16 March 2018
Success story of church 'plants'
New churches 'planted' in new housing estates, or becoming theworshipping community for ethnic or student groups, are one of thebest success stories for Methodism currently. It is normal for new churches being planted across the country"to double in size in its first two to three years" according to anew Methodist Church booklet, 'Planting New Churches'. It followsthe 1999 Methodist Conference report 'Planting New Congregations'in highlighting these success stories. "The number of new members being added is enough to offer hopeto every church," says the booklet, written by the Church¹sEvangelism and Church Planting Officer, Graham Horsley. It featuresa study guide on the issues around founding a new congregation, aswell as featuring encouraging case studies "of what it means to bechurch in the 21st century". Among new churches whose stories are told is the Cafe Church inLondon's Raynes Park, the Upper Room in Liverpool that holds itsservices in a pub, and Cepen Park, based in a house in a newhousing estate in Wiltshire. Planting New Churches by Graham Horsley ( |