Church Life

11. Other Resources

The Church Growth Trust

This organisation offers various sorts of help to independent churches & chapels. Some of this help is related to the use & management of buildings or land, and a number of downloadable briefing papers are available. They also offer support & training for trustees. See www.churchgrowth.org.uk, and especially www.churchgrowth.org.uk/index.php?linkarea=Resources&id=77

Ecclesiological Society

Promotes the study of church architecture, furnishings and liturgy www.ecclsoc.org

Chapels Society

Promotes interest in the architectural and historical importance of nonconformist places of worship and their associated structures www.britarch.ac.uk/chapelsoc

Jewish Heritage UK

Dedicated to caring for the historic buildings, sites and collections of Britain’s Jewish Community.  www.jewish-heritage-uk.org

Islam in British Stone promotes Britain’s most significant Muslim heritage sites and greatest Islamic influenced buildings. It brings together history, art, design, architecture and religion.

http://www.islaminbritishstone.co.uk/

National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS). NADFAS Church Recorders are volunteers who make comprehensive records of the contents of churches. www.nadfas.org

The Cathedrals & Church Buildings Library is located at Church House, Westminster.

The Library houses books and other material dedicated solely to ecclesiastical architecture, art, design and liturgy and is a unique research tool for readers interested in those areas. As well as over 13,000 books, the collection includes detailed files on 16,000 parish churches, many containing guidebooks, postcards and photographs; copies of the records of the contents of over 1,500 individual churches compiled by the NADFAS Church Recorders; and extensive photographic collections. To find more and how to access this collection go to:- www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/content/ccblibrary

Further Reading

Country Way magazine

Country Way is a magazine that includes numerous examples of good practice from churches & communities across rural Britain, and often highlights useful resources and ideas. Produced by the Arthur Rank Centre, it comes out three times per year; subscriptions (currently £15 per annum) can be obtained online at Country Way magazine – where you can also get free access to back numbers online.

Here is all the additional information about the books mentioned in the pages previously. (The information is current as of February 2014.)

Churches for Communities: adapting Oxfordshire’s churches for wider use by Becky Payne

“We are currently seeing the greatest alterations to our churches since the late nineteenth century.” The Rt Revd Colin Fletcher, Bishop of Dorchester

This book documents the changes taking place in churches and chapels across England by focusing on twenty-five places of worship in the towns and villages of Oxfordshire and telling the stories of those groups, largely of volunteers, who have given their time and energy to raise millions of pounds and work through the challenges involved in adapting an historic place of worship. All the projects arose out of a genuine wish to meet modern worship needs along with a wish to open up the building for wider community use. Between them they represent a range of solutions – from major reorderings to the installation of a toilet and small servery, from extensions to fitting the new facilities within the base of the west end tower.. Even though each project developed out of particular sets of needs and circumstances, many experienced similar challenges.
Making changes to a worship space is a sensitive task as it can challenge many peoples’ expectations of what a church should look like. A balance has to be struck between working with the historic fabric of the building, retaining sacred space while at the same time creating a space that is welcoming to those who may not share the faith of those who worship there.
Any place of worship embarking on a similar project will derive inspiration and benefit from the achievements and experiences described here. It will also be of interest to those who oversee these changes such as DACs (and their equivalents in other denominations), Conservation Officers, Amenity Societies as it will provide insight into the very real challenges faced by those looking after and making our places of worship fit for the 21st century.
Published by the Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust and all proceeds go to the work of the Trust. 136 pages, 150 colour illustrations

ISBN-13: 9780992769307
Publisher: Oxford Historic Churches Trust (from whom it is also available) & www.centralbooks.com
Published: January 2014
Format: Paperback
RRP: £15

Fund Raising for Churches by Jane Grieve

Aimed at all churches from those in the smallest villages to the large secular organisations, this text takes the methods of modern fundraisers and adapts them specifically for Christian churches

ISBN-13: 9780281050581; ISBN-10: 0281050589
Publisher: SPCK Publishing
Published: 25/03/1999
Format: Paperback
RRP: £12.99

UK Church Fundraising Handbook: A Practical Manual and Directory of Sources by Maggie Durran. This is a practical, comprehensive and information-packed manual for all churches facing the challenges of maintaining buildings, rising costs and dwindling congregations while wanting to be generous to others in need. It offers a complete step-by-step guide to: giving your church a ‘financial makeover’, growing its resources, maximising the regular giving of the congregation through Gift Aid, putting the ‘fun’ into fundraising, special appeals and legacy campaigns, applying for heritage, Lottery, government or EU funding, building fruitful relationships with local businesses, trusts and foundations, and fundraising for repairs and for new mission projects. The final chapter is all about celebrating hard-earned success! It also includes real-life examples and case studies, plus templates for budget planning, preparing a business plan, producing brochures and all other practical necessities.

ISBN-13: 9781848250024; ISBN-10: 1848250029
Publisher: Canterbury Press Norwich
Published: 30/04/2010
Format: Paperback
RRP: £19.99

Grow Your Church’s Income: A guide to securing long-term financial health by Maggie Durran

This is a simple, practical guide to making your church’s resources go as far as they possibly can in the short, medium and long term. In non-technical language this provides a basic guide to: managing money and budgets, controlling your expenditure, ways of increasing income, from stewardship to social events, how to address falling numbers and falling income, identifying ways to raise income from outside sources, getting the best prices for utilities and other services, group purchasing schemes etc. Illustrated with real examples from churches of all sizes and in all states of financial health, here is an indispensable guide.

ISBN-13: 9781848250390; ISBN-10: 1848250398
Publisher: Canterbury Press Norwich
Published: 31/08/2011
Format: Paperback
RRP: £12.99

Friends’ Scheme” for a Parish Church by Susan Rennison

ISBN-13: 9780902765092; ISBN-10: 0902765094
Published: 01/03/1994
Format: Paperback
RRP: £6.00

Available from Church House Bookshop

Making Church Buildings Work by Maggie Durran

This offers ways in which churches can be a more effective local presence and serve their neighbours’ needs.

ISBN-13: 9781853115974
ISBN-10: 1853115975
Publisher: Canterbury Press Norwich
Published: 01/10/2004
Format: Paperback
RRP: £14.99

A Little History of the English Country Church by Roy Strong

Described as a “richly illustrated elegy, and a plea for the preservation of the country church”, this book tells the dramatic story of the English parish church, from the first temporary buildings erected in Anglo-Saxon times to its uncertain future in the twenty-first century. The author entertainingly and anecdotally relates the dramatic ebb and flow of the English parish church, through its various epochs and vicissitudes. It describes how over the last few decades, however, the building itself has come under threat and Roy Strong concludes that, in order to survive, the country church will need to find a new role within a changed countryside.

ISBN-10: 0224075225; ISBN-13: 978-0224075220
Format: Hardcover and Paperback:
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Published First edition 6/9/2007
Various editions available through Amazon – prices vary

The Gate of Heaven: how church buildings speak of God by Nigel Walter

An important, brief reflection on the contribution of the church building to the mission of the church within a community, and the role of the church building within that community. Including a plethora of case studies. (With many more, and much further detail on the accompanying website.) This is the single most relevant & readable apology for the contemporary importance of church buildings available – focusing on their usefulness & potential. Essential reading for all rural church councils & leaders..

ISSN: 0262-799X
Publisher: Grove Books
Published: 2011
Format: Booklet
RRP: £3.95