Churchwardens’ Training Day 2015 Sheffield Diocesan Advisory Committee

TIME FOR CHANGE The current climate Report of the National Church Buildings review group Understand your building AND parish QI Architects and Surveyors Simplification of the faculty process Help

National Picture Between 1970 and 2010, the average number of people attending church fell from 96 to 59 per building. One child in 10 is baptised an Anglican. Nearly half the congregations in England have fewer than five members under 16. The average age of congregations is 62 National median weekly attendance per church is currently 60 with wide variations Through retirement the number of clergy will continue to decline More benefices will be created

2009 Opinion Research Business Survey 85% of the population visited a church or place of worship every year. 35% of the population attend a Christmas service 20% of the population attend a Sunday or midweek service during the year 65% of the population consider themselves as Christian Churchgoers contribute 23.2 MILLION hours each MONTH to their local community

Church buildings are a visible expression of the Christian faith They are hard-wired into the landscape Even those who rarely attend consider them part of their identity They hold the collective history of their area They play significant parts in the lives of those around them They are not museums They are a visible sign of ongoing Christian faith in their communities and an unparalleled part of our nation’s heritage.

Many churches are in the wrong area Many have slept for too long Every buildings cost around £10,000 p. a. to maintain More churches will need to close A listed building can still close Parishes have to learn to collaborate and be open to change A ‘can do’ not ‘why us’ culture needs to evolve

Church distribution in the Diocese of Sheffield

The Diocese of Sheffield: Covers an area of 580 square miles Has a population of 1.25 million Has 214 churches In an ideal world this means there are 5869 potential congregants for every church Average age of congregants = figures show the usual Sunday attendance per church ranged from 5 to 981 The median usual Sunday attendance = churches have fewer than 30 regular congregants 23 churches have over 100 regular congregants 60% of congregations have fewer than five members under 16.

National Church Buildings Review Group National Picture 15,700 churches 54% of churches are Grade I or II* 57% in rural areas 17% of the national population live in rural areas 70% of Grade I & II* churches are in rural areas 5.2% are on the At Risk Register 214 churches 31% of churches are Grade I or II* 26% in rural areas 8% of the Diocese of Sheffield’s population live in rural areas 33% of Grade I & II* churches are in rural areas 5.6% are on the At Risk Register Diocese of Sheffield

Rural 8% of the population 26% of the church buildings Good community support Fewer people to get involved Opportunity to become multi- purpose local hubs Urban 92% of the population 33% suburban churches 41% city/town churches More people to draw upon Serving complex communities

There is no universal magic bullet that will make a church grow The key is to fully understand your parish and to want to grow

Where to start? Talk: To your PCC Congregation Neighbours Wider parish Other local groups Architect DAC Sources of information: DAC ChurchCare website DAC Website Arthur Rank Centre Church Urban Fund Church House Library Other churches Architect

MAKE YOUR UNIQUE VOICE HEARD

Feasible: The need to carry out your proposals can be clearly demonstrated You can show who will make use of them It can be seen how they will enhance existing activities and enable new ones to take place It is not overly-ambitious Changes are premised upon growth and not the management of decline

Achievable: The scheme is affordable and realistic both to build and to manage in the long-term. Full use is made of the existing building with extensions and additions considered only in extreme cases of demonstrable need The benefits of the scheme are evident to a wide range of users If necessary, the scheme can be divided into manageable phases each of which offer a sense of achievement and contribute to the greater scheme.

Sustainable: A broad sector of the local community has ‘bought into’ the development and is willing to offer support. Do the new facilities add to or help reduce running costs? Will new facilities be environmentally friendly, accessible, cost efficient, sustainable? Do they extend the opening hours of the church? Who will be responsible for the running, maintenance and management of any new facilities? For example, meeting room(s) built for income generation may require a booking system, accessible key-holder, risk assessment, security, insurance and janitorial support. Is income needed to maintain and operate the facilities?

Example outcomes for heritage: Heritage is better managed Fabric is in better condition The building can be used more often by more people Outcomes for people: Developing skills Learning about heritage Better access and understanding of their shared heritage Outcomes for communities: More people engage with heritage The creation of accessible and usable spaces Outcomes for mission: More groups can use the building Greater variety of formal and informal services which could not succeed with existing facilities. Outcomes v Output

Speak to your Architect Ensure you have a good working relationship with your QI inspector Make sure they are suitably qualified to work on your building – it will affect your ability to apply for grants if not Take their advice: Specifications for repairs Grant applications Statements of Significance Take time to explain mission action plan and how you want them to help The Listed Places of Worship (LPOW) scheme will allow your QI inspector to work on projects for which you apply to them for funding providing you can show evidence that in the last five years you interviewed at least three architects or surveyors before making an appointment. HLF Applications require a tendering process to appoint a suitably qualified architect for your project. Best practice requires that you interview at least 3 candidates.

ROLE OF THE DAC To ensure church buildings are maintained to the best possible standard To inspire parishes to make strategic and sustainable changes to their buildings To encourage congregations to explore new ways of engaging with local communities To help churches become a welcoming, stimulating and hospitable heart for their parishes seven days a week. To help churches discover, celebrate and share the heritage of their building and parish for mutual benefit.

Aims of the DAC for ALL churches

SIMPLIFICATION OF THE FACULTY PROCESS List A Greater range of minor works possible without the need for a faculty List B A range of moderate works to be granted written permission following consultation with the Archdeacons and DAC List C All other works will require a faculty

Outline of new faculty process

Changes to the faculty system 2016 More works carried out more quickly Consultation period will be quicker One logbook entry to complete Why keep a Log? Provides a log entry for your records in the church and with the DAC Provides an audit trail if you receive a complaint or if anything goes wrong Avoids minor errors causing big problems Provides feedback to see if the new system works and how it can be developed

ALLCHURCHES TRUST LIMITED DAC: Working with organisations to support local churches