Delivering a presidential address to General Synod in 2021, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell reaffirmed the goal of the Church of England’s national vision and strategy. It was a strategy for growth, he said. “It is not about managing decline gracefully. We want the Church of England to grow and even if it doesn’t – then let our death be a grand operatic death, let it be fantastic and let’s not crawl in a corner.” It’s a strategy that comes with ambitious goals: doubling the number of children and young people in the Church by 2030; creating ten thousand new Christian communities. Tens of millions of pounds are being committed to dioceses for projects designed to deliver on such goals. These are to be delivered in a challenging climate: falling numbers of people identifying as Christian, congregations that haven’t recovered since the Covid-19 pandemic, falling vocations among ordinands, and warnings that both clergy and lay leaders are showing signs of exhaustion and mental strain. Yet we know that churches can grow and are growing, and by diverse measures.

This webinar takes a step back from questions of delivery to ask questions about the theology underpinning the drive for growth. What does God say about growing the Church? What does it mean to remain a small, or even declining church? Where is God when growth doesn’t come? And how do we hold onto the scriptural teaching that it is ultimately God that gives growth?

This is a webinar broadcast in collaboration between Modern Church and Church Times

In the Chair will be Madeleine Davies of the Church Times, and there will be four panellists taking a range of approaches to the concept of church Growth, including Angela Sheard (soon to be Anglican Tutor at the Queens Theological Foundation), Trey Hall, Director of Evangelism and growth, Methodist Church in Britain, Christian Selvaratnam, St Hild’s Dean of Church Planting and founder of the Centre for Church Planting; and Alison Webster representing the Organising for growth initiative focused on the Centre for Theology and Community in East London).

Tickets are £10, or £5 for Church Times subscribers.

Free tickets are available for anyone for whom cost would be a barrier to attending this webinar. Please select a concession ticket when booking.

Full Panel details, and ticket information can be found on the Church Times Website here.