C1: How to work together in your county, town or village

Biblical/Practical Intro

Luke 10:1-9 Jesus sent out the 72 to different towns and villages with a shared strategy.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. Luke 10:1 NIVUK

At a glance

If you have a vision for new housing in your area, aim to bring together people from all the churches to develop a county/town/village-wide strategy in order to make a greater impact.
Find out where and how many new houses are coming to your area.
Facilitate networking and training.
Connect with others who have a heart or calling to this ministry.
Work with established structures and pioneers – lay and ordained.
Pray!

Key Points

The New Housing Hub and Churches Together in All Lincolnshire (CTAL) have been working together since early 2018 to share learning and see how the vision to love every new housing area might be realised in Lincolnshire. John Rose from CTAL, Pete Atkins pioneer practitioner and facilitator, and Richard Steel, Mission Team Leader for Lincolnshire Diocese, shared their reflections on how churches of all denominations, both pioneers and members of more established churches, might work together alongside local councils and other stakeholders to make a difference within new housing areas. It was fascinating to note that whether we were talking about pioneers, established church structures or the council, a key principle kept emerging about the importance of gathering the right people together to make a difference.

Pete noted the importance of identifying people who feel they have a calling and heart for this work rather than bringing people together based on their role. He stated, ‘We need people with a heart and a call rather than a job.’ This was echoed by Richard who noted that the diocesan new housing group was working because it contained people on the ground, people who were enthusiastic about being engaged with new housing. Gathering the right people strategically and spiritually within and across denominations and networks is key to making a significant impact. It is clear that John is one such person who, in an ecumenical role, is helping to facilitate a strategic response to new housing in Lincolnshire.

John’s Story

John wanted to encourage the churches in Lincolnshire to work together to missionally engage with all the new housing throughout the county. He began by finding out where all the new houses were to be built. The local plan was his starting point. These can be accessed and are available via the local authority. They are in the public domain and local residents are entitled to see them. However, John noted that not all councils are keen to share the information and therefore some do charge. Some plans are early and aspirational, but they give a clear indication of the direction of travel of the local authority. John invested a considerable amount of time, along with a willing helper, in researching all of the plans for new housing throughout the county, from the large estates of over 11,000 down to a single house, seeing the work as an opportunity, not a burden. Armed with this hard data he was able to share the nature of the changing landscape with denominational leads and pioneers alike and begin to explore how the churches of all traditions could respond. He is seeking to encourage a church, network, denomination or pioneer to take responsibility for engaging missionally in every area of housing, however big or small.

John notes, ‘the information about where all the houses are planned needs to be kept up to date. Some time needs to be expended in the ongoing monitoring of council plans because they change with some rapidity. This can affect the ‘shape’ of new developments or the character – and character is important to assess the type of community that is intended. For example, in one of our large new developments, there is an ongoing process between the council and the developers to push the building of affordable homes right to the end of the 15-20 year project.’ Thus, during the formative years of the community, the housing will be expensive. ‘This has an impact on our strategy. By the time the affordable houses are built the essential character of the community will be fixed and the folks in affordable houses will be unwanted outsiders.’

Working across the denominational divides, John has been able to deliver several conferences and new housing events. Initially, he brought together county stakeholders and the New Housing Hub to raise awareness about the new housing, foster conversations and develop a vision, then to provide training and networking. John keeps abreast of planning and networks with council members and MPs. He is the voice of the churches to the councils which is helpful. (See How to work with councils and developers).

John and the different denominations and networks have worked well together to work out who is able to engage with different areas of new housing. Different denominations have responded to the new housing challenge and are working to ensure they play their part in the bigger picture. For example, the URC are planning to fund a pioneer that will work collaboratively with other churches and the Church of England has developed a new housing group. This consists of church leaders with a heart and calling to engage in this area of mission and ministry. They are bravely exploring new ways of looking at mission and how they can use their historic buildings creatively. John facilitated a New Housing Hub visit which included delivering a training session with people from different denominations and a conversation with an ecumenical group, who were developing an integrated approach to the new area of housing being built in their area.

It is noteworthy that John and Pete, who bring together pioneers from across the county in ecumenical gatherings, also work together. Pete has a vision to make a significant difference in rural areas (both in Lincolnshire and the wider country) and recognises the impact of new housing on villages. Pete believes that at least 100 new pioneers – of all kinds – are needed across the county. Pete is equipping pioneers and John is researching the impact of pioneers, including how many new pioneers each denomination needs to release to cover the new areas. Both John and Pete noted the importance of prayer in connecting with the right people and developing the vision.

Having a person in a strategic role with a vision for new housing is key to building a county, town or village-wide strategy. Identifying the houses, engaging ecumenically, working with denominational leaders and structures as well as pioneers, and facilitating networking and training are useful steps. If around the country churches, denominations, or networks agree on who will take responsibility for each area of new housing, the vision to share God’s love with every new community may become a reality.

Learning Points

It is difficult to develop a dynamic strategy if the people with the paid roles do not have the capacity to engage in this area. Connect those with a calling and vision and offer feedback to those who do not have the capacity. Many will be grateful for the added input.