Property & Mission

New Strategic Guidance for the Use of Property in Mission 

The calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God’s love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission.  Property plays a significant role in enabling a presence within communities. A Methodist building that is welcoming, eye-catching and that acts as a focal point for community engagement can speak powerfully of God’s love.  Utilising a property either by redeveloping it for social purpose or incorporating a range of social uses into an existing building is as much a part of a mission plan as preaching, worship or community evangelism.

Since 2018, the Methodist Council approved a two year Connexional property strategy to encourage Trustees to see and realise these possibilities.  Through the PDC’S work, Churches, Circuits and Districts have been supported and encouraged where possible to use property to fulfil the Church’s calling in a coherent way.  Significant strides have been made with a number of good examples of mission in action and also valuable lessons to be taken forward in our future work.

Examples of successes include:

• Awards of speculative funds to a number of local Churches to assess the feasibility of potential development and refurbishment projects and contributions towards the costs of planning applications,
• Innovative approaches across the Connexion in the use of property and partnerships to fulfil the Calling of the Church.  Follow this link for examples of innovative projects.
• An improved understanding by the PDC of the support required by Churches, Circuits and Districts to harness and optimise property for the Church’s calling, and
• An increased awareness of the importance of property in the life of the Connexion.

Equally some of the lessons learned include the need to:

• Streamline processes and reduce property related tasks for Circuits and Districts,
• Focus on strategic partnerships particularly with regards to large or complex projects, and
• Continue providing support and training for Circuits and Districts with property matters.

Drawing on the successes and lessons learned, this new guidance therefore sets out key priorities to enable effective use of property for mission across the Connexion.  Click here to read the new Strategic Guidance for the Use of Property in Mission.