DAC Annual Report 2013
We shape our buildings and therefore they shape us
Winston Churchill
Travelling across the diocese it is easy to see the number of post offices, petrol stations and
pubs that have followed corner shops in closing their doors. It is evident we are in a time of
social and economic change from which our churches are not immune.
A report into the future of retail highlights how survival depends upon businesses finding
innovate ways of operating and ensuring their message to the public is clear and meaningful.
Bookshops host reading groups and sell coffee, pubs sell food, and online purchasing means we
use postal services more than ever. It is not that we have stopped many activities but that we
now do them differently.
It is somewhat reassuring to realise many organisations, whether shops, societies or churches,
are suffering from falling attendance and it is easy to blame the competition for time on
Sundays. However, we cannot be complacent. We cannot assume times to change back or
assume a welcome smile on a Sunday morning is enough to draw newcomers through our
doors. Paradoxically, whilst religious matters are in the news more than ever, sympathy
towards the Christian faith appears to be declining and wariness or simple disinterest are
becoming common. We now face the challenges of disengagement and ignorance yet we
should take heart that our message is eternal and life transforming, and our ‘goods’ never go
out of date.
Churches across the diocese are exploring new ways to engage with their parishes and become
an integral part of the fabric of daily life. Caring for a building can be seen by some to be a
distraction from their mission but many see them as the tangible expression of the Christian
faith in their community. As part of the new Parish Support Team, the DAC can help churches
explore how buildings can become hospitable and welcoming centres at the heart of outreach
and mission.
Much of this work already takes place along the more traditional role of the DAC helping
churches care for their buildings, contents and churchyards. The Faculty Jurisdiction system
assures the voice of individual churches is heard when changes are needed to allow the needs
and challenges of each parish to be met. The DAC can help churches discern and appreciate the
best of their inherited fabric and work with them to explore how old and new can add value to
their understanding of their community and work more effectively within it.
As modern life becomes increasingly faster and often more insular, churches have a great
opportunity to help build up relationships and contacts within the communities they serve.
Whether this is achieved by developing the range and style of worship, running coffee
mornings, hosting mums and toddlers or reading groups, lunch clubs, local libraries, shops or
heritage centres, or providing a rare quiet space, will depend upon local circumstances.
Unlike large corporations, each church has its own unique identity and place within its parish.
There is no single solution to ensure a church will flourish; rather each has to work out its own
way of discerning and developing its mission, and the tools it needs. Plans will change, support
lost and found, challenges and setbacks overcome and funding secured. Forming a friends’
group can help spread the load of tasks that have to be carried out and can bring much needed
energy and expertise. Above all, any change must be underpinned by the mission, outreach and
ethos of the church. Growth will rarely result from improved facilities unless they have carefully
been devised to support the aims and mission of the church.
Summary of events in 2013
At the beginning of 2013, English Heritage conducted a National Survey of Quinquennial
Inspection Reports to determine the condition of all 16,000 churches in England. Of the 199 QI
reports inspected in the diocese of Sheffield, some 17.6% of churches were shown to be in poor
condition. A few indicated serious problems but poor reports were usually the result of water
ingress from faulty guttering or pointing. Such problems should be part of a regular
maintenance programme which churches should discuss with their QI Inspector. Mistakenly
believing they were saving money, the survey also highlighted that some churches were not
commissioning QI reports, or had not supplied a copy to the DAC. Electronic versions are now
accepted and all churches must ensure their QI report is up to date and that their architect has
provided them with a list of urgent and less-so repairs. More advice can be found in the DAC
sections of the diocesan website.
During 2013, the Church Buildings Council launched its 100 Church Treasures Appeal. Across
the country, churches were asked to submit their wish list of objects they possessed that were
in need of restoration. The 1638 William Wright monument to Sir Richard Scott at Ecclesfield St
Mary and the 1890 painted wooden panels by Emily Ford at Greasbrough St Mary were
selected to be part of the appeal. Collectively, the appeal hopes to raise over £50,000 for their
restoration.
http://www.churchcare.co.uk/images/100_Church_Treasures_LIST.pdf
Detail of 17th century monument of Sir Richard Scott at St Mary, Ecclesfield
From January 1 2014, new faculty application forms and a simplified application process come
into effect. Together with a summary of the changes, these are available to download form the
diocesan website or can be obtained from the DAC Secretary at Church House. Forms can now
be completed and submitted electronically and it is hoped this will ease the application process
and substantially reduce the time filling forms.
Many funders now require churches to submit detailed parish audits and statements of
significance. These recount the character and development of each church and its parish over
time, how relationships have changed and set out the current life of the church and those it
seeks to serve. Statements of Significance and Need are a key element within the new faculty
process for all major projects and churches are encouraged to spend time developing them.
These will be important documents, showing the current position of the church and its journey
to that point of its life. Setting out the history, heritage, strengths and weaknesses of each
church enables forward planning to be more focused and relevant to existing and potential new
users. The interest in church buildings as places of history and heritage continues to flourish
and, ranging from Saxon to Sixties, churches in our diocese have much to offer. It is accepted
that the needs of a church must not just be for heritage related projects but including this
aspect into a broader scheme can help attract funding to support the wider aims of your
church.
Changes within English Heritage mean they will no longer have the same level of funding to
offer churches for restoration work. However, from 1 October 2013, the Listed Places of
Worship Grants Scheme was extended to include works to pipe organs, turret clocks, bells and
bell ropes and professional services directly related to eligible building work, such as architect
fees, as eligible for the recovery of VAT. These are in addition to the range of expenditure
detailed at: http://www.lpwscheme.org.uk/eligibility_checklist.htm
Few organisations will offer grants sufficient to cover the need of a single project. It is usually
necessary to seek funds from several organisations, each of which will have their own
conditions for funding. For example, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) offers a range of grants to
places of worship. These currently have a focus on using church buildings for heritage and
educational outreach.
http://www.hlf.org.uk/HowToApply/programmes/Pages/Grants_places_worship.aspx#.Usv927
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Others will give to churches of specific ages, to repair items such as organs or bells, or will
request details of how the funding will help the church to be used more widely. Make sure the
requirements of each funder are carefully noted and that any request for specific outcomes is
included in your application.
As the cost of heating and lighting continues to rise, interest in alternative sources of fuel has
led to the development of Shrinking the Footprint, a Church Buildings Council resource for
helping churches explore alternative sources of fuel and reduce costs.
2014 sees the centenary of our diocese and the outbreak of World War I. Many churches hold
memorials raised by local subscription to the memory of those who lost their lives. During the
period 2014-2018, there is likely to be an increase in visitors to churches to view war memorials
(except in the 52 Thankful Villages, which lost no men). This would be a good time for churches
to extend an invitation to nearby schools, colleges and other community groups, and encourage
learning about memorials and those who died. Support including lesson plans for school groups
and suggestions for youth groups, Guides and Scout troop to help churches engage visitors of
all ages there is available from the War Memorials Trust’s learning programme
Requests for names to be added to such memorials need to be treated with caution as the
criteria for selection was often formed by local consensus and varied from village to village.
Memorials are historical artefacts and revising them in the light of modern information or
sensibilities can alter the meaning they were meant to convey. Adding new names to a
designated book of remembrance is often a better way than trying to alter the nature of an
existing memorial. Cleaning should also be approached with care as names and dates can be
eroded if incorrectly treated. More advice can be found on the website of the War Memorials
Trust
As part of the centenary celebrations, it is hoped to produce a book or website that highlights
the life and history of our churches. All churches in the diocese have been asked to provide
photographs and information about their life, activities and heritage. These will first be added
to a Flickr account, a website that hosts photographs, and will be freely accessible. Additional
information will be added to an associated website that will act as a resource for anyone
wanting to explore or attend our churches. Please send your contributions to
ourpartin@sheffield.anglican.org
Our diocese has an outstanding collection of buildings, some are hundreds of years old and
some modern, some rural and others urban. All have been built and adapted to serve the needs
of their parish. The DAC is here to help you discern how to blend the best of the past with
modern needs and practices so that your buildings continue to flourish and serve.
Thanks to the members of the DAC for their tireless support and commitment, and to you for all
that you, your Fabric Committees and volunteers do to maintain and enhance the buildings in
our Diocese – it is much appreciated by the communities we serve and those who visit.
If you are going to build a church, you are going to create a thing which speaks.
It will speak of meanings, and of values, and it will go on speaking.
And if it speaks of the wrong values it will destroy
There is a responsibility here.
Robert Maguire, ‘Meaning and Understanding’ in Towards a Church Architecture,
1962
Julie Banham, January 2013