CCU Resources 2011
Partnership and Hospitality:
The use of Church of England Places of
Worship by Guest Churches
Partnership and Hospitality
There has been a rapid increase in the diversity
of Christian churches and congregations in the
UK over the last 20 years, which is the result
of a combination of factors:
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The arrival from overseas of Christians of
many different churches, identified with
particular ethnic groups, which desire to
worship in their own traditions and style:
these churches include Christians from
Asia, Africa, Middle East and Eastern
Europe, some of whom represent ancient
traditions, while others are from young,
often rapidly expanding churches.
Worshipping together helps to maintain
cultural as well as religious identity for
these communities.
The growth and diversification of Black
Majority Churches, whether independent
or part of global fellowships and
movements. Some of these churches, such
as the New Testament Church of God, the
Church of God of Prophecy and the New
Testament Assembly, are familiar and
well established in the Christian life of this
country. Others are new churches, for
example Kingsway International Church
Centre and Ruach Ministries. This
diversity is reflected in two directories of
Black Majority Churches: The Black UK
Christian Directoryi and the online
Directory of Black Majority Churches ii,
both of which are a valuable resource.
Because of this diversity, it is very
difficult to refer to these churches with one
simple descriptive term. The term Black
Majority Churches is well established, but
it is a generic, sociological term, which is
now being challenged in some quartersiii.
The Churches Together in England Group
for Minority Ethnic Christian Affairs
(MECA) refers to Black and Minority
Ethnic Churchesiv.
The increasing number of independent
evangelical and pentecostal churches
which have arisen through church
planting. Some of these groups belong to
associations, such as the Vineyard, while
others are totally independent, and rely on
a support network of personal contacts and
relationships through para-church
organisations and events. These churches
are not necessarily Black Majority or
Ethnic Churches.
One collective term cannot embrace this
diversity of Christian expression, and so care
should be taken about how a particular church
is described. A church’s self understanding is
derived from its tradition and origins, and this
will be reflected in the name the church itself
uses. The name should be one of the first
things to learn about a church, and that name
should be used in referring to it.
As the diversity of churches has increased so
has the potential for churches to offer
hospitality to other congregations to worship in
their church buildings. Although many
churches may start by worshipping in all
manner of premises, as they grow and become
better established, they will need to find a
space which offers them the opportunity to
develop their life in a stable and suitable
environment. So they will often turn to another
church which has premises in the
neighbourhood. The Church of England, and
the other traditional churches in this country
are building rich and there are many examples
where hospitality is extended by them to
accommodate the needs of guest
congregations. There are also a growing
number of instances where hospitality is being
offered by one Black Majority Church to
another.
What Sort of Relationship?
The relationship between a church that owns
the premises, the host church, and the one that
hires the premises for worship can be
characterised in a number of ways. A leaflet
from the Group for Local Unityv, suggests
three categories - sharers, guests, tenants – to
describe these sorts of relationship. It may be
more accurate to refer not to tenants,
suggesting sole occupancy, but to licencees,
suggesting a limited use of facilities and space,
granted by licence under faculty.
The landlord – licencee relationship suggests
purely a practical agreement limited to an
agreement on terms of use and finance. It is
important nevertheless to ensure that there is a
proper agreement, which is reviewed on a
regular basis.
A hiring congregation may have no interest in
developing the relationship, but it must be
remembered that there may be many reasons
for this, including their sense of being only a
lodger, and therefore of being the weaker
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CCU Resources 2011
party. Many hiring arrangements may only be
for a limited period, while a congregation is
searching for its own premises, and this will
also curtail the relationship.
The church which owns the premises likewise
may not appreciate or welcome the opportunity
for developing a deeper relationship and may
regard the arrangement only as a source of
income from rent. Some churches have a
number of congregations using the same
building, and may not have the capacity to
nurture all the relationships involved.
However, relating as landlord to licencee is not
appropriate to a relationship between two
churches. It implies a lack of mutual regard of
each other as members of the body of Christ,
and could reinforce impressions of superiority
and inferiority.
Sharing hospitality opens up the possibility of
deeper understanding and friendship
developing between the two congregations,
which itself helps to further the cause of
Christian unity. When two congregations live
under the same roof, the opportunities of
meeting socially, in common prayer and in
worship are much greater than when they
worship in separate places. The two
congregations have the opportunity to begin to
share a common purpose and there is great
potential for common witness. Sharing a
building has the potential for being a sign to
others of this growing partnership. If it is
accepted that both churches, though normally
meeting separately, are committed to a
continuing partnership, entering into a
covenant may be an appropriate way of
strengthening the relationship.
Some principles for offering hospitality
A host – guest relationship suggests that
generous hospitality, where the host has a
sense of responsibility and care for the guest,
is the main motivation, arising from a regard
for the other as fellow Christians. Although
there is still the need for practical agreements
to be in place, it is a tangible and practical way
for one church, blessed with a church building,
to offer these resources with a sister church
which does not have its own space.
St Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8.13-14, of the
generosity of the Macedonian Church:
……… it is a question of a fair balance
between your present abundance and their
need, so that their abundance may be for your
need, in order that there may be a fair
balance.
Being generous by showing hospitality is a
sign of the generosity of Christ (2 Corinthians
8.9). It is possible for such a relationship to
develop into friendship, but the guest
congregation may still not have a sense of
belonging within the sacred space, in contrast
to the hostsvi.
Being sharers suggests that a partnership is
developing, which is mutual and where there is
a sense of equality in terms of Christian
belonging. There will be a sense of belonging
within the sacred space in both congregations,
and a growing shared interest, mutual concern
for each other, and interaction, which may
lead, where possible, to shared worship, life,
witness and mission.
When a Black or Ethnic Minority Church
approaches a Church of England parish to use
some of its premises, it is important to
acknowledge that members of that church may
have sensibilities about the way they have
been treated in the past, through slavery,
colonialism and racism. There is also potential
for prejudices among members of the potential
host church to surface: prejudices ranging from
attitudes about the beliefs and practices of the
church, to racial and ethnic prejudices. The use
of inappropriate language can add to
difficulties. Awareness of these potential
issues, as well as courtesy and respect, are
essential on the part of the host church.
If approached with sensitivity, providing space
to a church drawn from a minority community,
especially one which has recently arrived in
this country, to affirm its sense of belonging
and identity will assist that community in the
process of settling and integrating into the life
of the community at large. It is part of the
wider hospitality which neutralises the forces
that attempt to reject the newcomer among us,
and is therefore a simple statement of
solidarity with those who may otherwise be
excluded. In Solomon’s prayer offered before
he dedicated the Temple (2 Chronicles 6) there
is a prayer for the foreigner who comes to
worship at the Temple, acknowledging their
need to do so, and the glory that this gives to
the Lord (vv 32 – 33).
Churches which use the same building need to
be encouraged to move from a purely practical
arrangement into partnership. However, in any
of these relationships tensions and conflicts
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CCU Resources 2011
may arise, and there are examples of unhappy
situations which have developed. Such
tensions and conflicts have a number of
causes:
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Lack of a clear and fair agreement
between the parties.
Cultural differences which lead to
misunderstanding.
No regular contact between the
leaders of the churches.
Little contact between the members of
the congregations except when
problems arise.
One church acting and speaking as if
it were superior to the other.
The churches see themselves as being
in competition.
There is a wide variety of practice across
parishes and dioceses in the arrangements for
the use of Church of England buildings by
independent congregations and greater
consistency is needed within and between
dioceses, in order to avoid some of the
problems that can occur, and also to open up
the possibilities for mission, and building up
the body of Christ which sharing church
buildings present.
It is essential that the following three areas of
the relationship are attended to.
a
The agreement between thePCC
and the guest church.
Whilst the early stages of reaching such an
agreement will often be informal and verbal,
any arrangement needs to be set out in a
written document that both sides agree and
sign. For a long-term agreement with
considerable financial and other aspects, a
proper Sharing Agreement under the Sharing
of Church Buildings Act 1969 is more
appropriate. The essential point is that both
sides should have a written basis for the
agreement which is regularly reviewed.
As early as possible in the negotiating process
the meetings should involve responsible lay
members of both host and guest churches.
It is good practice for there to be a joint host
church/guest church group, meeting at least
twice a year, to review the arrangements to
deal with problems and possibilities.
In any relationship language can create great
difficulty. A willingness to listen, patience and
understanding, are asked for where there are
cultural differences and especially in meetings
with those whose first language is not English.
All arrangements must be expressed with
clarity and technical accuracy; avoiding terms
which set the tone of the relationship from the
outset. It is important to remember that the
arrangements can express a link between two
Christian bodies who should ideally relate to
each other in more than a purely practical way.
There may be some circumstances in which
the beliefs and practices of the host church and
the hiring church are or become incompatible;
in these cases, there may be no alternative but
to cancel the arrangements, or not to embark
on them in the first place, and to learn from the
experience.vii
b
The relationship between the
church leaders.
Experience shows that it is not enough for the
leaders of the congregations to agree to meet
only when problems arise; it is important to
have a scheduled and regular meeting –
perhaps monthly or bi-monthly – when any
small issues can be raised before they become
larger irritants. Action agreed upon should be
minuted in writing, and checked at the next
meeting. When leaders of either congregation
are leaving or arriving, it is common courtesy
to inform the other; an “exit” meeting and an
“incoming” one between the leaders should be
natural.
The leaders have a particular role in ensuring
that others involved in the arrangements wardens, PCC, administrators, caretakers,
congregation – appreciate both the general
nature of the relationship and the practical
details contained in the agreement. Any
changes in leadership in both the host church
and the hiring church should result in a new
agreement being drawn up and signed. viii
c
The relationship between the
congregations.
Granted that different cultures and traditions
make it unlikely in most cases that two or
more worship services can be permanently
unified, can special arrangements be made for
members of one congregation to visit the other
and be welcomed? If this “getting to know
you” process is left to chance, the chances are
it will never happen. Perhaps a year’s
programme of mutual visiting could be agreed,
and at the end whatever was learned can be
assessed.
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CCU Resources 2011
i
McGreal, S. (ed) Black UK Christian
Directory: Black UK Publications Limited
(Bury St Edmunds), 2008
ii
Got to: http://www.bmcdirectory.co.uk/
iii
For more information about Black Majority
Churches and Black Christianity see:
Aldred, J. Respect: Understanding Caribbean
British Christianity, Epworth Press 2006
Sturge, M. Look what the Lord has done! An
exploration of Black Christian Faith in
Britain, Scripture Union 2005
Gerloff, R. A Plea for British Black
Theologies, P. Lang 1992
iv
Membership of the MECA Reference Group
includes all the Black Majority Churches
which have national structures, and other
national Church agencies. For further
information on MECA, go to:
http://cte.churchinsight.com/Groups/42999/Ch
urches_Together_in/Themes/Focus_on_People
/Minority_Ethnic_Christian/Minority_Ethnic_
Christian.aspx
v
Sharers, Guests and Tenants, Churches
Group for Local Unity, CTE, 2002:
downloadable from: http://www.churchestogether.net/Articles/61504/Churches_Togethe
r_in/Local_Ecumenism/Ecumenical_Notes/4_
SHARING_CHURCH.aspx where there are
many other resouces on the subject of shared
church buildings.
vi
Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, in his book
“The home we build together” explores these
sorts of relationship in a rather different
context.
vii
Taken from the Diocese of Southwark
Guidelines for Host Churches/Hiring Churches
viii
Southwark Guidelines
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