet this challenge and priority to grow churches.

Membership of the group

  • Rt Revd Chris Edmondson, Bishop of Bolton
  • Revd Canon Tony Hardy, Canon Evangelist
  • Revd Ben Edson, Fresh Expressions Missioner
  • Other diocesan officers
  • Representative members of parish clergy.

Mission Action Planning

Mission Action Planning is being used by many churches and encouraged by many dioceses. It is an intentional process of looking at the health and development of churches and drawing up plans for mission. This plan may be:

  • big picture – embracing all that a church does and is involved in
  • forward facing – timed plans into the future.

There are many models for mission action planning, but most give churches an opportunity to think and pray about the following a church’s ‘culture’ – identity, values, hidden assumptions, mission.

  • Vision – a picture of the future that is inspiring
  • Strategy – a plan!
  • Structure – how things might be organised so that the plan works
  • Review – continuously assessing how we are doing.

Some churches have already used this kind of process, but some may not.

Manchester Diocese is considering developing such a scheme, and details will appear here. 

In the meantime, Tony Hardy, and David Foster have experience in Mission Action Planning and can do this work with you – anything from an evening, away day or church weekend, or even longer!

All-age community 

"I have come to feel that the primary reality of which we have to take account in seeking for a Christian impact on public life is the Christian congregation… The only hermeneutic [framework for interpretation] of the gospel, is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it." Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society

So much is being said and written about community being significant in mission that it seems as if there were just one thing that we need to get right to be effective in mission, it is the quality of Christian community that we have in our churches.

All-age church is a vision for much, much more than children’s services, all-ages talks and family services! It is a vision for a church culture which is naturally inclusive of people of all ages.

There are several people who might help your church to think through how your church may grow as an all-age community. There are also resources which they can guide you towards.

For more help contact:

Young adults mission

Paul Dever and Jo Farnworth to write here.

Mission amongst older people 

Outlook is a Christian organisation which aims to reach older people with God’s Good News about Jesus and His promise of abundant and everlasting life.