The futures looks different … the future looks bright! FAQs

On Sunday 18th April we announced the changes we propose to make in response to God’s leading. You can watch or listen to the message here. We recognise that many of you may well have questions and so we hope to speak to some of those here. This is not meant to be comprehensive - there is much we don’t know after all! - but we pray it helps you as we go on this exciting journey together. We would really value the chance to talk any of this through with anyone who would like to. We’d also love to see all members of the Church - and those who count themselves part of it - at our Vision and Community Night on 14th May.  

Much love 

The Eldership Team.

1. Wouldn’t we be better off all being together? Why is forming local, discipleship making communities the best way of fulfilling the Great Commission? 

Fundamentally, we don’t believe there is a ‘best’ way. If God were leading us to build a big, central church in Kingston we would do that. Our sense is that God is leading our Church to be something different. In the context of prayer, conversation, prophecy and reflecting on the changes wrought by this last year we genuinely feel we would not be obeying God if we returned to our original context. We’ve been reminded of long standing prophetic words over the church around ‘tent pegs to the edge of the Borough’ as well as more recent words around being ‘dug up’, ‘death to life’ and ‘the local’.  

Strategically speaking, we do believe that having simple, smaller, relationally strong, discipleship focused communities with a very local identity is the best way for us to make more Gospel impact across more local neighbourhoods. 

2. How will the venues all pull together in the same direction? 

The whole Eldership team will retain accountability for all aspects of the church, regardless of physical venue or online expression, and we will all aim to be physically present in each venue over time, especially John and Philip. 

Not only is the vision we have for forming new and fully devoted followers of Jesus in our localities the same, but the primary strategic tools are the same: group life, leadership training, Sunday services and Alpha for example. We will also have regular opportunities to gather together as one church: to worship and celebrate, to pray and to be taught and envisioned. 

3. What about the people I care about who are in different venues? 

Because of our love for each other we know that many of us will find it painful not seeing each other in the same church gathering every week. However, we’ll make every effort to have moments where we can gather as one church and meaningfully connect relationally with each other. None of this is set in stone but our current thinking is that the different venues will regularly come together and our prayer meetings will be for the whole church. Other contexts where we will combine venues may include youth work, leadership training on the New Ground Academy, courses like parenting and marriage and events like weekends away and Vision and Community nights.  

4. Will we officially launch? 

There are two broad factors to consider: first, there are a number of things we feel we need time to pray into and learn together, such as how we will create a deep discipleship culture, where we will be based and how we will impact specific, local communities; secondly, the pace at which Covid restrictions ease will obviously be relevant. Of course, a people of faith don’t wait for everything to be in place before they ‘go’. When God speaks, we go! But careful preparation and prayer is both Biblical and important. We’re not sure exactly what ‘launching’ looks like but we would expect there to be some kind of formal beginning to our church’s new expression towards the end of the year. 

5. It’s been a really tough year for some of us. Is now really the time to be introducing change and challenge? 

We fully understand that sentiment and, of course, some people will want their Church to be a ‘constant’ in this midst of a year of change. Many people are weary. We need to be cognisant of some of the specific challenges that life post lockdown will present and seek to love and pastor each other through that.

However, the key thing is, ‘what is God saying?’ We want to obey his leading first and foremost. The reality is He has allowed so many things to be shaken up for a reason. That reason can’t be to simply return unchanged. We’re convinced that what God is leading us into will be for our our joy and our flourishing. He’s the best Father and we believe this is His way of helping us become the vibrant, Christ exalting followers of Jesus he has made us to be. 

6. Aren’t we too small? Won’t we burn people out? 

We recognise that we are much smaller than you’d expect to be when considering something like this. But isn’t that the story of the Bible? God taking the weak and the lowly and the not very impressive and doing great things for his glory (1 Cor 1:28)? Who would have thought that we would be able to meet in two venues and be online and double our eldership team during a year of such challenge? But that’s the kind of thing God - and only God - does. 

So, in some sense, we’ve already proved we can do it! However, we want to be able to reach more people, disciple more children and adults and start more venues. For that we need to develop and commission more leaders. This is key in our thinking and we’ll talk more about this soon. 

7. Where will the venues be located?

At the moment, our thinking is that the first two venues will be in the New Malden and the Thames Ditton/Molesey area where God has already provided great church buildings. We are believing God to multiply those venues to enable us to begin new discipleship communities in places like North/Central Kingston and Tolworth/Chessington. We are very much still committed to the town of Kingston. 

8. Who else have you spoken to for guidance? 

We have talked and prayed as a team of eldership couples and with our Wider Leadership Team: brilliant men and women in the church who lead life groups and Sunday teams, for example. We have also spent an evening with Phil Moore, who has apostolic oversight of our church on behalf of New Ground. Phil asked excellent, probing questions and concluded that this was a brave and exciting move. Dave Holden, who leads New Ground, is also aware and supportive. Words of encouragement and prophecy from some of you - before you knew our thinking - have also been key. 

9. Are we still planning on buying a building? 

That is our desire. We are still seeking God’s leading on whether it should be a ‘hub/office/ gathering’ space or one where we also meet on Sundays.  We’re aware that the Thames Ditton URC is shortly to go on the market and considering that amongst other options.