Story two: Moving into a village hall leads to growth

A Circuit Steward shares their story of how moving from a church building into a village hall has helped their church shape themselves as a missional community.

I have spent most of my life associated with small rural churches.  I have seen so many disappear and I am passionate about doing all I can to slow the decline. 

I was serving as a Circuit Steward when Trinity Methodist Church were faced with the need to close their building because they could no longer afford to maintain it.  The leadership team granted them funds to continue to meet for worship and outreach in rented premises.  I believe that the Circuit thought the life expectancy for the arrangement to be three to five years but twelve or more years on, Trinity is still part of the circuit.

Nearly six years ago I moved house and transferred to Wesley Methodist Church. It was clear to me that we could no longer afford the increasing cost of maintenance and would be forced to close the building, so I suggested the Trinity model might be a possible option.  It was a difficult decision for the members here but they agreed to try it.  We have now been worshipping in a comfortable room in our village hall for over a year and we are able to rent space elsewhere in the village hall complex to continue "Cake & Co" as our main outreach activity. Since moving to the village hall, Wesley Methodist Church has gained three new attendees.

I am well aware that all churches are different and one solution does not fit all.  Nevertheless, I am sure that what we have done in Trinity and Wesley, and indeed in other villages, could provide a lifeline for churches facing similar problems.

This story is true and is told as far as possible in the words of the person who shared it. The story has simply been anonymised by using generic names and locations.