THE VISION FOR GROWTHPARISH OF BARGOED AND DERI WITH BRITHDIR

WHERE WERE WE A YEAR AGO?

General Background of Decline in the Churches and Chapels

Falling attendances

Ageing congregations

Leads churches to become increasingly inward facing

Culture changed - church didn’t.

We are not immune from the trends and the problems that have claimed so many other chapels around us.

OUR ATTENDANCES HAVE BEEN DECLINING TOO

Adult Sunday Attendance

0.0

32.5

65.0

97.5

130.0

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012Adults

U18 Sunday Attendance

0.0

12.5

25.0

37.5

50.0

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

U18s

2001-2012A better picture

Decline slowed but not reversed

71

73

75

77

79

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

How?Healing on the streets

Lay workers

Gigabites

Church Hall

Youth work

Lots of hard work & ministry resources

Weddings/Funerals/Baptisms

Alpha Courses etc.

Church magazine

Spiritual growth

DOES THIS MATTER?

Why this matters....Bargoed one of the least Christian places in the UK

Communities First Area - lots of deprivation

People desperately looking for meaning and hope in all the wrong places - spiritualism, alcohol, drugs

I love this area and want Gods absolute best for it

I love you and want God's absolute best for you

Left unchanged…If the trends of the last 22 years continue, average Sunday attendance could be 0 (Zero) in as little as

10 years time.

In practice, the strain of keeping things going with ageing congregations would probably force us to close one or more of our churches even sooner. (i.e. Demography means that unaddressed the decline will accelerate.)

OTHER FACTORS DRIVING THE NEED FOR CHANGE

New challengesCulture has changed and the church hadn’t kept up. Collaborative rather than deferential.

Church in Wales Review calls for much more collaboration and for us to develop lay leadership and lay ministries in the church as we cope with the fact that in the future across the diocese there will be fewer and fewer ordained clergy.

Unrealistic ExpectationsLess ministry resources.

Just me now compared to seven or so in recent past.

Keith, Val and John a great help - but only able to offer limited Sunday services only and occasional help on Wednesdays.

ThereforeThere is no silver bullet. If Andy with more ministers, more experience, and more local knowledge tried all those things and we still didn’t grow then there are no easy answers and more fundamental change is necessary.

My role is necessarily different from Andy’s. Not to mention I have different gifts, experiences and a different vision for the church and ministry.

Pretending things could have stayed the same is not being realistic.

BIOLOGY TEACHES US THAT LIVING THINGS GROW!

THIS IS JESUS PICTURE OF THE CHURCH...“I AM THE VINE AND YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. IF YOU ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU, YOU WILL BEAR MUCH FRUIT”

The plan for growthFocus on Mission & Evangelism

Remove barriers to people finding out about Jesus

Great welcomers welcoming people really well

Develop a church culture where we are equipped and empowered as disciples of Jesus and released into mission and ministry

Not just numbers!

Growth comes from God

Hard work

Prayerful obedience to the Holy Spirit

Strategic planning

Faithful, biblical preaching of the Gospel

Creating healthy environment for growth

Encouraging local lay leadership and ministries

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." 1 Corinthians 3:6

BUT WE NEED TO PLANT AND WATER

This is what we're trying to do!

In line with Church in Wales review

and the Archbishop's diocesan strategy

and Jesus' Great Commission!

It's early days but it's starting to bear fruit!

Atmosphere & great feedback particularly over Easter

Sunday School growing

Testimonies & signs of people growing in relationship with God

Growing fringe of people seeking Jesus

New people regularly turning up

People starting to invite others again

Outreach events well supported (Good Friday & Bargoed Christmas Fayre)

PLANS FOR MISSION

Our AimSHARING THE GOSPEL SO THAT EVERY PERSON IN OUR PARISH HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE GOD'S LOVE AND RESPOND TO JESUS INVITATION TO FOLLOW HIM

Mission to every person who lives or works within our Parish Boundaries

No matter how young or old, rich or poor

Our Focus For Now - St Gwladys'

Our resources are limited. Can't do everything on our own or all at once.

St David's & St Peter's don't currently have the resources to start weekday groups to build up a fringe.

Therefore St Gwladys' is our mission priority. Need a lively, spirit filled morning service that's accessible to newcomers but deep enough to feed and form us into missional disciples.

In time the vision is to send mission teams from St G's to help kickstart outreach in Deri and Brithdir. Need to get our churches there ready and plan to grow in the meantime.

What about St Peter's & St David's? Are we running them down?

Absolutely not!

Regular services. Gospel preaching. Communion.

Local ministry opportunities - Deri Primary School, Ashville Nursing Home

CAP

Opportunities to gather as part of bigger parish

Parish wardens to visit to improve communications and sense of involvement

Need to take whole parish view

Open to mission ideas from anywhere!

Our PlansChurch Hall Project

CAP

The River

Project formerly known as Gigabites

Publicity

And much more

Growing community of volunteers and users

Bursting at the seams

Revenue for 2014 should be nearly double 2012

Nearly Full time community worker

£250K lottery bid for salaries for a project manager, volunteer coordinator and administrator - we find out in May/June

Christians Against PovertyCAP DEBT CENTRE

Launching May 2014

Providing world class debt counselling for people in unsustainable debt

CAP MONEY COURSE

Launching May 2014

Providing financial education to help people avoid debt in the first place

Come and find out more at the Launch Event on

Monday 19th May at 7pm

Covering Rhymney Valley by partnering with other churches

Afternoon congregation

Informal worship

Training and practicing the charismatic gifts

Monthly Cafe service

In Church Hall - low barriers

Learning to be church for people who don't normally like church.

Music and Arts Youth Project

Formerly known as Gigabites

Now based downstairs in Church Hall

Part time Youth Worker

Encouraging start made

Revive Team from Cardiff to build on links with more explicitly Christian content

PublicityWe have new logos for the three churches

We need new noticeboards in Deri and Bargoed and a new “shop front for St David’s”

Idea: Large, town-facing Noticeboard for church hall

Other plansAlpha courses

Back to Church Sunday?

Messy Church

Continued outreach and healing on the streets

PCC away day - Audit with PCC of every aspect of church life to assess contribution to our mission and plan necessary changes

WHERE I'D LIKE US TO BE IN 5 YEARS TIME

My 5 year dream...St Gwladys’ a thriving, lively, growing church made up of all ages. Full of joy and the power of the Spirit. A really safe, welcoming and family friendly atmosphere where children are allowed to be children and each one is accepted and appreciated for who they are and challenged to grow as disciples of Jesus. Passionate worship and relevant, challenging Bible teaching. Recognisably Anglican in feel. Deep Christian relationships of prayer and accountability with each other. People living out lives of intentional mission in Bargoed. New people every week. Lives changed. Marriages/relationships transformed. Poverty being overcome. A caring and healing community. Lay gifts prominently used in every aspect of church life.

My 5 year dream cont...

Mission teams from St G’s reinforcing churches in Deri and Brithdir and equipping/releasing them into mission.

AN INVITATION

An invitation...This is where a growing number of us feel God is leading us to go & so this is where we're going

We hope you'll feel excited enough to want to join us on this journey and help us to get there!

This is a big vision. We need everyone's gifts. Your parish needs you!