Rural areas, lowest income communities and parish revitalisations benefit from mission funding

Much remains to be done, but there is much to celebrate as a result of the growth in the numbers of new followers of Christ in places supported by strategic funding, the Church of England’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB) annual report says.

Awards were made last year by the Board for mission in rural and urban areas and to churches from a range of traditions, its annual report for 2024 shows. An increasing proportion of money was allocated to the most deprived areas of the country and for revitalising parishes.

In 2024 the Board awarded £81 million in grants to 12 dioceses, with an additional £3.5 million to the Diocese of Worcester, released from funds backed in principle the year before for parish revitalisation.

This included ‘significant’ investment in parishes in areas such as Stoke-on-Trent, Hull, Sunderland and Lancashire, for mission in urban and post-industrial areas.

The Board invested in the deaneries of Hackney and Islington, home to more than 500,000 people and with the highest level of social housing in the UK. The parish of Our Most Holy Redeemer in Clerkenwell, central London, was one of the churches to receive SMMIB support last year for mission.

Funding was provided for a series of ‘hubs’, or centres, to support rural parishes in outreach to children and young people in the Diocese of Hereford, and to the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham to support a major pilot scheme to revitalise rural churches.

The report notes the Church of England’s aims of becoming more diverse, with examples including an award to the Diocese of Southwark for work to encourage lay and ordained vocations amongst people from minority ethnic communities and people from white working class backgrounds.

In the Diocese of Birmingham, the Board is investing in St Mary and St Ambrose in Edgbaston and in Anchor Church to help them combine and form a church that will ‘plant’ other churches.

The awards continued to reflect the Church of England’s key goal of engaging with more children and young people, including help for churches to work with children and young people and engage with schools, and for children and youth ministers, young people’s worshipping communities, school chaplaincy and choir churches.

(Credit for picture, above from St Matthew's at the Elephant in Southwark Diocese: Caro Swan)

Funding for revitalisation of parishes rose in 2024 with the money supporting staff, local lay and ordained leaders, building work, community engagement and new services.

Churches that have received strategic funding include Lightwave Red Lodge, in the village of Red Lodge, Suffolk, a ‘fresh expression’ or new Christian community that supports rural parishes.

It is part of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich 'Lightwave' community, a network of small groups that meet mainly in rural areas and seek to reach people who may never have been to church.

Situated in an area of new housing, Lightwave Red Lodge has set up a number of different outreach schemes, including parent/toddler groups, after-school faith groups, holiday clubs, breakfast ‘chats’ in villages, Alpha Christian enquiry courses and an evening worship service involving people new to and exploring faith.

Over the last year, attendance at the local church – St Christopher’s Anglican/Methodist Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) – has more than doubled, including a service attended by more than 80 people.

A second round of strategic funding made last year by the SMMIB is helping Lightwave Red Lodge to work even more closely with the local benefice and Ecumenical Partnership to support rural churches in the area. This has included employing outreach family workers and youth workers and support for a parent and toddler group at a rural church.

The Rev Diane Grano, (pictured at baptism, above) who leads Lightwave Red Lodge, said: “We have learned that although many of the people we meet may not have been brought up to come to church, they are not against Jesus. Through the work entrusted to us, we have been building relationships with people, helping to create the stepping stones for them to join a church community.”

Carl Hughes, Chairman of the SMMIB, said: “The Board has been greatly encouraged by the work so far and is deeply grateful both for the commitment of dioceses and parishes and the Vision and Strategy team of the Church of England.”