'The challenge is a big one, but small is special'

Notes from a recent Baptist Union Smaller Church online gathering (22 September), which featured representatives from several Associations

News from the Associations

Eastern Baptist Association 
The Association held its first on 17 September. There was a June zoom with Smaller Churches Network to share highs and lows. (two churches brought their whole team).

The Association is working with Hilary Taylor to plot hubs geographically, but changes in the EBA team are slowing things down. There are at least two hubs, hopefully more: nearly but not yet initiatives. There will be a Zoom soon to think about the region as a whole – there is a need for a strategic overview.

In the south, it is densely populated but sparingly in the north of the Association. 


Heart of England Baptist Association 
The Association's first hub was planned for 21 October. Hubs are seen as important and helpful. Before lockdown, churches were twinning, which was a good idea but it collapsed during lockdown, and hasn't picked up since. 

In HEBA, a major challenge is some can only afford part time ministry. The settlement process is unhelpful for this. But number of small churches with lay leaders are doing great things for God. Many retired couples are serving with energy.

There are great stories of growth under lay leaders. Lay people of a variety of ages are signing up for the new ‘Recognised Local Ministry’ leader category.

But there are big challenges too - one church closed recently. Buildings are a real strain on resources, so we need other options. 


North Western Baptist Association
Sixty five per cent of the Association's churches have fewer than 50 adults; 85 per cent have fewer than 50 members. Most Association work IS small church work, mainstream.

Transition ministers are exciting: some churches recognise they not working well but not sure how to move ahead so transitional minister is ideal. Or support churches to keep going despite circumstances. Around 300 still log into the Association online service every Sunday morning, and this is often the only alternative for churches to have worship. Forty per cent of ministers are not accredited, and the majority not being paid.

Resources include the Latchford Learning Centre, which has seen many people trained and receive practical instruction (how to lead funeral etc). 

The Latchford Learning Centre is a partnership initiative between NWBA, Northern Baptist College and Latchford Baptist Church, and is seeking to get theological input from the Northern Baptist College to build up these local lay leaders. 


South Wales Baptist Association
Two thirds of the Association's churches have 40 members or less, so it's mainstream work. In Monmouth a group of churches work like a hub. In Newport, there are 10 Baptist churches with buildings they can’t sustain. Supporting LEP church changes. 


London Baptists
The first onsite meeting since lockdown took place on 14 October at Tasso Baptist Church, Fulham with the theme ‘Small is Special’.  Six to eight church leaders organise events, a newsletter etc.

There is still a sense of tiredness after Covid and lack of engagement. Churches are mainly not working together, but two churches are merging their officers (secretaries, treasurers). There is lack of training for church officers.

Four baptisms recently took place in one small church. Churches feel that hubs are just one more thing, which is really sad. How do we re-energise and enthuse churches? 


Webnet
There are two ways the Association engages. There is an annual Home Mission Community Day for all churches with Home Mission grant from all four Associations (South Wales, South West, Southern Counties. But the main way is the Re:Imagine course, which lasts around 18 months. Webnet has taken 11 small churches through the course.

Buildings are a burden, and can become the main thing. But there are creative solutions if you think outside the box. A small church took a decision to sell its building, - it had no resources to maintain it - and subsequently bought a house. The rent from this now pays the transitional minister. 


Central Baptist Association 
The Association is feeling encouraged with small churches. There are four hubs so far in CBA. There is positive feedback and energy, and churches are being creative for the way forward. 

There are governance issues in some places. One church has a building it doesn’t need, strong links in the community, but no money, not even for part time minister, and no manse. It is partnering with another local church so joint resources possible.

CBA is working on new look Home Mission grants, for minister, pioneer, community worker, lay leader training. It is intentionally increasing the support for HM churches, with mission enablers accompanying churches over 3-5 year period. 


South West Baptist Association
Glen Graham and Patrick Barker are organising the Eastern Small Churches Hub. The first hub in Tiverton was in May, and the second hub took place on 24 September. It is still early days to really ascertain the level of engagement in this, but the Association is hopeful that word will spread about the quality of support and resourcing the hub offers. 

David Evans is planning an inaugural meeting of the Western Hub in Plymouth this autumn. Regional minister Carl Smethurst will chat with David to see what, if any, support he needs with this. In previous conversations, it certainly sounded like he has some great plans! 

Churches who want to grow in the Association, Carl encourages them to conduct a community audit to get a full grasp of the nature and needs of their local community. Alongside this he’d encourage them to prayer walk and make seeking the Lord for how they are to grow the subject of their prayer meetings while the audit is being conducted. 

He would then suggest they identify one or two areas the Lord seems to be leading them to, such as engaging with younger families. They would be encouraged to consider what resources they have available to engage in these areas, such as an ‘Open the Book’ group to go into the local school, or could they work with other churches in the area to run a Messy Church. 

If required, they might be encouraged to apply to the Association for a Small Mission Project Grant or for Home Mission. 

For churches who just want palliative care SWBA would work to do all it can to help them end well, with thankfulness for what the church has achieved over the years. They would also seek to help them consider what ‘handing the baton’ on might look like for them. Might they be able to redistribute any reserves they have to other, pioneering projects where new churches are being born? Might the proceeds of the sale of their chapel help to fund a new community building elsewhere as a place of mission and worship?  



Southern Counties Baptist Association
There is a reorganisation in the regional team at the moment. Virtual meetings and WhatsApp group have been set up so far, but not physical hubs. Hubs online going forward across the SCBA.

As a small church, Buckland Road Baptist Church felt isolated and excluded. This has now changed. Many big churches but many small churches, all valued, given confidence through transitional ministry. Many churches in Bournemouth & Poole – are working out how to support each other, and there is an accompanier for this process. There is hope for a 2024 initial gathering to help vitalise churches. Age with a Mission has helped greatly with this process.    



East Midlands Baptist Association 
There are a mixed group of small churches in the Association: some are OK, some Sunday focused, some struggling, some managing decline. Good things – Barlestone Baptist Church hub went down well. Two churches six miles apart are in partnership with a joint minister in place. Four churches in Lincolnshire are discussing how do they work together; they can’t work separately, so may share officers etc. Joint vision day soon.  



South Eastern Baptist Association 
There has been a lot of change within the SEBA Team: Joth Hunt became the new Team Leader in the summer of 2022, there had been a major review of the Association over the previous couple of years, and key SEBA staff have moved on or sadly passing away. The Association has just appointed a new Operations Manager and an Association Treasurer, is advertising for a new Safeguarding Lead. In 2024 it hopes to appoint a new third Regional Minister to focus on local church outreach and mission (including all forms of pioneering ministry, and possibly also smaller churches). As you can see much has happened and is happening within SEBA.  

Even though we have a lot going in within the Team we always seek to do all we can ‘on the ground’ to guide, advise and encourage our ministers and churches in all that they are seeking to do for God in terms of building up the ‘saints’ and seeking to win men, women and young people to Christ. While we are needing to work with churches of all sizes, we are particularly wanting to work with our smaller churches.  

Like all Associations (I presume) I am sure when we look at the statistical facts around us all it is clear that much needs to be done. The “Half the Denomination” BUGB Department of Ministry publication of 1985 is still very applicable in SEBA today. For instance, from an analysis of our churches in November 2022, the following facts we discovered… 

• Nearly 50 per cent of our churches have fewer than 40 members 
• Around 34 per cent of our churches have fewer than 5 under 11’s 
• Around 26 per cent of our churches have no under 11s 
• Nearly 50 per cent of our churches have fewer than 5 young people 
• 20 per cent of our churches have no young people 

The Association has under 9,000 adult church members within its 149 churches. 

It is also supporting nine churches in 2024 via Home Mission Grants, which we can only see increasing year on year. 

'The challenge is a big one, so we here in SEBA are learning from the past, getting ready and eagerly looking to the future and ‘Expecting great things from God, (and) attempting great things for God’ (William Carey).'


Image | Oscar Ivan Esquivel Arteaga | Unsplash
 

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There are a growing number of Small Church Hubs in Associations around the country. Hubs enable smaller churches to support each other. Find out more here