Foundations Magazine - Autumn 2023 edition

FOUNDATIONS

AUTUMN 2023

SUPPORTING

KINGDOM

BUILDING

THE “NEW NORMAL” Also in this issue: Renewed joy in communion and fellowship

International Brethren Conference on Mission 8

Faith in action

FOUNDATIONS

Welcome

SUPPORTING

KINGDOM

BUILDING

Each person brings a different perspective on life as we all have unique experiences and ways of seeing things. This can be challenging, partly because someone else may not be able to understand what we mean and partly because we feel that our plans are being frustrated.

But seeing, listening to and embracing other people’s views can be refreshing and helpful. I have found this with my work at Church Growth Trust, as my colleagues have different characters and perspectives from me. Rather than be annoyed that they are not agreeing with me, the Lord is teaching me that I need to widen my vision, to see what He is saying through these different views. It enriches the discussions and enables us to plan better.

The same is true with any church. Ephesians 3:10 tells us that “through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places”. This is humbling to think that every member of the Body of Christ has a unique perspective on the multi-faceted wisdom of God. This surely teaches us to be prepared to listen and submit to others. To be willing to learn from each person about our awesome and unfathomable God. It is no excuse for accepting bad theology or watering down the Gospel, but it does allow God to show us more of Himself than we would be able to see on our own.

I have also found that having fellowship with others and sharing stories of what God is doing helps inspire new approaches to sharing the Gospel and “doing” church. This makes what we present to the world more accessible and enables us to evangelise and disciple people more effectively. We share some examples of this in our latest issue of Foundations that we hope will inspire and encourage you.

If you are challenged by the changes that you may have to face, please feel free to get in touch to see if we can help. We would like to hear about your story and walk with you into the next chapter, perhaps even being able to give you a different perspective on what the Lord has in mind for you.

Giles Arnold Chief Executive of Church Growth Trust Tel: 01536 647164 Mob: 07721 666 660 giles.arnold@churchgrowth.org.uk

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CONTENTS Article

Page

Renewed joy in communion and fellowship!

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International Brethren Conference on Mission 8

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Renovation revelations

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Faith in action

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God never changes but for us.......?

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Property news update

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Charity law update

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Church property tips

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A great open door

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Our latest news in brief

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Renewed joy in communion and fellowship!

How the ‘New Normal’ is affecting the UK’s independent evangelical churches Since the first lockdown hit the UK in late March 2020, the entire social and economic landscape has changed.

As high-profile politicians and those who steered the country through the crisis are questioned on the first stage of the UK Covid Public Inquiry, the phrase ‘resilience and preparedness’ recur constantly. The faith sector was significantly affected as church buildings were forced to close and online services became the new normal. Three years on, how have independent evangelical churches adapted? Ruth Leigh caught up with four church leaders to find out.

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Senior Leader at Christ Church Leamington, Neil Lee, took a very positive approach going

into lockdown. ‘We were already quite a tech-savvy church who live streamed events, but in lockdown, we started using television production software and Zoom. As soon as lockdown hit, our team live streamed the service and added lots of engaging features such as remote participation. This increased our online attendance and allowed our congregation to watch it again on YouTube.

Our principle as a church was that we would do whatever we could to keep meeting in person if it were within the official guidance.

When the regulations stated that people were allowed to eat and drink without masks, we started offering hot breakfast before church which our congregation loved.’

Many churches experienced a drop in numbers during lockdown, but at Christ Church Leamington, the opposite has happened.

‘In March 2020, our average congregation was 59. When we went online, numbers rose.

Since we came back, our average Sunday attendance is 107 and some Sundays our building feels very full with more than 130 in attendance.

‘Like many churches, we lost some of the people who only came along out of habit, but with our continuing strong focus on commitment and involvement, we have attracted new members.

When the rules stated that only six people in a bubble could meet, we reduced the size of our small groups to six which meant we needed to double the number of small group leaders. This led to real, strong, organic growth. It equipped us for what was to come post-lockdown.’

Christ Church Leamington (shown in the image at the start of the article) still live streams its Sunday services, but all church members are being encouraged to worship together in person. ‘We want everyone to come to church in person and not stay online wherever possible,’ says Neil. There have been many positive outcomes for the church

following lockdown as they experience growth, meet for fellowship on a Sunday and increase their pastoral team to reach out into Leamington and beyond.

In Harrow, John Fenn, one of the Elders at Belmont Hall felt the impact of lockdown at once. ‘We made preparations for social distancing at church with individual communion cups, but very quickly, the government advised churches to close.

Fortunately, I’m a regular user of Teams so we were able to get our services online straight away.

‘We found that the more vulnerable members of our assembly took to the new routine as they could still attend church without the worry of picking up an infection. Of course, we

missed meeting together in person, but our congregation increased in size rather than decreased.’

Some churches struggled to engage with their members in the same way once online services became the norm, but this was not the case at Belmont. ‘If anything, we found ourselves growing as an assembly.

Belmont Hall Christian Youth Camp, 2022

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Now that we are fully open again, the new attendees from our online services are coming to church in person. Some now attend our Sunday morning ‘Breaking of Bread’ and one is very much seeking to understand the Bible for himself and to learn about the Gospel. He is not afraid to ask difficult questions which others are more reticent about.’

until later in the year. However, as a small independent evangelical church at the heart of a community where loneliness and isolation are endemic, they have been able to reach out to their neighbours with a variety of welcoming events in their building. Their service is not online, largely because their congregation needs to come together and enjoy face to face contact.

Like Neil Lee in Leamington, John believes that the Biblical way to meet is in person and Belmont does not stream their services online anymore. Their attendance numbers have returned to the pre-lockdown norm and they have restarted all their clubs and meetings.

Having upgraded their catering facilities and installing a new kitchen, the assembly is planning to provide midweek Gospel lunches. There have also been encouraging developments.

The church is growing steadily and Jordan estimates that around fifty percent of the people who walk through the doors are not yet Christians. ‘We see many of them four to five times a week at various events and that was always our vision. We want the Gospel and a welcoming building to be at the heart of our community.’

‘Our membership has increased slightly due to immigration from India, and Belmont is now a majority non-UK born assembly.

This means we reflect the demography of our local Harrow community and we are embracing this with great joy. We were able to restart our long-running Christian Youth Camp in 2022 after a two-year break and very much enjoyed our residential week of Gospelfocused teaching and outdoor education activities.

‘Lockdown was a challenge for us, as for all other UK churches, but we have come out of it stronger, with a sense of togetherness and we are even more determined to model God’s love in our community.’

In Stourbridge, Church in the Community Wollaston is pastored by Jordan Armstrong.

Although they received the keys for the church building on 1 January 2021, lockdown 6 restrictions stopped them from opening

Outreach work at Church in the Community Wollaston

Seventy miles northeast of Stourbridge, the multi-campus church Arena was significantly affected by lockdown, as Lead Pastor Kristian Thorpe explains.

‘We planted our Arena Church Nottingham in September 2019, leasing a building from Church Growth Trust. We sent out a team of 20 people who began to build a congregation, mainly composed of students and those revisiting their faith. When lockdown hit, all the students went home and we were left with only the original team that planted from

our main church. We quickly went online with our service, which was a new thing for us, and for the first few months, we had hundreds of people streaming the service.

After a little while, numbers dropped but we had built up a system of keeping in touch with the vulnerable members of our online congregation with weekly phone calls, food delivery teams and volunteers to pick up prescriptions. During this difficult time, we had to trust in God that our congregation would return.’

‘When we were online, it felt as though we had a vitamin deficiency. We missed the personal interaction and nothing could replace that, however creatively we thought outside the box to bring people together.

Now we’re back in church, the vitality has returned. Togetherness is what we were created for.’

Arena Nottingham’s main challenge came when lockdown was lifted. Of the original sending team, there were only eight left and they met regularly, praying and fasting and asking God to guide them.

‘The Lord answered our prayers. We are a missional church – we want to reach out to our neighbourhood and all those in it. We were contacted by a local building contractor who offered to build a bespoke shower system with toilets and bathrooms in our basement and to underwrite the entire cost.

We launched our ‘Shower Hour,’ opening our doors to the homeless community and those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. They come to us to wash, launder clothes, change into fresh ones and enjoy a hot meal. Soon we will be offering this service twice a week.

God worked a miracle!

‘Our congregation has grown to around 40 people every Sunday, mainly students. Our average age is 22.’

Like Belmont Harrow, Arena no longer live streams. They put out monthly online content which they share on YouTube for the elderly and unwell but otherwise encourage church attendance.

Vitality has returned to Arena Church, Nottingham

As UK independent evangelical churches return to their ‘new normal’, they are experiencing a renewed joy in communion and fellowship, feeling the awesome power of collective worship. Far from discouraging congregations, lockdown appears to have sparked a new appreciation for face-toface meetings and community while also inspiring church leaders to explore new ways of connecting and engaging with their congregations, both in person and online.

By Ruth Leigh Ruth is a freelance writer who works with a number of Christian charities.

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International Brethren Conference on Mission 8 Neil Summerton considers the success of this year’s conference From 19 to 24 June this year, International Brethren Churches and Mission (IBCM) Network organisation convened the eighth International Brethren Conference on Mission.

people from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania—people who would otherwise have been prevented from participating by high travel costs.

It was a stunningly successful event, bringing together some 1,200 participants from 104 countries. They included over 260 participants under the age of 35—the result of special efforts over the last four years by IBCM Network to create a network of youth ambassadors in many different countries.

The programme, main speakers, workshops, music, lighting, AV, and countless other aspects needed for such a massive conference were extraordinary. But it is the informal networking, learning, encouragement and inspiration between conference participants—what goes on in the ‘corridor’—that remains the most significant feature and benefit.

Thanks, too, to visionary funding from a limited number of countries and organisations, financial assistance was 8 available to allow participation by 400

The organisation of the conference was remarkable and a testament to the hard work and commitment of IBCM Network’s two permanent staff, working closely with the Malaysian local conference committee.

IBCM Network does more than organise a meeting for a week every four years. The

The original impulse to network national Brethren movements across the world goes back about 35 years. The Christian Brethren Research Fellowship convened small conferences of European Brethren in the 1980s. But it was a side meeting of Brethren representatives at the Lausanne 2 Conference in Manila in 1989, followed by an international seminar organised by Roy Coad (UK) and Carl Armerding (Canada) at Regent College Vancouver in 1990 which saw the need to network national Brethren movements worldwide.

Ramez Attalah (formerly IFES Regional Secretary for the Middle East and CEO of the Bible Society of Egypt) addresses IBCM8.

conferences have spawned similar regional conferences in Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and the Caribbean, among Spanishspeaking countries, and Portuguese-speaking countries. They and the global conference have strengthened bilateral networking between countries and encouraged networking between churches and assemblies within those countries. IBCM Network itself does not know all the consequences that it has catalysed in and for God’s work through the Brethren movement, and it will not be known until the Lord finally opens the books.

Neil Summerton at IBCM8 with Jabesmar Guimarães, a leader of the 750+ Brethren churches, Brazil.

There had long been international conferences of expatriate missionaries.

But, by the 1990s, they were withdrawing, or being excluded from many countries by civil war and governments. And of course, Brethren missiology saw that the missionary objective should be to establish freestanding, indigenously led churches in the host country.

But there was the danger that these linked developments would leave national groups of Brethren churches isolated, without links to other Christians in their own country or connections with Brethren elsewhere.

Frequently, new IBCM participants looked open-mouthed at the gathering, because they did not know that there were Brethren elsewhere, let alone in something like 160 countries in the world!

The result was the first IBCM conference in Singapore in 1993, and steady growth thereafter through conferences in Italy, Romania, Germany, France, and a further two in Rome.

The worldwide scale of the Brethren movement seems little known by those of Brethren background in the UK. Another initiative of IBCM Network is The Brethren Movement Worldwide: Key Information, an international handbook of the Open Brethren,

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published for each IBCM conference. It gives key information, including contacts in each country. It also provides a statistical overview, and data from over 140 countries indicates that on any Sunday over 40,000 Brethren congregations meet, gathering 3.5 million adults and children. And there are still 20 countries for which we do not yet have information.

This has been brought about through the astonishing missionary enterprise of the Brethren. The movement today illustrates the principle of ‘from everywhere to everywhere’.

Some national groups of Brethren churches are strong and vibrant, such as Chad, Angola, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Argentina. India alone has 4,250 churches, a further 6,500 additional preaching points, amounting to around 400,000 attendees. Other places such as Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Madagascar, and Mozambique have seen dynamic growth in two generations or less.

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Regrettably, the Brethren movement in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand which set all this in motion, has seen a significant decline. In 1959 the UK had a total of 1,750 churches, but today there are only 770, with 120 closing or leaving the movement in the last four years. This begs the question, will there be a Brethren movement in the UK in 15 or 20 years’ time? What is distressing from my point of view as a former General Secretary of IBCM is that there is so little interest in IBCM in the UK; that there is such lack of interest in the worldwide Brethren movement; and such unwillingness to learn from others. We still tend to assume that we are the teachers. For example, In Australia and New Zealand steps have been taken to improve support for churches and the decline is being reversed there. In Germany, amazing resources of money and people are being

deployed to reverse decline and encourage growth. In Germany, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland the groups of churches that have recently developed from the Kelly-LoweContinental exclusive Brethren are seeing life and growth, alongside dynamic church planting.

I fear that, in the UK, our national spirit of ‘not invented here’/’nothing to learn from others’ will very soon ensure the death of a body of Bible-believing churches that gave birth to the astonishing works of God briefly described in this article. But it is not too late, it never is, to ‘repent and do the first works’.

The Brethren Movement Worldwide: Key Information, Sixth Edition For the electronic version of the latest edition of The Brethren Movement Worldwide: Key Information, go to www.ibcm.net/brethren-movement-worldwide and click the link to the electronic flipbook.

(I acknowledge the help of the Chairman of Church Growth Trust in producing this flipbook version). A paper version will be available in the autumn.

By Dr Neil Summerton CB Neil was as a British government official for 30 years as well as a local church leader. In the past 25 years, he has focussed on serving God in a variety of ways, including as General Secretary of IBCM from 2000 to 2019. His biographical study of the life and work of George Müller was published earlier in the year. Order from www.brethrenhistory.org

Renovation revelations The West Shore Baptist Church and Latchett Hall projects In this article, we delve into the stories of two church building projects that have been instrumental in preserving legacies.

Our journey takes us to the picturesque town of Llandudno, where West Shore Baptist Church grappled with a failing gable wall, prompting major structural work, and to Woodford Green, where The Maybank Building at Latchett Hall underwent vital underpinning.

Back in 2012, Church Growth Trust (CGT) was gifted a church building in Llandudno.

Originally it was known as Bethesda Chapel, but changed its name many years ago to West Shore Baptist Church. The building includes the original stone chapel, which has a doubleheight worship space, with single storey extensions to the front and side.

More recently, cracks were appearing within the render high up on the front gable wall of the stone chapel, where it rises above the single storey flat roofed extension to the front. As the cracks were getting worse, CGT engaged a structural engineer to investigate.

He worked with a local contractor, who opened a hatch to access the loft space and removed sections of the finish to the gable wall to get sight of the problem.

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The investigation revealed that a steel beam buried within the existing gable wall construction at high level had delaminated and expanded significantly beyond its original size.

Likely to be caused by exposure to moisture, the enlarged beam was crushing the brickwork around it, and cracking the render.

Leaving this existing beam in place was not an option given its condition and the destabilising effect it was having on the wall around it. However, the removal of this beam could not be conducted in isolation, as the two beams at a lower level, were insufficient to support the weight of the gable wall.

Removal of the affected beam at West Shore Baptist Church

The structural engineer produced a design to add two new strengthening beams to the underside of the existing beams at the opening into the main worship space. These were temporarily propped whilst new pad stone supports were created for the new beams at either side of the opening. With the new beams supporting the weight of the gable masonry wall above, the defective steel beam was removed in small sections and replaced with blockwork. The old, cracked render was also removed and a new finish applied and repainted.

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Whilst much of the works were covered up and therefore unseen, they were critical to the stability of the external walls of the building. The contractor did an excellent job, and upon completion of the structural works and was retained to redecorate the main worship area.

West Shore Baptist Church - the end result

John Duffield, CGT’s Property Manager, who alongside CGT’s Architect Jonny Heaney, has worked closely with the occupying church to ensure the work was done in the most effective and affordable way and to cause minimal disruption to the church. He said, “We hope and pray that these essential repair works carried out to the building will secure its use as a place of worship into the future and will continue to provide the church with a secure base in which to focus on their Gospel outreach work within their local community”.

The Maybank Building at Latchett Hall, Woodford Green over many years had been subject to subsidence, which had come to light again recently through visible cracking in the walls. Church Growth Trust (CGT) worked alongside a consulting structural engineer to determine the cause of the issues and possible remediations.

A ground investigation was carried out which included the digging of trial holes to check on the make-up of the existing ground, and the foundations were exposed to check their depth and dimensions.

The existing foundations were shallow, with notable voids within the surrounding ground. The mature trees in the vicinity of the Maybank Building meant shrinkage was likely to be a contributing factor. Shrinkage occurs when nearby tree roots extract moisture from the ground during the warm, dry summer months. The reduction in water in the ground causes the clay to shrink and, in turn, causes the foundations to shift.

Work on these mature trees including the lopping and reduction of branches and removal of existing tree stumps, was a vital part of the remedial solution. This work required an application to the Local Planning Authority given that the trees had Tree Protection Orders.

Underpinning was then required to prevent the voids underneath the foundations from causing slippage and further cracking to the walls. There were options to carry out the underpinning via either traditional mass concrete infill (in essence to excavate under the foundations and pump in a depth of concrete to support them from below) or via geopolymer injection.

To keep costs down and minimise disruption to the church, it was decided that rather than opting for traditional concrete infill, CGT would carry out the underpinning via geopolymer injection. The first step was to check the condition of the existing drains followed by an underground trace to check the area was clear of underground services.

Holes were then drilled into the ground with several thin tubes fed into them. The geopolymer material was then pumped in, filling the voids, and stabilising the ground below.

CGT is delighted to say that the works were all completed in a tidy, timely fashion and within budget. Jonny Heaney, CGT’s Architect, who supervised the work, stated, “We hope and pray these works will ensure the stability of the foundations of the Maybank Building, allowing the church to focus on their future ministry and outreach work”.

If you have specific enquiries relating to your church property or think CGT can help you with a building project, please contact our Architect.

Jonny Heaney t: 01536 6471462 m: 07729 082 501 jonny.heaney@churchgrowth.org.uk

Underpinning works at Woodford Green

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Faith in action Dave Symons shares examples of church and community connections in Devon The power of personal invitation John 1:41,42 says, ‘The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.’

A few months ago, just before the Sunday morning service had started, I was looking around at our home congregation in Bideford, (Central Church, a church plant from Grosvenor Church in Barnstaple) and it struck me just how much God has been at work. I noticed that two of those playing in the worship group, the young lady in charge of the projector and the young man setting up the video camera, had all been baptised since the church was planted back in 2018. All four are aged 20-35. All four had been raised with some Christian input in their lives but 14 had drifted away through their teenage years.

All four had then been invited back to church by a friend or family member and all four had not only come back to the Lord but were now active members of the church.

Since then, these young people have in turn invited others, and two other family members from two of those mentioned and two others from their friendship groups have also subsequently come to faith over the past few years.

It has been so encouraging to see young people coming to faith, being baptised and then reaching out to their friends and family, just as Andrew (and Philip) did in John 1.

What power there is in personal witnessing, personal prayer and a personal invitation.

Who, I wonder, has the Lord placed around us, who He may be calling us to pray for, witness to and invite along to an outreach event or course?

Community tea in Bratton Fleming

New innovations

In contrast, the predominately older congregation in the small North Devon village of Bratton Fleming have also been actively reaching out to their community through a monthly community tea service. I have had the privilege over the past few years of speaking at this service several times and it has been wonderful to see how the Lord has used this outreach.

Our third example of church growth comes from another small rural congregation - West Down Evangelical Chapel, Mid Devon. Just after the pandemic, the congregation had fallen to single figures and was struggling to keep the chapel open. However, through innovative ways of doing church (online sermons via YouTube and alterations to the Sunday service format), the chapel not only kept going but started to grow. Three years on and the little congregation has more than doubled in size, to more than 20. Last year they also had the privilege of seeing two of the new attendees baptised.

How encouraging to see such growth even in a small rural congregation, despite the challenging times we have all faced over recent years.

The informal service sees people welcomed into the chapel where tables are laid out with tea/coffee and cakes. After waiting a few minutes where people settle down and chat, the meeting begins with a few hymns or choruses. Each one is chosen by a member of the chapel and is preceded by a short testimony explaining why this song is special to them. In this way, the meaning of the song is considered before it is sung. After a few songs, a short 10–15-minute message is given from God’s word.

This has encouraged many to come along from the village who had not previously attended a service. Some of them have gone on to attend an Alpha Course or evening Bible studies. Others have begun attending Sunday morning services. This has greatly encouraged the previously small congregation who now regularly see the chapel comfortably full on Sundays with several non-believers often present.

By David Symons David is a Counties’ evangelist, who works with churches in North and Mid Devon to reach people with the Gospel and to encourage Christians in the region to share their faith. He also works with young people through united youth events, Bible study groups, and the Christian Union at Petroc College. He is one of the elders of Central Church Bideford, a church plant from Grosvenor Church in Barnstaple. He is married to Katie, and they have two daughters, Eloise and Annabel.

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God never changes but for us.......?

David Jones reflects on four decades of church and faith Back in the mid 1970s, I was asked by a school friend to go to the Young Peoples Fellowship (YPF) at Deva Chapel Prestatyn.

I never would have thought that over 40 years later I would still be at the now Deva Church, as an Elder, as opposed to one of the “young people”, but that is change for you.

We thank the Lord that He never changes (Hebrews 13:8), but sometimes we confuse the fact that God does not change with the reality that in our lives, change is a fact of life.

As I look back over my years at Deva, I can see how the Lord has changed me and the Fellowship.

The Deva I first joined met in a former Methodist “tin tabernacle” and our bible 16 group was held in a rear shed nicknamed

Original Trinity Methodist Church (Deva Chapel) “Tin Tabernacle”

Shiloh. The building was small, but the Fellowship was not. There were over 60 members regularly attending, with a Sunday school of an even larger size, ladies’ meetings, and of course, YPF. A summer holiday club was held with about 100 local children, many of whom were brought in on a double decker bus. God was blessing; we outgrew the tin tabernacle, moving to our current “community use” designed building in 1989.

Blessing continued with extra meetings and

using paid workers.

The Fellowship was sustained but attracting and retaining younger ones was eluding us and became an ongoing concern. Added to this, the number of people willing and/ or able to lead in the church became less and less, with more responsibility falling on fewer shoulders; societal changes in families, the virtual world; all followed by the Covid pandemic.

Current Deva Church building

new members, part of the change that was always there. I became directly involved in this change, as a Bible Class Leader, Deacon and then in 1999, as an Elder.

Meeting times were altered to suit family life; music and songs were updated; the community was invited in to use our building - toddler group; Tiger Group for 7 to 11s; YPF; keep fit group; knitting group; and so on. Blessing continued but so did change. Life circumstances altered for many, job moves; young ones moving away to study and not returning; some going into full time work; and the home calling of saints.

We could see the complexion of the Fellowship was changing and, most notably, becoming an older congregation. Yet we persevered to turn this around by altering arrangements for meetings, changing our leadership, outreach activities on special occasions and in-depth discussions about

So much so that in recent months, these changes have led us as a church to accept that we need more change, not less. We are currently conducting a Church Health Check, as part of the Church Revitalisation Project, of which CGT (that’s Church Growth Trust but could be “Change in God’s Time”) are part.

As I look back over the past decades, I can see how our unchanging God has blessed, but He has done so by bringing the right change, at the right time and in the right way. Or put another way, His change, in His time, in His way.

Today is far different than yesterday. That is just a fact of life. We cannot change the fact of life that change is a fact of life! What we can do, is look to our unchanging God to guide us into His change, in His time and in His way. As Ecclesiastes reminds us, “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

By David Jones Thanks to David Jones for writing this article. David is a former trustee of the Midland Evangelization Trust and an elder of Deva Church, Prestatyn.

Recent meeting at Deva Church

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Property news update Changes to Building Regulations relating to churches Significant changes to the Building Regulations were made in June 2022. The new regulations apply to all projects that started on or after 15 June 2023.

These include new increased standards of insulation and ventilation in all buildings. The latest updates could be considered an ‘interim uplift’ in the energy efficiency expected in buildings, ahead of stricter rules (namely the Future Homes Standard and Future Buildings Standard) being introduced in 2025.

Under the 2025 increased standards, new buildings must be capable of being ‘net zero’ in terms of operational carbon when the grid decarbonises.

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CGT has prepared a summary of the key changes that relate to churches and their buildings:

Reduced carbon emissions - New church buildings would need to produce at least 27% less carbon emissions as compared to the previous regulations. A new metric for measuring energy efficiency called ‘primary energy’ has been introduced. This metric will measure the efficiency of the building’s heating as well as the energy required to deliver fuel to the building.

New minimum fabric U-Value for walls - This is now set as 0.26 W/m2K and most windows and curtain walling must achieve 1.6 W/m2. K. This will apply to any new elements added to existing buildings.

Heating and hot water systems - New build and replacement heating systems for church buildings must have a maximum flow temperature of 55°C, and existing church buildings must improve the efficiency of heating and hot water systems through the

installation of new controls. CGT recommends that churches add these controls where possible as this will improve the efficiency of the hot water system and reduce energy bills.

vehicle charge points to be installed in a minimum of one fifth of the total number of remaining parking spaces.

Lighting - The minimum lighting efficacy in new church buildings has been raised to 80 luminaire lumens per circuit watt for display lighting and 95 for general lighting. Lighting efficacy relates to how much light output is derived from the energy input, so this change is about extracting more light output for less energy input.

Background trickle ventilators - These have been recommended for new or replacement windows for church buildings as nonmechanical means of introducing fresh outside air into habitable rooms.

CO2 monitors in offices - A requirement has been introduced for CO2 monitors in all offices to help improve internal air quality.

Electric vehicle charge points - New church buildings and those undergoing major renovation with more than 10 parking spaces after the major renovation is completed, must have one parking space with access to an electric vehicle charge point. There is also a requirement for cable routes for electric

Further reading For more information visit www.gov.uk and search for ‘homes to produce a third less carbon’.

If you have specific enquiries relating to your church property, please contact our Architect.

Jonny Heaney t: 01536 647162 m: 07729 082 501 jonny.heaney@churchgrowth.org.uk 19

Charity law update: Changes to the Charities Act Valuation Report The Charities Act 2022 resulted in various changes affecting charities and the management of their assets. These are being implemented over a two-year period. In the middle of June 2023 proposed changes to the Charities Act Valuation Report came into effect. Trustees who are thinking of selling land or property or granting a lease of more than seven years need to be aware of these changes.

In most cases where a charity is selling property or granting a longer lease, the trustees are required to obtain the best value for the sale/lease. This is the purpose of the Charities Act Valuation Report and there have been major changes to how this report is produced and what it says.

The first major change is that certain members of the National Association of Estate Agents and of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) are now able to provide the valuation in addition to chartered surveyors who are licenced valuers. This has increased the potential pool of valuers available. However, any valuer still needs to have the appropriate knowledge and experience of the type of property to be able to produce the valuation report.

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The second major change pertains to the contents of the valuation report. Prior to the recent revisions, these contents were mandated by the Charities (Qualified

Surveyors Report) Regulations 1992, which were narrow and prescriptive in nature.

They lacked provisions for exceptional circumstances, such as a sale to a special purchaser (e.g. a neighbour), cases where a charity lacked funds to carry out repairs, or to secure planning permission for a change of use that could enhance the sale price. The requirements of the Valuation Report are now simpler and more flexible, enabling the consideration of these matters.

The Charities Act expects that trustees will only employ a valuer with the correct experience and who understands the requirements of the Act itself, and that once the trustees have the Valuation Report they will follow the advice of the valuer. The Valuation Report will not only include the value of the property, but also clear advice on maximising its value and the best method of marketing it.

Further reading Church Growth Trust (CGT) has produced a briefing paper to explain the changes in more detail, including a list of items to consider when instructing a valuer.

You can view the paper on CGT’s website: www.churchgrowth.org.uk/briefing-papers-library/.

If you have any questions on Charities Act valuations, please feel free to email the team - enquiries@churchgrowth.org.uk.

Church property tips Areas of focus for autumn If you are responsible for a church building, here are a few things to consider as winter approaches.

Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) It is important to do all you can to reduce the risk of fire to keep people safe. It saves lives and it is your legal duty. A Fire Risk Assessment involves taking a careful look at your church premises and the people who use them, from a fire prevention perspective. It is about understanding the potential risk and then improving your fire safety precautions to keep people safe.

FRA is a legal requirement. Your local Fire and Rescue Service will visit the premises to check the FRA and fire prevention measures are appropriate. They help you understand the rules and how to comply with them. They can also take action if they think your fire safety measures are inadequate. Even if you already

have an FRA in place, it is worth reviewing it annually and whenever there is a change in the way you use your premises.

A suitably competent person within the church can complete an FRA with the help of government fire safety risk assessment guides. Go to www.gov.uk and search for “Fire safety risk assessment: small and medium places of assembly”.

This has the advantage of ensuring that you own and understand the precautions you need to take to protect people adequately.

But it is important to know your limits.

If you do not have the expertise or time to do the fire risk assessment yourself you need to appoint a ‘competent person’ to help (e.g. a professional risk assessor). In most cases, the company that maintains your fire extinguishers, alarms, or smoke detection systems should be able to help you. Alternatively, BAFE, the independent registration body for third party fire

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protection companies, has a list of registered suppliers on their website - www.bafe. my.salesforce-sites.com. Your local fire and rescue authority might be able to give you advice if you are not sure your risk assessment has been carried out properly.

However, they cannot carry out risk assessments for you.

Asbestos management plan

Church buildings are open to the public and this means that under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 you have a legal responsibility to identify and manage materials that may contain asbestos. These materials are not always obvious and, in some cases, can be hidden from view. Asbestos could be in Artex decorative coatings installed up to the mid1980s, in the vinyl asbestos floor tiles common in the 1950s and 60s; even in some plastic WC cisterns and the bituminous acoustic pads under stainless steel sinks!

In most cases, the asbestos is encapsulated by the material in which it was used as a filler or strengthener. This is usually seen as a minimal risk as long as it remains intact. But it is worth having it checked in case of future alterations.

Church organs may also contain asbestos soundproofing within the electric blower box, like the one shown below. These materials present a greater risk to health as the asbestos fibres can be sucked into the blower and through the organ pipes into the rest of the building. If you have not had this checked already you should appoint a qualified surveyor to investigate this for you.

soundproofing within the electric blower box of a 22 Asbestos church organ

See also the Health & Safety Executive’s “Asbestos Essential” task sheets for practical advice on dealing with the different types of asbestos: www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials

Annual gas safety check

It is also advisable to check whether the annual gas safety check is in date. The guidance in the Health and Safety Executive Approved Code of Practice advises that effective maintenance should include, as a minimum, the following: • Examination of the physical condition and safe functioning of appliances, installation pipework, ventilation and any flue, for deterioration; • Carrying out performance tests; • Taking remedial action as necessary.

All checks must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, a list of which can be found on www.gassaferegister.co.uk. Check that the engineer you choose is registered for non-domestic work, as church properties would fall into this category. Church Growth Trust would always recommend that gas safety checks are carried out on gas appliances, their flues and supply pipework every 12 months.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

Electrical installations and equipment may deteriorate over time or may have been damaged or not maintained correctly leading to the risk of electrical shocks, fires, or burns.

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) will establish the overall condition and safety of all the electrics in your church property and whether it is satisfactory for continued use. This should be carried out by a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) approved contractor - see www.niceic.com for a list of their approved contractors.

Check that the contractor you choose is approved to undertake work on non-domestic properties. The NICEIC recommends that

an EICR is carried out at least once every five years.

Gutters and water

Although it is a little early for frosts and cold snaps, it is worth checking for water leaks and the location of your stopcock. Now is also a good time to check that gutters are in good working order - securely fastened and not leaking, that there are no gaps, sagging, or twisted sections, cracks in downpipes or blockages in hoppers and gulleys. Removal of any debris will also prevent water overflow during the winter as this can quickly cause major damage to the structure of the property.

Property Book

When you are responsible for the practical side of running a church property, the organisation and accessibility of key documents can be a demanding task. To help with this, CGT has produced a free Property Book, an index with dividers of the key property matters that need to be kept up to date. All are designed to fit easily into a leverarch file. It serves as a centralised repository for all essential documents relating to your church property, including Gas Inspection Certificates, up-to-date Asbestos Management Plans, or your latest Fire Risk Assessment.

It is also vitally important in times of need as it ensures that anyone can swiftly access these critical documents from a central location during emergencies. It not only makes keeping paperwork in order less daunting but helps with safeguarding the wellbeing of your members and the preservation of your cherished place of worship.

If you have any questions or queries relating to the topics covered here, please contact our Property Administrator.

Elaine Roberts Bringing order through the Property Book at Brunswick Street Gospel Hall, Derby

t: 01536 647165 elaine.roberts@churchgrowth.org.uk

Useful resources CGT has created a suite of briefing papers to help support you with all the topics mentioned here.

Visit our briefing papers library:

www.churchgrowth.org.uk/briefing-papers-library

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A great open door Echoes International share a story from the Middle East about spreading the Gospel through social media

The identities of the authors, who serve in sensitive areas of the Middle East, have not been disclosed.

We usually hear on the news sad and troubling stories about the Middle East.

Yes, it is true, there are wars, there is oppression and there is a lot of tension.

However, we are very wrong if we think that this is the whole story – because it is not! There is something amazing going on in this part of the world. It is a work that reaches hundreds of thousands of people.

We are talking about proclaiming the message of the Bible through social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube.

‘Because a great door for effective work has opened to me’ (1 Corinthians 16:9).

Middle Eastern societies are very much centred around family ties, traditions, cultural values and of course, religion. It would be very difficult for an individual to start questioning shared values within their family or tribe. It is even more dangerous when you start to ask questions about religion. However, through the internet, people can see more of the outside world.

You can search the internet without anybody knowing what you are doing. So, people search for answers to the questions that they are not allowed to ask in their own circles. This much safer environment is full of opportunities for ministry via social media.

A way in the wilderness

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Four years ago, the Lord guided us to start a ministry to help people encounter the Bible and find the Lord Jesus Christ via Facebook.

We started by recording lessons about Christian faith, the Bible and the message of salvation and uploading them to our

Facebook page. From the time we started this ministry, the Lord has done many great things!

We grew from a few subscribers to more than 285,000 followers, with some videos viewed almost 100,000 times. People visit our Facebook page from many different countries and the vast majority of them are Muslims.

They have a lot of questions, often coming out of the false teachings they have learned about Christianity. We have a full-time worker and some helpers who are kept busy replying to all their questions. Please pray for our workers because they need a lot of wisdom to share the truth in a wise way. Many of our visitors ask for Bibles and we also send the New Testament to them electronically.

The Middle East is known for its dryness, but our God is sending streams of Living Water.

‘I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland’ (Isaiah 43:19). The Lord is indeed doing a wondrous work!

Changing hearts

A famous Middle East TV anchor recommended that all the schools teach the Sermon on the Mount because of the value of the ethics and morals of Jesus Christ! His comments during the show caused a lot of outrage and hatred; one extremist used his own TV show to publicly insult Jesus.

Quickly, this topic became a very heated discussion in the whole of the Middle East – 22 countries and 400 million people. The result was that millions of people searched the internet for the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ to find out what it was about. One of these individuals was a religious Islamic law scholar and teacher with a lot of knowledge about his religion. He decided to read the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ for himself and in doing so, God touched his heart. He was amazed and started crying. Then he went seeking for more

knowledge and found our Facebook page. He and his 16-year-old daughter listened to our lessons. The man had many questions about Christianity. After these were answered, he decided to become a Christian and his young daughter did the same. Then he told his wife and his two sons about their conversion. His sister was also attracted by the beauty of the Gospel. Nine of his family members have accepted the Lord as their Saviour. This man is now a consistent attendee of our Zoom meetings. Soon we will begin discipling and preparing him for ministry among his own people who live in darkness.

There are many more stories of how the Lord has changed the hearts of people through our social media presence. It is also a way to encourage and strengthen people in their walk with Jesus Christ, people who are often isolated and cannot talk about the good news with others. In this quiet work, the sowing is not always easy, sometimes it is done with weeping, but the Lord promised us we will return with rejoicing, bringing the sheaves with us (Psalm 126:6).

With thanks

CGT extends thanks to Echoes International for granting permission to republish their insightful article, originally featured in their International Mission Magazine in June 2023.

This collaborative spirit helps CGT to share valuable content with our readers, helping to foster a deeper understanding of international missions.

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Our latest news in brief Changes to Church Growth Trust’s Board of Trustees Church Growth Trust (CGT) is pleased to introduce its new trustee, Dan Leafe, to the Trustee team. Dan is a barrister known for his legal expertise and commitment to Dan Leafe community causes and has recently taken on an exciting new role as a trustee with Church Growth Trust.

Dan is married to Susie. They divide their time between Bristol, where Dan’s work is based, and Cornwall, where he is one of the leaders of the Anchor Church, Fowey. While excelling in his legal profession, Dan has over 30 years of experience in church leadership. He has always maintained a deep connection to his community which has led him to work amongst students, to train leaders, to preach and to support many church leaders in times of crisis.

Dan and Susie’s spare time is spent in all things Cornish - boats, beaches, food, football, and traditional singing. Most of all 26 though, Dan is a tennis fanatic.

As Giles Arnold CGT’s Chief Executive states, “Dan’s appointment adds a wealth of legal and strategic knowledge to CGT’s mission of supporting church growth and development.

We look forward to the valuable contribution Daniel will bring to the direction of CGT.” Although it is good to see new trustees, it is also sad to see others leave. Trevor James, who started as a trustee in 2013, has been such a blessing on the Board and some of its committees. He has an accountancy background and is on various government advisory groups; so, was able to bring that knowledge and wisdom to help keep CGT on a good financial footing and keep the Board progressing on key strategic issues. He acted as Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the Finance Committee. Giles Arnold again, “He will be hard to replace and his sense of humour and clear thinking will be greatly missed. We wish him well on his wellearned retirement.”

Trevor James

Become a CGT Trustee

CGT is looking for a committed Christian with an independent evangelical church background who has financial expertise that can help shape the future of the organisation.

The trustee Board at CGT has changed over the years, with several of the original trustees retiring and new trustees coming on board.

Recognising that a mixture of continuity and fresh blood is required with any Board, CGT is looking for new trustees who have a passion for its work.

Continuing to grow

Church Growth Trust is pleased to report that the Lord continues to grow the ministry, which has meant having to take on additional offices from its existing landlord. This is to accommodate the expanding staff team having originally taken on the existing office with five people, CGT now has nine!

If you have a heart for giving and are interested in the vacancy, please contact our Chief Executive: giles.arnold@churchgrowth.org.uk

CGT’s email news is changing

If you receive CGT’s email news, you may have noticed it has changed recently. To give you more choice over the information you receive, CGT has created a range of new email updates:

• Latest news - about legal & charity matters • Available church properties - that CGT is letting • Monthly tips - advice for managing your church building • Church stories - to encourage and inspire You can now choose which emails you would like to receive, by simply clicking on the ‘update your preferences’ link that can be found at the bottom of each email CGT sends to you.

To join CGT’s email list visit churchgrowth.org.uk/stay-informed and complete the short online form.

The CGT offices

This decision to move into the new space reflects CGT’s dedication to furthering its mission to secure church buildings for Gospel use and will enable the team to provide better services for the churches that it serves.

It is already being used for staff meetings, trustees’ meetings, quiet space, staff breakout time, and one-to-one meetings. If you are in the Rutland area, feel free to drop in to see our CGT’s new offices and meet the staff team!

Share your good news with us!

Church Growth Trust is always looking for good news to share. If you have an encouraging story about the ministry in your area or a building project you are working on, please contact our Communication Manager.

Sharon Short t: 01536 647506 sharon.short@churchgrowth.org.uk

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Counties are bringing out a new book on evangelism.

The book is called MAKING JESUS KNOWN TODAY AND TOMORROW - Spreading the Gospel in Twenty-First Century Britain The publication of this book also coincides with Counties 125th anniversary in 2024.

The book will be given to every delegate at Counties Connect conference this autumn,

Chief Executive: Giles Arnold Operations Director: Garryl Willis Property Manager: John Duffield Trustees: Neil Walker (Chair), Richard Canham, Richard Jones, Dan Leafe, Susanna Sanlon, Paul Withams.

27-29 October, and we would encourage you to sign up for this conference (and not just for the book).

More details for the Connect conference can be found, with how to book, at: www.countiesuk.org/connect23.

The cover price for the book has not been set yet, but we are sure it will be a worthwhile investment. Copies will be available from Counties.

Church Growth Trust is a charitable company which holds and accepts independent church properties (as owner or trustee); blesses churches which occupy its buildings by granting concessionary rents; helps these churches to keep their properties in good condition, compliant with legislation and suitable for modern church use, including helping to fund building projects; provides professional property and architectural services and guidance in church practice and governance, including encouraging churches to make best use of their properties, and supports church planting and revitalisation of independent churches.

The Barn 1 Manor Farm Barns, Baines Lane, Seaton, Oakham, LE15 9HP 01536 201339 enquiries@churchgrowth.org.uk www.churchgrowth.org.uk Charity number: 1138119