Festival Church
There has been much interest in Festival Churches, and the label means different things to different people. In this Diocese, we are using the Festival Church title as a way of supporting parishes to ‘reboot’ their mission and worship, and engage positively with the local community. It is NOT a step on the road to closure. Instead, it is a positive, proactive approach to doing less, but doing it much better. A Festival Church is an open parish church, which will still have financial obligations to meet, such as insurance, heating, lighting, parish offer, and maintenance, but it will better placed to rely on wider community support to meet these costs.
The resources for Festival Churches will support parishes to stay open by doing fewer, but higher quality services – so, quality over quantity. Services can be reduced to a minimum of 6 per year, celebrating in particular those festivals and events which mark the pattern of rural and community life, including Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and Harvest festival, as well as life events such as baptisms, funerals and weddings. The resources are designed to help you do this and include support with planning, publicising and holding a range of services and events. Many of these will be delivered by the laity and encouraging wider community support.
Church of England: What Is A Festival Church?
Resources from the Conference on Festival Churches focusing on Mission and Community held at Sheffield Cathedral on 25th March 2019
Festival Churches for Mission by Joseph Elders
Churches for Everyone Presentation by Wendy Coombey
Norwich Diocesan Churches Trust Presentation
Resources
Building
Mission
Community
Diversity & Equality
Governance
Finance
Church Building Resources
- Bats and Swifts in Herefordshire’s Churches
- Bats In Churches
- Building Conservation
- ChurchCare: Building Maintenance and Care
- ChurchCare: Faculty
- ChurchCare: Heating
- ChurchCare: Insurance, Health and Safety
- ChurchCare: Lighting
- ChurchCare: Quinquennial Inspections
- Crossing the Threshold Toolkit
- Diocese of Hereford Funding Directory
- Ecclesiastical Insurance
- Faculty Online
- Germinate: An Open Welcome Toolkit for Churches
- Germinate: Opening Up Your Place of Worship
- Germinate: Rural Churches and Isolation and Loneliness
- Green Christian
- Heritage Help: Looking after a Historic Building
- Institute of Historic Building Conservation
- List A and List B Works
- Parish Buying Scheme
- Parish Resources: Parish Buying
Church Contents Resources
- Church Monuments Society
- ChurchCare: Church Plate
- ChurchCare: Clocks
- ChurchCare: Monumental Brasses
- Commonwealth War Graves
- Diocese of Hereford Funding Directory
- Ecclesiastical Insurance
- Monumental Brass Society
- Regional Furniture Society
- War Memorials Trust
Churchyard Resources
- Ancient Yew Group
- Caring for God’s Acre – Havens for Wildlife
- Caring for God’s Acre – Involving People
- Caring for God’s Acre – Managing Churchyards & Burial Grounds
- Caring or God’s Acre Action Pack
- Church Monuments Society
- Commonwealth War Graves
- Conservation Register
- Diocese of Hereford Funding Directory
- Eco Church: How To Look After Your Land In Wildlife Friendly Ways
- Historic England: Caring for Historic Cemetery and Graveyard Monuments
- SPAB – Caring for Churchyards
- War Memorials Trust
Environment Resources
- Bats and Swifts in Herefordshire’s Churches
- Bats In Churches
- ChurchCare: Bats
- ChurchCare: Biodiversity
- ChurchCare: Trees
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Use Energy Responsibly In Your Church
- Eco Church
- Eco Church: A Guide to Green Energy Suppliers
- Eco Church: How To Look After Your Land In Wildlife Friendly Ways
- Historic England: Energy Efficiency
Health & Safety Resources
- Church Safety
- ChurchCare: Insurance, Health and Safety
- Diocese of Hereford: Good Practice Guidelines and Templates
- Parish Resources: Risk Management
- SPAB Example Risk Assessment
Heritage Resources
- Archaeology of Churches in Wales
- British Listed Buildings – England
- CADW Map of Historic Buildings and Monuments
- Diocese of Hereford Funding Directory
- Heritage Gateway
- Historic England: Heritage at Risk Register
- Historic England: Search the National Heritage List for England
- National Monuments Record of Wales – Online Database
History Resources
- British History Online
- Church Heritage Cymru
- The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland
- The Ecclesiological Society
- The Georgian Group
- The National Archives
- The Stained Glass Museum
- The Tile and Architectural Ceramics Society
- The Victorian Society
- Twentieth Century Society
Maintenance Resources
- ChurchCare: Routine Maintenance
- Crossing the Threshold Toolkit
- Diocese of Hereford Funding Directory
- National Churches Trust – Maintenance Booker – Preventative Maintenance Grants
- National Churches Trust: Maintenance Booker
- National Churches Trust: Professional Trades Body Directory
- National Churches Trust: Regular Maintenance
- SPAB – Faith in Maintenance Calendar
- SPAB Maintenance Plan template
- SPAB -Place of Worship Information Sheet
Organ Resources
Security Resources
- Church Care: Crime and Security
- ChurchCare: Church Security
- Ecclesiastical: Church Alarms
- Ecclesiastical: Church Security
- Ecclesiastical: Security Floodlights
- Ecclesiastical: Oil Theft
- Ecclesiastical: Protecting Electronic Equipment
- Ecclesiastical: Purchase and Installation of Safes
- Ecclesiastical: Scaffolding Checklist
- Ecclesiastical: Theft of Metal from Churches Checklist
- Ecclesiastical: Theft of Metals
Children
- ChurchCare: Children and Young People
- Church of England: Shared Prayer Spaces
- Churches Conservation Trust: Schools
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Welcome New Families To Church
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Worship God With Nature
- Diocese of Hereford: Good Practice Guidelines and Templates
- Experience Easter, Harvest, Christmas, Church, Pentecost Journeys for Schools
- Going for Growth: Parish and School links
- Intergenerational Church
- Ludlow Mascal Centre
- Messy Church
- Messy Church in Hereford Diocese Facebook Page
- Open the Book
- Safeguarding
- Scripture Union
- Spirit in Stone – Creating resources for trails for children
- Spirit in Stone – Useful Books to use with Children
- Spirit in Stone – Working with Education Volunteers
- The Arts Society: NADFAs Church Trails
- Transforming Lives for Good
Communication / Social Media
- ChurchCare: Notices
- Church of England: Looking After Your Churches Social Media and Website
- Church of England: How To Set Up a Film or Video On Your Phone
- Church of England: How To Create Subtitles For Your Video
- Church of England: How To Create a Facebook Page For Your Church
- Church of England: Seven Social Media Post Ideas and Examples
- Church of England: Five Pages Every Church Website Should Have
- Church of England: How To Boost A Facebook Post
- Church of England: How To Create a Free Instagram Profile and Business Profile
- Communications Resources
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Complete a Statistics for Mission Annual Return
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Create A Great Church Website
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Produce A Great Church Notice Sheet
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Publish A Great Parish Magazine
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Write Accessible Documents
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Write A Story
- Infopoint
- John Truscott: Communication
- John Truscott: Customer Care for Churches
- John Truscott: Leadership
- John Truscott: Social Media
- John Truscott: Speaking So That People Listen
- Parish Resources: Talking to your Congregation
General Mission
- Church of England: Shared Prayer Spaces
- Creationtide Resources
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Encourage Holy Habits
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Engage With New Areas of Housing
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Establish a ‘Ministry of Absence’
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Help People Discover and Use Their Strengths and Gifts
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Make Evangelism Less Scary
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Make The Most of Your Church Building
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Share Faith
- DiscpleKit
- Events in Hereford Diocese Facebook Page
- Explore Together
- Faith-based Regeneration Network
- Germinate: A Discipling presence
- Germinate: Supporting Congregations
- Green Christian
- Intergenerational Church
- Intergeneration Team – Hereford Diocese – Facebook Page
- Intergenerational Worship and Sunday School
- Lay Led Services
- Ludlow Mascal Centre
- Mission Resources
- Prayer Room Info
- Prayer Diary
- Resources for Clergy
- Revive Your Church
- Table Talk
- The Centre for Theology & Community
Ministry Development
- Church of England – Ministry Development
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Be A Vicar
- Lay Leader Training
- Reader Ministry
- Resources for Clergy
- School for Ministry
Mission Action Planning
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Carry Out A Parish Review
- Diocese of Manchester: Mission Action Planning
- Mission Action Planning: Diocese of London
- Mission Action Planning: Growing Christian Disciples and Ministries
Rural Mission
- Church Growth – Research and Development
- Germinate: Equipping for Rural Mission
- Germinate: Supporting Congregations
Visitors
- Church Buildings For Everyone – A Visitor Welcome Toolkit
- Church of England: Shared Prayer Spaces
- Germinate: Toolkit – How To Open Church Buildings Effectively For Visitors
- Historic England – Opening and Welcoming Places of Worship
- Small Pilgrim Places Network
- Spirit in Stone: Preparing an Accessibility Action Plan
Churchyard Resources
Accessible Building Resources
- ChurchCare: Audio Visual and Electrical Wiring
- ChurchCare: Church Development Plan
- ChurchCare: Guidance to Seating
- Crossing the Threshold Toolkit
- Germinate: An Open Welcome Toolkit for Churches
- Germinate: Opening Up Your Place of Worship
- Germinate: Toolkit – How To Open Church Buildings Effectively For Visitors
- Germinate: Rural Churches and Isolation and Loneliness
Accessibility Resources
- Association of Translation Services: Guide to Buying Translation Services
- Church Buildings For Everyone – A Visitor Welcome Toolkit
- ChurchCare: Accessibility
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Write Accessible Documents
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Create A Church Accessibility Information Page For Your Website
- Germinate: Accessible Welcome for Rural Churches (Building & Mission)
- Historic England – Opening and Welcoming Places of Worship
- Historic England: Easy Access to Historic Buildings
- John Truscott: Communication
- Sensory Trust: Accessible Information – Clear and Large Print
- Southwark Diocese: Access Appraisal
- Spirit in Stone – Basic Access Questionnaire
- Spirit in Stone: Preparing an Accessibility Action Plan
- The Centre for Accessible Environments
- UK Association for Accessible Formats: Creating Clear Print and Large Print Documents
- VisitBritain: How To Write an Accessibility Guide
Administration Resources
- Festival Church – Form of Letter to Bishop
- Festival Church – Form of Resolution
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Hold An APCM
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Run A Productive PCC
- NCVO Knowledge Bank – Governance
- Parish Resources: Administration
- Parish Resources: GDPR
- Parish Resources: Governing Documents
- Parish Resources: Managing Risk
- Parish Resources: Managing Staff and Volunteers
Charity & Trustee Resources
- Exeter Diocese Guide for New PCC Members
- General Synod – Legal Advisory Committee – Parishes With No Churchwardens
- Parish Resources: PCC Policies
- Parish Resources: The PCC as a Charity
- Parish Resources: Trusteeship
Governance Finance Resources
Fair Trade Resources
- Christian Concern for One World: Using Fair Trade In Your Church
- Church of Scotland: Fair Trade – Getting Started
Fundraising Resources
- Church Fundraising Ideas
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Enable Contactless Giving
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Develop A Fundraising Strategy
- National Churches Trust: How To Fundraise For Your Project
- NCVO Knowledge Bank – Finance
- Parish Resources: Fundraising Events
- Parish Resources: Launching An Appeal
- Parish Resources: Using Social Media to Raise Funds
Grant Funding Resources
- Chancel Repair Liability
- Crossing the Threshold Toolkit
- Diocese of Hereford Funding Directory
- Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust
- Heritage Funding Directory
- National Churches Trust: Our Grants
- Shropshire Historic Churches Trust
- Worcestershire Historic Churches Trust
Income Generation Resources
- Champing
- ChurchCare: Sharing your building and finding partners
- Creative England: Photographing Your Property for Registering as a Film Location
- Creative England: Registering as a Film Location
- Ecclesiastical – Telephone Masts on Church Roofs and Premises
- Gift Aid
- London Diocese: Creating a Friends Group Toolkit
- National Funding Scheme – Contactless Payment Systems
- Parish Resources: Donation Units
- Parish Resources: Gift Aid
- Parish Resources: Giving
- Truro Diocese – Installation of Broadband and Mobile Phone Infrastructure
- Wales Screen: Registering as a Film Location in Wales
Treasurer Resources
- ACAT: An Introductory Guide for New Church Treasurers
- ChurchCare: Procurement
- Diocese of Hereford – Parish Offer
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Encourage Generous Giving
- Diocese of Bristol: How To Run An Annual Giving Review
- Ecclesiastical Insurance
- Finance for PCC Treasurers
- Parish Buying Scheme
- Parish Giving Scheme
- Parish Offer
- Parish Resources: Managing Reserves
- Parish Resources: Managing Restricted Funds
- Parish Resources: Managing Risk
- Parish Resources: Parish Buying
- PCC Accounts