Revitalizing the church and breathing new life back into forgotten areas and run-down buildings requires faith, resilience, and a deep conviction that being a follower of Jesus is the only way we will see lives transformed, communities rebuilt, and society changed at a profound level – bringing glory to God!
What We Do
At the Revitalise Trust, our passion is to see vibrant churches that are Jesus-centered and full of the Holy Spirit at the center of every community. And we have spent the last seven years planting various models of church to play our part in fulfilling this expansive mission.
Our resource churches have been establishing themselves as centers of mission, joining in God’s work in towns and cities across the UK and they in turn, have been training and equipping new leaders to plant into diverse neighborhoods such as housing estates, villages, and suburban enclaves – areas that might be considered particularly challenging or difficult due to high levels of poverty and deprivation. We believe that God is calling us to the margins, and this has become a key priority for us.
The Practicalities
So if I may, I’d like to offer you a few insights, learnings, and best practices that we’ve developed along the way as we’ve planted or revitalized churches in some of the most challenging corners of the UK.
Planting a church, or revitalizing an existing congregation is a mixture of both opportunity and challenge, and these can be particularly heightened in communities where there is poverty, lack of resources, few job opportunities, and where hope has been eroded. It’s therefore key to train and prepare leaders well for the particular challenges of leading on the margins.
Over the past few years, as we’ve walked alongside church planters who have navigated this particular ministry area, we have honed in on four areas that we believe are key to the flourishing of new church communities:
1. Build Trust by Listening
Building trust is key because without trust, efforts to plant or revitalize a church can be met with skepticism, resistance, or even hostility. In challenging contexts, communities have often experienced historical injustices, socio-economic struggles, and spiritual disillusionment. When we train and prepare leaders for ministry in these neighborhoods, we encourage them to come in humility, with an open mind, and a heart to listen. The question shouldn’t so much be “How do we speak so the neighborhood will listen?” but “How do we listen so the neighborhood will speak?” So it’s vital to spend time getting to know people, and finding out what the local needs and issues are as one of our leaders shared recently:
“On Wednesday afternoons we’ve started knocking on doors and we hope to get around the whole estate. We’re asking what their experience of St. Michael and St. George is and how they would like to see it used…
For the first year, we’ve decided not to change anything. We just want to get to know people and build relationships.”
St. Michael & St. George, White City, London
Another leader who recently planted a church into a deprived estate on the South Coast of England where the congregation had dwindled to just a handful of people told us:
“We’ve spent a lot of time just listening to people. There are challenges, but I do believe that God is doing something really special in this place.
So far, we’ve seen 85 people come on Alpha, eight adult baptisms, 500 people reached through community events, and 180 children regularly coming to our toddler group.”
Lord’s Hill Church, Southampton
2. Build Relationships
It’s crucial to take time to build and develop relationships with existing organizations in the community such as local schools, charities, and other key stakeholders, and to work in partnership alongside them. Where might the church fill the gaps – could it be baby and toddler groups, recovery groups, debt advice, or a community café? Each community will have its own particular needs but it’s about complementing what’s already working, rather than setting up in competition.
After they had planted into a new community, one of our church plants, St. Win’s Totton, soon realized that God was calling them to meet the needs of their community in terms of mental health support, as their leader shared with us:
“We’ve quickly gained a reputation as a welcoming church. Our main outreach has been working to support people with mental health needs. We love how God has used us as a hub for the community.”
3. Build a Sense of Belonging
In communities where people’s trust in the church and its leaders has often been damaged, offering hospitality can be transformational! It may not be appropriate for leaders to welcome people into their own homes, but creating safe and welcoming spaces – where there is no expectation or requirement to participate – and simply offering a place where people are loved, shown kindness, and feel like they belong can have a huge impact. Ben Atkins is Revitalise Trust’s Neighborhood Ambassador with experience of planting churches into estates. He told us of his experience planting into an area of North London plagued by gang-related crime. They spent time just being present, opening up the space, offering hospitality, and listening to the community. This enabled relationships and trust to be nurtured:
“We became trusted by local leaders and government alike to stand in the gap of mistrust and host safe spaces for community transformation.”
4. Build a Sustainable Lifestyle
If the leader is healthy, then it’s much more likely the church will be healthy. Planting or revitalizing a church in an area of hardship or deprivation is a wonderful opportunity, but can also be draining physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We encourage our leaders to consider what practices and support systems they can put in place to avoid burnout and sustain their ministry for the long-term.
Revitalise Trust’s Wellbeing Chaplain Will Van Der Hart spends a lot of time talking to, praying with, and encouraging leaders in this space. He shares:
“I want to inspire and encourage leaders to spend their emotional resources more cautiously, so that they can keep going, no matter what comes at them further down the track. This doesn’t mean caring less, it means caring longer.”
Take Heart and Dare to Believe
If leaders are properly equipped with the right training and tools to plant a church on the margins, they will have a greater and longer-lasting impact on the people they have been called to serve.
Paul reminds us in Galatians, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6: 9 (NIV UK). God’s Spirit is on the move and where we might see decline and darkness, Jesus sees the potential for vibrant new life. As we seek to humbly bring the light of Jesus into the dark places, then we will see Him begin to transform the lives of those we’ve been called to serve. So, let’s take heart and dare to believe that He can do immeasurably more than we could possibly ask or imagine, and that in our lifetime we will see revival in our nations!
Sarah Jackson is an ordained minister in the Church of England and CEO of the Revitalise Trust which supports the planting of churches across the UK and beyond. Since its establishment in 2017, the Revitalise Trust’s network of churches has grown from 25 to 184, and by 2030 estimates are that more than 50% of those churches will be in areas of hardship and deprivation.
