Minister’s Letter – April 2017


Dear friends,

I want you to think about this question before reading on: what can we do to help our church to grow?

It’s an important question: one which is being increasingly asked as we witness the decline of the Church in “the West”. Numbers attending Sunday worship continues to decrease, and in general, people are less interested in religious belief.

Considering this, how do we answer the above question?

There are several different options before us: this is partly why 2017 is a year of reflection for us. We are giving ourselves the time and space to better understand our context, parish and culture, and allow these things to shape our ministry and mission.

What we do and how we minister is important; but these things alone will not help our church to grow. Lasting church growth comes from one thing alone: believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

How do people find out about Jesus Christ, the love of God, and all this means for us? Only if we tell them! That was Paul’s encouragement to the church in Rome, and it’s still his encouragement to us today.

If we truly desire to see our congregation grow, then we must be prepared to tell people about what God offers them through Jesus Christ. Only that will make a lasting impact on someone’s life, and make a lasting impact on our congregation.

May God bless you,


Rev, Stuart Love