Lincoln and Grimsby District
Background Information about Lincoln and Grimsby District
From the daffodil fields of Spalding to the docks of Immingham, from the caravans of Skegness
to the grandeur of Lincoln Cathedral, from the Epworth birthplace of the Wesleys to the
demesne of Hereward the Wake in Bourne, from the spectacular Humber Bridge to the salt
marshes of the Wash, the Lincoln & Grimsby District covers most of the historic county of
Lincolnshire.1 Within its 2,400 square miles live more than 900,000 people, a population which is
growing at a rate above the national average (mainly because of inward migration)2 and which
increases by a quarter of a million every summer as people flock to enjoy the sun and sand of
the east coast.
Amongst both those who are born here and those who have moved into the area, it is easy to
find people who will praise the merits of life in Lincolnshire. Crime rates are relatively low and so
too is the cost of housing in comparison to other parts of the country. Many of the schools have
good reputations with attainment generally higher than national and regional rates.
This is a largely rural District which also incorporates the historic City of Lincoln, the thriving
towns of Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Scunthorpe, Gainsborough, Skegness, and the beautiful market
towns of Brigg, Caistor, Market Rasen, Louth, Alford, Boston, Sleaford and Spalding, Horncastle
and Bourne. With these very different centres of population, the district has a mixed economy,
as fishing remains important in the north-east, heavy industry is important in the larger towns,
agriculture and rural pursuits are very apparent in the smaller communities, and tourism is
developing in importance. A major feature of Lincolnshire’s history in the twentieth century was
the presence of the Royal Air Force. The county remains home to two large bases – Waddington
and Coningsby – to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Red Arrows Aerobatic Team.
In the midst of all this, the District has 14 circuits with a total of 183 churches.3 Members in
these churches from 2008 statistics totalled 6256. 75 churches had some representation of
under 13 year olds, 41 had some teenagers in the congregation. It is however clear that the
congregations consist generally of older people.
1
The District does not cover Grantham or Stamford but does include small parts of Nottinghamshire. The historic
county of Lincolnshire is now divided into the Shire county of Lincoln and the unitary authorities of North
Lincolnshire and North-East Lincolnshire.
2
Estimated to be about 20,000 a year.
3
The figures in this section are the District statistics, 2009-10
There are currently 38 presbyters and three deacons in the active (circuit) work and seven lay
people in full time employment assisting in circuits. There is a half time Mission Enabler (a
presbyter) and a half time Training Officer.
Methodism is, of course, only one of the denominations in Lincolnshire.4 The District is
committed to working ecumenically and to encouraging local churches and circuits to develop
and sustain good relations with other churches. The largest Christian denomination in the
District is the Church of England. The District is almost coterminous with the Diocese of Lincoln
and is committed to the working out of the Anglican-Methodist Covenant.
Churches Together in All Lincolnshire (CTAL) is the county ecumenical body.5 The emphasis in
CTAL is on co-operation in mission; the CTAL Facilitator is tasked with encouraging united
mission initiatives around the county.
Mission is central to the life of the District. Local mission initiatives are supported by funding
from the District Advance Fund (DAF). The District Resourcing Mission Group exists to help
circuits to identify and meet the needs within their areas and administers grants from the DAF to
those ends. The focus of its work is on people rather than buildings and on encouraging fresh
expressions rather than perpetuating existing patterns of church life. In recent years, the District
has identified the needs of children, young people, and the under-40s among its particular
concerns. There is a commitment to the Connexional Youth Participation Strategy which,
through the District’s Youth & Children’s Team, has seen the creation of detached congregations
and cell groups for young people in some places.
Along with the rest of the Connexion, the District is engaged with re-grouping for mission
through the Mapping the Way Forward process. Two amalgamations of circuits are likely to take
place in 2010-11, one circuit wishes to work ecumenically, while some other circuits are looking
to work as confederations, sharing resources. Help is offered to circuits in developing their
mission strategies by the Mission Enabler and the Development Enabler with support from the
Training Officer.
4
The number of people of other faiths in the District remains low. Scunthorpe has an active inter-faith group and
Lincoln has a branch of the Council of Christians and Jews meeting.
5
See the CTAL website www.ctal.org.uk