11/08/2014
Birmingham, Chelmsford, Leicester, Liverpool and Sheffield have all received grants for growth and change projects in their diocese (see below). The funding is being awarded in several stages: the first applications for a pot of £7.5m were restricted to the poorest dioceses in the Church of England.
The aim of the funding is to sit alongside existing funding distributed to dioceses each year, so they can benefit from a one-off injection of money to make a significant difference to their long-term mission and financial strength, by supporting major projects.
The funding was awarded after a competitive process, in which dioceses were invited to put forward initial applications to the Task Group. Those proposals which were met the criteria most strongly were then invited to submit detailed project plans.
Seven applications were received for these first grants, of which five were invited forward to the second stage. All five projects have subsequently been awarded funding, complementing the dioceses' own investment in the projects.
Applications are being sought from dioceses for two further funding stages, each of around £7m, to be awarded in 2015 and 2016.
The Bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell, said: "This represents a significant investment to help dioceses deliver transformational change and address some of the challenges they face in developing mission for the 21st century".
Further details on the projects awarded funding:
Birmingham
As part of its 'People and Places: Growing Younger' strategy, the project will entail:
- A city-centre resourcing church (to be financed separately)
- Employing nine mission apprentices to work in selected parishes
- Employing at least 26 missioners focused on children and families
- Providing 10 parishes which currently have little or no children or families work a package of help to bring them to the point where they can make the most of a missioner (as above) through a revamped Mission Department
The parish help will be targeted on those parishes identified as offering the greatest need and greatest opportunity for growth. Strategic Development Funding of £1m has been awarded towards the overall project cost of £2.7m.
Chelmsford
Funding a package of interventions to achieve a 'turn-around' in parishes offering the greatest potential, based on a statistical analysis of a range of strategic and financial performance factors, and other characteristics. The interventions will include:
- A concentrated focus of vacancy development advisors and interim ministers with a proven track record of turning around parishes;
- A dedicated support team to help tackle governance issues in weak parishes, which the diocese has found to be linked to low levels of giving;
- A Building for Mission Advisor to address buildings related issues;
- Extending an existing successful book-keeping support scheme to 31 further parishes.
The overall cost is £1.43m, towards which £850k of Strategic Development Funding has been awarded over five years.
Leicester
The proposal is to appoint three Pioneer Development Workers to support and further develop the Diocese's well-established strategy on expanding Pioneer Ministry and fresh expressions of Church, through enabling (training, coaching and accompanying) lay volunteer teams of pioneers and fresh expressions to deepen in maturity and the marks of discipleship. Each Pioneer Development Worker would also be linked as a practitioner to a specific fresh expression.
The overall cost of the project is £2.1m, towards which £809k of Strategic Development Funding has been awarded over five years.
Liverpool
The 'Transforming Wigan' proposal a wide-ranging package of interventions to deliver growth in the deanery of Wigan. Areas to be addressed include:
- Infrastructure (buildings, returns on parish investments, organisational structures and administration);
- Delivering change management through coaching, developing learning packages and deploying interim and transitional ministry;
- Church planting and missional leaders' communities (including developing internships and vocations);
- An extensive package of training and coaching for clergy and other missional leaders.
The proposals will be overseen by an appointment of a senior project manager, who will work with and through the Transforming Wigan Implementation Group (TWIG), which includes local clergy and lay representatives.
The overall cost of the project is £1.2m, towards which £900k of Strategic Development Funding has been awarded over seven years.
Sheffield
The project will provide between 12 and 15 Mission Partnership Development Workers, each of whom will provide administrative and missional support to around four parishes, primarily in more deprived areas, alongside a complementary package of coaching provision for the clergy. The aim is to free up clergy time to enable them to focus more on mission.
The proposal also includes the appointment of an overall Project Manager to oversee and deliver the project and provide support for the Development Workers.
The overall cost is £1.4m, towards which £1m of Strategic Development Funding has been awarded, over six years.