How to Develop your Church Building
Every parish has a mission to its community. Some parishes will seek to artciulate this, or develop it, in different ways.
The most important task for any parish is to try to work through, honestly, objectively, and prayerfully, what it means to be the people of God in their own community, location and circumstances. So working on a mission statement for the parish is the first step, which must underpin any proposals to change or develop the building. But if new activites, and reordering of the building, do seem the right way forward, these pages should help you.
Remember though that every church building really is unique, as is its community. Some churches are best suited to remaining in their traditional use: a quiet place of prayer, without additional activities. Others thrive on encouraging a busy and varied range of activity throughout the week. Both models, and the whole spectrum in between, are equally valid; what matters is that they are carried out with care, sensitivity and conviction. But what is right for one context may not be right for another, however similar the circumstances may seem to be. It is important for each parish to assess what is right for it - not for its neighbour down the road.
1. Finding Out What is Possible
3. Alterations of the Building's Fabric
6. Realisation, Promotion and Monitoring
1. Finding Out What is Possible
If you want to develop your church building and open it to the community for activities beyond regular worship -whether this means hosting a project, service or commercial activity, or helping to fulfil a local need - you will need to sit down first and think your proposal through. Careful planning at the beginning is essential to ensure the success of the project.
Think about what you would like to achieve and why, who should be involved, what kind of resources (i.e. money and volunteers) you have and need. Following a PCC resolution to explore the possibilities, it may be useful to set up a working group to steer the project, perhaps including non-parishioner representatives from the community.
The next step is to conduct community research. This simply means finding out about what the needs are in your community and whether the parish church is able to deliver it. For example, you may find that your neighbourhood lacks facilities for the elderly, young people or mothers and toddlers. Good research is the basis of any successful project, as it identifies a need, allows you to target your work and funds, strengthens funding applications and helps you avoid unnecessary duplication. The research can be done in the form of vox pops or a community questionnaire, containing a limited number of simple questions. The results can feed into a parish appraisal or audit.
(The Church Commissioners have published guidance on looking at groups of churches which provides a useful context
Otherwise there are several sources of guidance on carrying out community audits. The following can be found on the Community Mission website (which is a joint website for Tearfund and Livability)
The Discovery Pack can be found at
http://www.communitymission.org.uk/
resources/courses/discovery.aspx
Livability have questionnaire pack which you can buy http://www.communitymission.org.uk/
resources/printed_publications_for_purchase/default.aspx
Also info/articles on listening to the community/community profiling/auditing in their resources section - http://www.communitymission.org.uk/
resources/practical_tools/default.aspx#Listening
Faithworks have got a community audit pack which can be purchased for £6 - http://www.faithworks.info/Standard.asp?ID=2536
Good background research on the demographics of your area and neighbourhood can be found by going to
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/neighbourhood
and just entering your postcode.
It is also a good idea to make contact with the keys organisations in your area who work with key groups such as children, the elderly, disabled and other disadvantaged vulnerable groups. Important also to talk to and present your ideas to your local Primary Care Trust, and your local authority. They may be looking for a location for a specific service or might like to be a partner in your project. Talk to other community networks and buildings in your neighbourhood. They may already provide some services or could give you ideas for others which the church could provide or host.
It is important when making funding applications and to ensure the success of the project that you can show that there is a real demand for the service you propose to offer. Results of your community audit, letters from interested would-be users and key organisations are all part of building up a strong case.
If your local authority is preparing a strategic document for the area, such as a parish plan for secular parish councils, make sure that your church gets involved. The Commission for Rural Communities has published guidance on such parish plans which is downloadable from their website. Churches should get involved and engage with the community planning process. This involves looking at community assets, such as community facilities or buildings like village halls, what services are needed and how they can be delivered. A good example is the New Forest Community Facility Toolkit, published by the New Forest District Council, which helps assessing the use and viability of community buildings.
Understanding your local and regional government structures is important as it may help you increase your access to funding and partnership. There is a useful A Guide to Guidance provided at the end of the March 2009 document Churches and Faith Buildings: Realising the Potential: Realising the potential
This provides a list of publications and websites which can help you understand how local government works.
One important element of this are Local Area Agreements (LAAs) which set out the local priorities that are intended to make your town, city or community a better place to be. They will have been negotiated between all the main public sector organisations in your area, your local authority and central Government. If you want to find out what the priorities are in your area and whether they include areas that you could help to deliver on eg: facilities for young people, then go to www.localpriorities.communities.gov.uk/default.aspx
It is also useful to think about what kind of activities would be suitable and could be accommodated in your church. Does it have parking, heating, a toilet or a kitchen? Are toilet and kitchen facilities available nearby? Will any activities conflict with service times or other church activities? Are there any outstanding repairs or required adaptations which need to be done before the church can be used for community projects? Do some research to find out more about your church building, its history, architecture and special features. This will help you to plan any proposed alterations and their impact on the building and its furnishings as these are subject to legal protection, secular and ecclesiastical. Consult your DAC on your ideas and what is possible in your church building.
Once you have identified a need, which a project in your church could fill, you need to find out more about the implications. Talk to other parishes who have done a similar project. Your DAC Secretary might be able to provide you with contact information. Alternatively, you could find already existing projects on internet discussion networks, such as the Church Urban Fund Exchange. However, bear in mind that the project has to suit your specific community, parish and church building. Every church and community is different and other people's solutions will not be suitable to your building and community.
Other organisations can provide information, guidance, resources or funding or advice on where you might find potential partners, with whom you could share expertise and costs. These include your local authority and local community networks. Your local voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisation provides vital support for voluntary organisations and community groups (for more information see www.navca.org.uk). Useful contacts for rural churches are Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), promoting a vibrant and sustainable rural community sector. The ACRE website provides details on the 38 Rural community Councils which are a source of information on local grants, resources and networks. The Arthur Rank Centre, is the national rural resource unit for churches.
It is advisable to consult your archdeacon and diocesan registrar at an early stage to ensure that your proposal does not conflict with any other diocesan plans and that there are no unforeseen legal problems.
Instead of organising a new project or community use yourself, you may simply want to provide space for externally organised projects. Many community groups are looking for premises for regular projects which do not need a large permanent space and could be accommodated in a church. However, hosting community projects needs some planning too. Who will be the main co-ordinator and contact for the other organisation? Will the organisation contribute to the cost of electricity and heating? How regular will these projects take place? Does a longer-term space need to be set aside? What are the arrangements for cleaning up and tidying away for the other projects? Will the other activities have the potential to conflict with the church's own activites, and how will you handle any such competing claims on space and time?
2. Making Plans
Once you feel that you have done sufficient research and are sure you know what form your project will take and how it can be realised you can think about the details.
At this stage it could be useful to distil your research into a written plan, such as an action plan or a simple business plan. This will help you to focus on your aims and objectives and monitor your progress. A good plan should contain your mission statements, aims, objectives, strategy, targets, budget, a timescale of activities and supporting information in the appendices. The Tool Factory have published free guidance on writing a business plan: Business Plans - Your Questions Answered. However, there is no fixed format and you can adapt it to suit your needs. A written plan will also demonstrate to outside organisations that you have carefully planned your project.
Such a plan also needs to include some evidence that you have thought about the long-term future of the project. What happens if a key person in your steering group leaves? Is the project flexible enough to adapt, for example if a competing facility is set up in the neighbourhood? Do you have the necessary funds or can you attract funding to make the project financially sustainable? If you are inviting other organisations to use the building, how sure are you that they are viable?
You need to be aware that different arrangements apply for church-run projects and external projects. Projects and activities organised by external organisations might - depending on the scale of use - require a lease or a licence of part of the church building, both of which need a faculty. Consult your Archdeacon and Registrar at an early stage and certainly before you enter into any commitments.
In January 2007, new legislation, the Pastoral (Amendment) Measure 2006, came into force which enables the leasing of part of a Church of England church under faculty, provided that, taken as a whole, the building continues to be used primarily as a place of worship. Guidance has been produced to explain the new procedure under the 2006 Measure. Such a lease might be needed for commercial operations or where the funding conditions require security of possession of premises for a minimum period.
http://www.cofe.anglican.org
/about/churchlawlegis/legislation/measures/pamguide.rtf
In effect for the time that the lease is in operation the ownership including repair liabilities, is given to the organisation who holds the lease. This is particularly helpful where the lessee body will be applying for external funding to do re-ordering works as several of the grant making bodies will only give the money to secular organisations.
However, for many community uses it will not be necessary to sign a lease. It may be that a group wants to use the church on a regular basis, but they do not need to apply for grants and would not want to be liable for repairs to the building. They understand that there will be times when other activities within the parish will need to be taken into consideration. It may be that all that is required is for the Parochial Church Council to give their permission. There may also be cases where to ensure clarity on both sides a simple written agreement in the form of a non-exclusive licence should be drawn up and signed by both parties. Such a standard contract should include, but not be limited to, the following:
- the opening hours,
- which services will be offered, which services won't be offered,
- the duration of the contract,
- all charges, e.g. rent and the apportionment of heating, lighting and other costs,
- the responsibility for taking out and maintaining insurance,
- business rates (if applicable; see below),
- health and safety compliance provisions,
- other terms and conditions which will include:
- a) those items which the outside organisation brings into the church and church-owned equipment and
- b) the condition that the outside organisation is responsible for the cleaning and maintenance to a good standard of the part of the church which they use,
- clarity about what the two parties are not responsible for,
- who is responsible for removing equipment at the end of the contract,
- parts of the building to which access is allowed for the purpose of the contract,
- that this is a licence agreement and it does not confer any interest in any land.
However there are occasions when arrangements work better in a formal agreement. For this there is the option to grant a licence to an organisation for a set time period. Unlike a lease the responsibility for the building or the relevant part of the building set aside for community use remains that of the Parochial Church Council. The terms of the licence need to be carefully drawn in order to ensure that misunderstandings do not occur.
For less regular uses and one-off activities the church may be booked using its normal hiring arrangements. You may find the following three documents useful. They are for general advice purposes only. You may require other specific conditions and you are strongly advised to seek your own legal advice in this regard.
Hire Agreement for Casual/One off event
Hire Agreement Pro-forma for regular events
Hire Agreement Example of an information sheet which could be given to hirers
For commercial uses you will need to find out whether a regular profit-making or commercial project in a church will mean a "change in use" (under secular planning law). While it is unlikely that the use of the church for a community shop, for example, for 2 or 3 sessions a week would constitute a material change of use as long as the building remains primarily a place of worship, it is advisable to ask your local authority's planning department at the earliest opportunity whether planning permission for a change of use is required. Planning permission does not, however, override the need for a faculty.
The granting of a lease or a licence of a part of the church to a third party may also remove the exemption from business rates for this part of the building. A church building is exempt from non-domestic rates (as are church halls used in connection with churches) only to the extent that it consists of a place of worship. It is always a question of fact and degree whether the grant of a lease or licence of part of a church building to a third party will have the effect that the part of the building comprised in the lease or licence becomes a separately rateable unit. You or the organiser of the commercial activity need to ask your local authority whether this applies in your case and think through the financial implications.
A third consideration for commercial activities concerns charitable status. The PCC is a charity, although places of worship are currently exempt from registering with the Charity Commission. Section 96 of the Charities Act 1993 provides that the expression "charity" in the Act does not apply to any ecclesiastical corporation (including a corporation sole) or to any trust of property for purposes for which the property has been consecrated. Church of England churches are vested in the incumbent as a corporation sole; they are also consecrated. The Act therefore does not apply to them.
It will, however, apply to church halls which are not on consecrated land, i.e. not in the churchyard or annexed to the church. In this case, if a lease is taken out as opposed to a licence, advice needs to be sought on the implications for charitable status.
As the PCC is a charity, it must act in the best interests of the charity. However, that does not mean that it must proceed on a purely financial basis, though financial outcomes will be an important consideration for any PCC considering hosting a commercial service. Maximising the generation of income for the PCC, which could then be spent on the PCC's religious objectives, may be the appropriate outcome in some cases. However, one of the functions of the PCC is "co-operation with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical" (section 2 of the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956). A PCC might therefore legitimately consider hosting a commercial service or use, even if it only covered the costs incurred by the PCC, on the basis, for example, that hosting a post office or a community shop assisted with the pastoral and social mission of the church.
However, a PCC would need to give careful consideration to all relevant factors (including finding out what a market rent would be) when making a decision to host a commercial service and should be prepared to justify - in terms of the interest of the charity - why it took a specific decision. A PCC would not necessarily have to charge a market rent, provided that it could justify not doing so in terms of the PCC's statutory functions and charitable duties. It would, though, be quite wrong for a PCC to make a loss as a result of hosting a commercial service, as that would effectively amount to subsidising an outside commercial operation.
Other issues you need to think about include Health and Safety, Fire Precautions, Security and Insurance. You should inform your church's insurance company of the proposed new activity which will take place in the building. A busy church is safer from break-ins and, thus, insurance companies generally support additional uses of churches.
You also need to ensure that your building actually is fully accessible. To read the legal requirements click here Disabled Access However, you are also advised to contact your Diocesan Disability Adviser. If your diocese doesn't have such a person then contact the Diocesan Secretary and she/he should be able to direct you to another source of advice within the diocese. Another good source of practical advice is the organisation Through the Roof. You can purchase practical guides from their online shop, specifically Be a Roofbreaker and Come in! - Making your Church Building Accessible. Go to: http://www.throughtheroof.org/
If the community project or service in your church includes the regular preparation of food, such as a community café or regular community meals, you also need to be aware of food hygiene legislation. The regulations apply to any establishment where food or drink is prepared, stored, sold or supplied, whether or not for profit, including village halls and community buildings. If the food business is a commercial enterprise, the legislation requires the operator to register the business with the local authority. However, all food handlers must be supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters to a level appropriate to their job.
If your church is simply providing a venue for events where an outside caterer or food business supplies the food, it is the responsibility of the operator, not the PCC, to comply with the regulations, to train their staff and to register their food business.
Whatever level of food preparation is being carried out, there are guidelines you must follow. All kitchens, however basic, should be well maintained and clean.
If you are operating a regular food business, you will also need to check whether the public liability clause of your insurance provides sufficient cover.
The main source of advice regarding details of training courses and information on whether you need to register your food business is your local authority's environmental health department.
ACRE has published a village hall information sheet on Health and Hygiene in Village Halls, which is equally applicable to churches and church halls. This provides very useful guidelines that must be followed as well as explaining the legislation. You can order the guidance note from their website.
3. Alterations of the Building's Fabric
If your proposals involve any work to, or alterations or extensions of, the church building, its contents or the churchyard, you will need to apply for a faculty. You need to consult your inspecting architect and your DAC before making any more detailed plans. A separate path (How to Make Alterations to Your Church) will guide you through the process, including applying for a faculty and secular permissions.
4. Professional Help
It is advisable to consult all the relevant bodies mentioned above, and particularly your diocese and the local authority, at the earliest opportunity. This will prevent any legal obstacles at a later stage or other avoidable delays or costs.
The parish or the PCC members may have sufficient skills to steer the project, conduct the necessary research, investigate possible opportunities and plan the budget. In addition, there are plenty of resources available to help and advise you (see below and Further Information at the bottom of this page). For bigger and complex projects you may want to consult a professional. Engaging a professional, such as a fundraiser or project manager, provides you with extra expertise and can be very cost-effective. For medium-sized projects, it can be very helpful and cost-effective to take part in a professional funding workshop. Such a day-long training for members of the PCC is most useful at the stage when you know what you want to do with your church building.
You will soon be able to find a consultant for your specific project needs in the forthcoming Directory of Consultants and Resources. It will enable you to find consultants for all the skills needed for community projects in churches, from fundraising to community research and project management.
There are a number of national organisations which provide support and guidance for the Third Sector on premises issues, some of which are listed below. While these are not church-specific, they offer useful information on their websites and training sessions on managing a property which are relevant to all community buildings.
Community Matters is the nationwide federation for community associations and similar organisations, with specific expertise in relation to the management and operation of community buildings and cafes, providing training advice, publications and consultancy support for its members and associates.
The Development Trusts Association provides information and guidance in the form of publications and seminars for those who are running their own premises and also want to get the most out of them.
The Ethical Property Foundation was set up to ensure that charitable and community organisations make positive property decisions. The Foundation's aim is to help community and voluntary groups to get the most out of the properties that they lease, buy or manage.
Planning Aid provides free, independent and professional town planning advice and support to communities and individuals who cannot afford to pay planning consultant fees.
The Glass-House Community Led Design is a national charity that supports and encourages better working partnerships between local communities and design and regeneration professionals. Working across the U.K, The Glass-House promotes a wider understanding and practice of community led design.
There are also many individual consultants with property expertise in areas such as expansion and ongoing management of premises. These consultants can be found via approved consultancy lists from NCVO and LVSC.
5. Finance
After having given the financial aspects some consideration in the planning stage, your PCC treasurer or project treasurer will now have to draw up a budget, which will be an important part of your business plan. This can be a basic document listing your income and expenditure (including capital expenditure, i.e. one-off expenses, and revenue expenditure, i.e. recurring expenses). While drawing up a budget plan can seem daunting, a carefully and realistically costed plan will be enormously helpful, both for demonstrating your effective management to potential funders and steering the project. If you regularly compare your actual expenditure to your budget you will be able to act in time to remedy the problem. Before submitting your budget to potential funding bodies, get a competent third party to check your budget for accuracy and comprehensibility.
For larger and complex projects it may be useful to engage a quantity surveyor with experience in historic buildings, who can keep a tight control on costs, and/or a professional fundraiser. Bear in mind that their fees will add to the cost of the project, for example the cost of professional fundraising may be up to 8-10% of the total project cost. Investing in a day-long training event on funding for key members of the PCC can save you time and money if your project requires some amount of fundraising.
Funderfinder, a UK charity producing resources for grant-seekers, provides a free software called Budget Yourselves which provides advice about the process of making a budget, its contents, and how to work out accurate costs.
Depending on the type of your project, you may be eligible for grant-aid. In addition, you will also need to do some fundraising yourself. Most funders are more likely to assist you if you can demonstrate that you are actively trying to raise money yourself. The Funding pages of this website will be able to give further and more detailed advice on grants, funding and fundraising.
Make sure that you have all the necessary funding before you give the go ahead. For bigger projects it may be necessary to split the project into several stages which can proceed while funds are being raised for the next stage.
6. Realisation, Promotion and Monitoring
Before, during and after the development and realisation of your project you need to keep both your business plan and budget up-to-date. It may be useful to schedule a review of these documents at regular intervals to keep your project on track. There should also be regular reports by the working group to the PCC.
Once you project is ready to start, you will need to promote it. This might take the form of mailings, articles in the local press, interviews on radio, leaflets, posters or a regular newsletter.
Plan the celebration and the launch of your project. You have worked hard to realise your activity or project and deserve to celebrate your achievements.
After the launch you will still need to regularly review whether and how you are achieving your aims. Projects and activities may need to change over time as they adapt to changing circumstances, such as competing facilities or changes in the population, which may no longer correspond to your initial community research. Be aware that an interregnum, when the parish finds itself without a vicar, can put an additional strain on the PCC. Any proposed or ongoing activities require careful planning and delegation in order to proceed without conflicting with other duties.
If your project is up and running and you would like to demonstrate your church's contribution to the community, for example for a grant application or negotiations with other bodies, you could use the Churches Community Value Toolkit produced by the Church Urban Fund. The toolkit can also be used over a period of time to identify changes and developments.
November & December 2007
Further Information
Further information on sources of advice and guidance can be found under Funding and Resources for Community Projects.
Some dioceses have community development officers who can give you further advice and guidance. Others have produced in-depth guides on the topic of developing your church, such as Chelmsford ("The Changing Church. A guide to developing and adapting church buildings", 2002) and Southwark ("Developing Your Church Building. A guide through the process from ideas to business plan to building", 2001).
The Stewardship Toolkit for Rural Churches, produced by the National Stewardship Officer, contains many tools relevant to a project to develop your church, including a budget planner, how to calculate your church's footfall and community impact, how to increase financial sustainability and tips for running a giving programme.
Maggie Durran, Making Church Buildings Work. A handbook for managing and developing church buildings for mission and ministry (Canterbury Press, 2005).
Maggie Durran, Regenerating Local Churches. Mission-based strategies for transformation and growth (Canterbury Press, 2006).
Susan Rowe, Open all Hours. A way forward for church buildings in the 21st century (ACORA, 2000).
A brief survey of processes and opportunities for rural churches to adapt and better employ their buildings. Available from the Arthur Rank Centre.
Letting it happen! How to make your church buildings work for you (2008) Produced on behalf of the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland. A handbook which provides guidance and tips on how to look after church buildings and manage their use. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/councils/ministries/
downloads/minpriorityhandbook.pdf
