God-given growth to a vital ministry Since Church Growth Trust (CGT) was launched as a separate ministry from Stewardship in 2010, it has seen extraordinary growth, which can only be attributed to the blessing of God. Continuing Stewardship’s original ministry of holding independent evangelical church properties for these to continue in Gospel use for the future, CGT has seen the number of properties within its care increase from 50 to 120. This looks set to continue to grow, as Giles Arnold, CGT’s Chief Executive, says, “There is a great need with the independent evangelical churches for our services, as many are struggling to find trustees and expert advice. A number of churches, partly due to the pandemic, have decided to close or are concerned that they may have to in the near future. They are wanting their buildings to be secured for the future. This is where CGT comes in, by providing a service to ensure these church properties are kept in Gospel use, by finding new evangelical churches to rent them. The Lord has enabled us to do so with many buildings around the country. We also help the occupying churches to keep their properties in good condition, compliant with legislation and suitable for modern church use.” 10
In recent years the Fellowship Property Trust (FIEC’s trusteeship services) have decided to close and many of their churches are asking CGT to hold their properties. Other trustees across the country are doing the same. To cope with the increasing number of properties and the enhanced services that CGT offers to churches, new staff have been taken on over the years. From a part-time General Manager and part-time Administrator in 2010, CGT now has seven members of staff, four of whom are full-time, and it is taking on a new Building Surveyor to help churches with their condition surveys. The growth has also enabled the role of General Manager to be divided between different people, so Giles Arnold, who started as General Manager and is now the Chief Executive, is no longer having to manage all CGT’s properties or run the operations of the charity. This will allow for him to change to a part-time role from the autumn of 2023, as he will be moving to Dorset to care for his parents. He will continue to act as Chief Executive and meet with trustees of church properties where they would like CGT to be involved. Neil Walker, CGT’s Chairman states, “We are delighted to support Giles in his move and are confident that the organisation is robust
