‘Do one thing well’ rural churches urged

Celebrating new life in a rural church

Don't be too hard on yourselves, is the message rural congregations are being given in a new workbook aimed at rural parishes. Seeds in Holy Ground urges members of these 9,639 places of worship to recognise that, with small congregations, they cannot be expected to emulate the range of activities some large suburban churches offer. “We want to encourage them to concentrate on doing one thing or a couple of things very well,” said the Church of England’s National Rural Officer Dr Jill Hopkinson. “Otherwise they’ll spread themselves too thinly and burn out.”

Around 19 per cent of the population – 9.5 million – live in rural England, a population that is growing, yet ageing, with roughly half aged over 45. The parish system in the countryside is “a string vest which can be stretched so far, but no further”, says the Rt Revd Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter, in his introduction, adding, that the vest “can now seem to be tattered at the edges and is more holes than string.”

But Seeds in Holy Ground, a 48-page full colour workbook offers practical hope. Rather than produce a strategy position paper, the Rural Affairs committee opted for a workbook packed with facts, discussion topics and activities. “It’s about helping churches to take a strategic look at what they’re doing and what they might do in the future,” said Dr Hopkinson. “We’ve provided practical information and case studies for rural churches based on reality, on what other churches had tried and found useful.”

The workbook has been produced in order to “enthuse and celebrate what’s really good and positive that’s going on in rural parishes – also to share best practice so others can emulate it.”

It includes many examples of rural churches who have found new ways of being church to their communities. The villagers of Thorndon, Suffolk have created a café church offering coffee, croissants, conversation and worship on a Sunday morning. One Gloucestershire churchgoer has formed a Riding for the Disabled group. The villages of Slaithwaite and Marsden, in West Yorkshire’s Colne Valley, play an active part in the area’s vibrant festivals. Sheepy Magna parish church in Leicestershire runs the local post office. And St James Church in Welland, Worcestershire has turned its crypt into a youth club.

“‘My hope is that rural churches will read Seeds in Holy Ground, and that they’ll enjoy forming a small group to study it,” says Jill Hopkinson. “And out of working through it they’ll decide to do something new for mission in their community - something that will make a difference to that community and to themselves.”

More details at www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk

Did you know?

YORKSHIRE

Over 150,000 people benefit regularly from church social projects – with the economic value of church action in the region estimated at between £55-75 million a year

EAST OF ENGLAND

Research suggests that around 180,000 people are actively benefiting from the social work of faith groups every week