32
PARISH PROFILE the church without walls
P A R I S H P R O F I L E
the church without walls
Contents1 Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 Our Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3 Our Church Family Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.1 Engage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2 Equip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.3 Empower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4 Our Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.1 Things To Celebrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.2 Challenges & Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.3 Focus For The Next 3 To 5 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5 The Vicar We Seek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
6 The Support We Will Offer You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
7 Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
7.1 Our Staff & Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
7.2 Our PCC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
7.3 Who Currently Leads On What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
8 Site & Vicarage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
8.1 Our Church Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
8.2 Your Future Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
9 Our Parish & Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9.1 Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9.2 Our Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
9.3 Our Local Town, Transport & Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
10 Our Diocese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
11 Our Deanery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
12 Our Patrons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
13 Useful Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
13.1 Our Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
13.2 Our Local Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
13.3 Our Mission Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
14 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
14.1 Financial Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
14.2 Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
14.3 Boundary Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
WelcomeThank you for reading our Parish Profile. We are excited
about discovering who God is calling to be our new vicar
and discerning together the outworking of God’s vision for
St Peter’s, Loudwater. We are delighted to be able to
introduce our church and parish to you, and we pray that
as you read about us, God will guide your thoughts.
The first thing you will notice when you see the outside of
our church is the wide glass entrance. We intend this to be
a visual outworking of who we strive to be, a church without
walls – God’s people meeting together in a place that’s
transparent and welcoming; living lives that seek to join in
with what God is doing in our local community.
But whilst there is much to celebrate about life at St Peter’s:
the love & care of our church family; strong
Bible-based teaching with a solid grounding in the
Old Testament; a dependence on prayer and openness
to the Holy Spirit; great facilities and a strong financial
underpinning - we are only too aware of the challenges
we face:
• We consider the number who come to new faith
at St Peter’s each year low and many of us lack
confidence in sharing our own faith outside church.
• Whilst attendance on Sundays remains strong (c.180
adults and children), attendance has declined c.20%
since 2007 with a notable portion of our
congregation growing older.
• The number of young people and families engaged in
our church life is at a low ebb, even though we
have a busy programme of activities with
well-resourced support.
As we have prayerfully sought God through this vacancy we
have been challenged by these realities and encouraged to
focus on a much greater potential for a church without walls
– intentionally reaching out and serving our local
community and those we connect with in our daily lives, so
that together we are engaged in extending His kingdom.
Are you the person that God is calling to lead us towards
that exciting new potential?
We are looking for an enthusiastic,
prayerful, evangelical, orthodox
and Biblically-faithful teacher,
dependent on Word and Spirit, a
wise leader and team builder
who will use and grow our
strengths, encouraging us together
to be daring for Christ in this part of
High Wycombe.
If you find a sense of identity with
our mission, vision and focus, we
would love to hear from you.
Church Wardens & St Peter’s PCC
1
3
Since the early 90s when it was first drawn up (originally
as Reach, Disciple, Release) our mission statement has
underpinned all that we do and prioritise at St Peter’s on
a day to day basis. It articulates the importance we place
on developing our individual faith journey and
discipleship; a dependence on the power and gifts of the
Holy Spirit and the involvement of all in the sharing of
our faith (every member ministry) as we reach out to
those around us, both in Loudwater and beyond.
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N TOur Aim is to:
• Engage others into seeking a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ
• Equip God’s people for all forms of
service in God’s Kingdom
• Empower every member under the
Spirit’s anointing, to use their God-given
gifts to build his kingdom
Over the years we have benefited from New and Old
Testament Bible-based teaching, and we have learnt to
listen to the Holy Spirit in prophetic words and pictures
which have had a formative effect on our development
and direction. The combination of Word and Spirit is
one that we have found to be key in making faith
relevant today.
Whilst our mission statement is widely recognised and
owned by many as the foundation of all we do, there
remains much to achieve for us to fulfil the potential we
believe God would intend for our members, Church
and community.
Our Congregation
2
Isaiah61 1-3
Maturing & Discipleship
Evangelism
Anoi
ntin
g of
the S
pirit
Engage
EquipEmpower
4
Our Mission
St Peter’s is an active church with much going on through
the week as well as on Sundays. Members of St Peter’s are
involved in a wide range of local groups and organisations
both church and community-based: Loudwater Forum; Love
Wycombe; Wycombe Homeless Connection; Simply Walk;
Guides; Parish Council; School Governors; Age Concern; and
Lighthouse (a very successful holiday club for children run
by Christians from many local churches).
We aim to reach out both to our local community in
Loudwater parish and to the wider circle of contacts that our
members have with their colleagues, neighbours and friends.
Engagement through events and activities has proven to be a
good way of fostering a sizeable fringe of seekers and
occasional attenders, with St Peter’s a recognised focus for
community events for many in the parish.
Activities over recent times have included a Barn Dance
held in a marquee on the church lawn; a tea party for the
Queen’s 90th birthday and a Jonathan Veira concert held in
the church and organised by the Loudwater Forum.
We are fortunate in having an excellent suite of buildings
and halls which are widely used by the local community for
everything from Alcoholics Anonymous to dance classes and
the Loudwater Village Pre-School, 4 days a week. There are
many regular church-run groups and events held on and off
site that provide opportunity to engage and reach out to
our community.
3
Young at Heart manBREAKFAST
Barn DanceQueen’s 90th Birthday celebrations
5
3.1 Engage
Our Church Family Life
6
For many years we have run Alpha, often
annually. The number of attendees has
varied considerably from 100 to just a
few. The last course that ran was in
Autumn 2017, hosting c.20 guests, with at least 3 coming
to a living faith. We have one running in early 2019.
Members of the church have also run Alpha courses in
their homes with friends and neighbours.
Tuesdays are busy on our church site with Tuesday’s Tots in
the morning. We have c.50 children between 0-5 plus their
carers in the morning. It's a mix of play for the children
and a time to relax and chat for the adults. A sing along
time and short Bible story or talk is always a popular
ending. Some mums have recently started attending a
Zumba class we run midweek.
Tuesday afternoons are just as busy with up to c.40 older
adults enjoying hospitality and a cup of tea as part of
Young at Heart. Meetings include a basic Christianity
course “Just Looking”; guest speakers; Bible talks; film
weeks; and healing and communion. Transport is provided,
and the group has great links with a local care home
(Brook House Nursing Home). Both Tuesday’s Tots and
Young at Heart provide a great way to support and build
relationships with our community.
We run seeker friendly services for special occasions
including Remembrance, Christmas and Easter. The recent
100-year anniversary of the ending of the First World War
involved a whole weekend of activities and services that
were attended by over 800 in total. This included a
multimedia service that focussed on the lives of the 26
men whose names appear on our local village war
memorial, as well as a beacon lighting event, joining in
with national activities.
Our active local uniformed movements are involved with
Remembrance services and also help with village events
which are held on the church site.
On Christmas Eve we turn over the inside of the church
for the Ultimate Christmas Party, an opportunity for fun,
celebration, mince pies and a drink, aimed at both children
and parents. This is a hugely popular event for many
around our village as a start to their family Christmas. This
last year a snow machine proved a real highlight.
There are regular well attended informal gatherings for
women and men, providing a great opportunity to: get to
know each other; learn more about living out our faith in
today’s world; and to also enjoy a bit of breakfast!
“manBREAKFAST” meets at the Papermill, a local
Remembrance SundayTuesday’s Tots
FirefliesLadies Group
LighthouseUltimate Christmas Party7
pub/restaurant and Premier Inn, once a month, whilst
women meet on the church site four times a year.
Both events provide a great opportunity to invite friends
and neighbours.
Fireflies is a weekly Friday evening community club during
term-time for school years 4-6. It's a space to spend time
with friends with loads of activities and workshops as well as
a short Bible talk. It is well attended by children from our
village and local schools as well as those involved in the
church. Average 2018 attendance has been around c.25.
We regularly run a Parenting Course, Marriage Course and
CAP Money Course (the latter with other local churches)
which are advertised and open to members of the church
and local community. These are run either on the church
site or in homes, depending on numbers. We also regularly
run marriage preparation courses.
We have good connections with our local village school,
Loudwater Combined School
(http://www.loudwater.bucks.sch.uk/website/home/8574).
The school has a Good rating from OFSTED, with many of
the children who attend living in the village. The school
visits the church for services at Christmas and at other
times during the school year. This includes a special service
in November 2018 put on at the school’s request for the
children and parents to remember the end of the First
World War.
3.2 EquipWe aim to disciple new Christians and on-the-way
believers as they develop a spiritual awareness and
relationship with God, and also to help Christians of
whatever maturity to be able to grow and share their faith
confidently, based on a knowledge of the Bible and their
own encounters with God. We recognise that fulfilling this
aim remains one of our biggest challenges, as we set out in
section 4.2. Amongst our more organised opportunities
for equipping are:
3.2.1 Sunday Services
08:45 Our weekly Prayer Service, started in 2015,
(2018 average attendance 31) focusses on
different aspects of church life with prayer led by
different members of the congregation and Holy
Communion once a month. Worship uses
spoken liturgy without music. Coffee and pastries
in the small hall right by the church entrance
follow the Prayer Service and provide an
opportunity to share fellowship and welcome
those arriving for our worship service at 10:00.
10:00 This is an informal and lively service with an
emphasis on encouraging encounter with God
through extended contemporary worship,
testimony, and a systematic teaching programme.
Service leading, and teaching is supported by a
wide range of gifted church members. We have
Holy Communion once a month and opportunity
for prayer ministry every week after the service.
Average attendance in 2018 was 131 adults and
14 children (under 16s).
Our 10:00 service is where baptisms and
dedications of children usually take place. The
church family enjoys a summer barbecue once a
year following the 10:00 service and we have
often held a conference weekend with guest
speaker and themed teaching that concludes at
this service. We have several small groups of
talented musicians and vocalists who lead the
worship at our services every Sunday. Whilst we
don't have a regular choir, a group of singers will
often come together to sing at special services
and Christmas.
8
Baptism Sunday Service
9
19:00 In 2015, when the morning worship pattern
changed to create the 08:45 Prayer Service, this
provided a space on Sunday evenings for a hungry
and united group of 20-30s within the church who
were keen to form a new movement. After
months of prayer and planning, The Gathering was
started. Beginning in February 2016, The
Gathering meets on Sunday evenings and is
passionate about seeking God and growing
community together. Average attendance in 2018
was 32 with all ages welcome.
We have held adult baptism at this service and at
our 10:00 service, usually by full immersion in a
portable baptistry. This has regularly provided an
opportunity to celebrate those who have come to
faith through our Alpha course.
3.2.2 Life Groups
Our midweek Life Groups play an important part in church
life alongside corporate worship and personal discipleship.
They also provide a place to get to know people in a
smaller setting than a Sunday service. There are nineteen
groups, together involving around half of the Sunday
congregation. These meet at various times and places with
each group having a different focus, so there is something
for everyone.
3.2.3 Prayer
We believe that prayer is the foundation for all we do so
we are constantly looking at ways to develop and
encourage our personal and corporate prayer times. There
are many focussed groups meeting to pray for specific areas
and needs. Our corporate prayer has included support for
24/7 prayer, 35 churches joining together to cover our town
of High Wycombe in prayer 365 days a year ; provision of a
daily prayer of blessing on our website for our Loudwater
Community; and a dedicated prayer room always open on
our church site. Where a particular focus arises, we will
gather as a church family or simply open the church for
prayer as we have done recently for our Vacancy and
also Brexit.
3.2.4 Conferences & Training
Members of St Peter’s regularly attend conferences and
festivals including Spring Harvest, New Wine, Soul
Survivor, HTB Leadership Conference and CVM’s
The Gathering. They will often attend as individuals
or families, but also on occasion as an organised
church group.
Our staff Youth & Children’s leaders are currently
engaged in part time study at St Mellitus College in
London and we have another church member who is
undertaking LLM vocational training (IME Part 1)
through the Oxford Diocese programme.
3.3 EmpowerWe believe in shared leadership, and we have seen God
working in people of all ages. We recognise the many
different gifts that God distributes amongst his people,
and our objective is to help people recognise and
develop the ministry to which God has called them.
3.3.1 Empowering LeadersWe found the CPAS Growing
Leaders courses we ran in-house in
2016 and 2017 a valuable tool for
helping us develop leaders, with a
total of 29 attending this course over the two years
(15 yr1 & 14 yr2). We have seen many encouraged to
take on new leadership roles through this course,
including into ministerial training.
We nurture and encourage preachers, service leaders,
worship leaders, musicians, small group leaders and
prayer ministry leaders. We have learnt to recognise,
value and encourage those with specific spiritual gifts
including prophecy and healing.
We have over the years been delighted to see a
number of our young (and older) people opt for
full-time Christian ministry, including ordained and
missionary callings.
10Youth at Soul Survivor
3.3.2 Empowering Our Children & Youth
We have seen the attendance of our children and young
people ebb and flow over the years but we remain
committed to invest in staff resources in this crucial area of
ministry, spurred on by the fruit we have seen in so many
lives as our youngsters have grown up.
Across three groups we currently average c.25 (2018)
children each Sunday (aged 3 months to 11yrs) worshipping
God and exploring the Christian faith in many ways: stories,
crafts, creative prayer, games and singing. Our Children &
Families worker leads a large team of volunteer leaders who
help once or twice a term to encourage the children to find
out more about Jesus and how loved they are by Him. This
includes, Creche for those under 3, Sparklers (3-5yrs) and
Kidzone (5-11yrs). These groups run alongside the 10:00
service during term time.
Ablaze Youth meets on a Sunday morning for those who
are at secondary school, engaging with worship in church
until 10:30 and then in small groups until 11:30. It is a space
to explore the Christian faith in small groups through
discussion, Bible-based teaching and
personal challenges. In 2018
average attendance on a Sunday
was c.9 young people.
Further opportunities for our youth to gather and have
Hang Outs are provided through the week by our Youth
Worker, encouraging our teenagers to explore and deepen
their faith. Our Youth Worker also seeks opportunities to
get alongside and support teenagers in the local community.
In the summer a large group of our youth and their friends
have routinely attended Soul Survivor, a highlight of the year
which has provided an opportunity for many to make
personal commitment to Jesus Christ. We are waiting to
see what emerges when this event comes to an end in
summer 2019.
Youth at Christmas Party
SparklersKidzone11
12
We support mission in our town and around the world
through prayer, financial giving and the practical support of
our church members. We give at least 10% of our voluntary
general fund income to mission work locally and overseas, in
addition to which individual members provide significantly
more in restricted fund support. This supports missional
partnerships, many of which have been established over long
periods with people who we consider part of our church
family, whether they are based locally or around the world.
Our mission partnerships include local and international
organisations as well as individuals and church members
who serve with them both full-time and on a part-time
voluntary basis. They include Wycombe Youth for Christ;
Wycliffe Bible Translators and WEC who were until recent
times based close to High Wycombe and with whom we
continue to have active members in our church; Mercy Ships
and OM Ships International.
Deep Roots was started in 2001 by one of our members,
Dave Renno, while in his twenties. Deep Roots is the
fulfilment of a vision God gave to Dave for a discipleship
programme for young Christians in Uganda. Sadly, Dave
died in a tragic accident in 2017, but our support and
encouragement of this ministry, which operates within the
Ugandan Diocese of South Rwenzori, continues.
We have established strong links with those working in
Jewish mission and reconciliation. This started initially
through our previous vicar, with support of CMJ. In recent
years it has also included supporting Towards Jerusalem
Council II, and a congregation which worships at Immanuel
House (Beit Immanuel) in Jaffa/Tel Aviv.
Tearfund
Mercy Ships
Deep Roots with late founder
3.3.3 Empowering Mission
13
Over the years successive vicars of St Peter’s have
confirmed our evangelical and revival roots and we have
experienced considerable blessing which has come in waves
over different periods.
The overall long-term vision for St Peter’s,supported by the daily outworking of
our mission statement, is to:
• see people's lives transformed in relationship
with Jesus Christ;
• bring that transforming power of Jesus into the
centre of community life in Loudwater;
• release members equipped to serve the wider
church in High Wycombe and beyond.
As we approached and entered our vacancy we spent a
series of evenings as a church family praying and seeking
God’s guidance for this next season. Church members have
been encouraged to feedback words or pictures, with more
than 100 responses gathered. Our PCC spent a day away
in the autumn considering these along with statistical data
about our parish and the output of a survey completed by
PCC members. The day was formative, with a sense of God
prompting us towards a focus for the next 3 to 5 years
(see page 15); helping us to see both challenges and
opportunities as well as remembering all the things
we have to celebrate about St Peter’s.
4.1 Things To Celebrate
encounteryoung
warmth & welcomeCHURCH mission
vocations
STAFF teamStrongTeachingWORSHIPinspiring
shared leadership
I S RAE L
prophetic legacygod’s presence
great facilities
changed lives
leaders
sending
OTgrounding
vocations
strong fin
ance
love & care
prayer fo
undationlife groups
foundation
We have many aspects of our church life that are healthy
and much valued. They form the character of who we are
and the journey we are on. They include our physical assets
and financial resources; our current patterns of worship and
our commitment to prayer and listening to God. We feel
we are both a welcoming church, and a church with a
legacy of sending out into mission and vocation. We have
many gifted people who are prepared to serve and lead,
enabling us to achieve more than our size might indicate.
4 Our Vision
14
Attendance• c.20% decline since ‘07, with most new
attendees through transfer
• Only 22% of our electoral roll members live in the parish
Children & Youth• Numbers have declined, despite investing
in staff resources
Leadership• We have perhaps not been as focussed in
recent years
Discipleship & Outreach• We lack confidence to personally share
our faith
Community• Numbers of weddings & funerals has
been low in recent years
• Local housing is expensive
CH
AL
LE
NG
ES
OP
PO
RT
UN
ITIE
S Attendance• Attendance steady since 2010
• Good gender balance
Resources• Strong finances and giving
• Excellent building and facilities
• Well resourced staff team
Discipleship & Outreach• 14 of our current congregation who joined
since 2012 have come to faith at St Peter’s
• Strong mix of midweek activities
• A committed membership
• No other church in the parish boundary
Community• Growing community engagement
• LW school is “Good”. Most children live in the parish
• Many travel in and work in our parish
4.2 Challenges & OpportunitiesThere are areas of our church life where we think we could do better. We do
not at present see our church growing significantly: we consider the number of
new Christians each year as low; too many of us lack confidence in sharing our
faith outside church; the number of young people engaged in our activities is at a
low ebb; and we are acutely aware that a notable portion of our congregation is
growing older. Whilst our community events are well run, popular and well
attended, this no longer readily translates into increased engagement in church
family life.
However, we see real opportunity through our many activities to significantly
extend our fringe by growing and building on the connections we already have.
This includes building culturally relevant relationships with those in our local
community as well as with those we each live and work alongside: in our jobs,
studies and neighbourhoods.
15
4.3 Focus For The Next 3 To 5 Years
We are seeking a leader who can help us articulate these
five areas in the form of a fresh vision to engage, equip and
empower our whole church family. We recognise that to
achieve this will require a much more intentional focus for
us all; being prepared to explore new and creative ways of
connecting with those around us; practically putting into
action a culture of every member ministry; and each
seeking to grow in confidence to share our personal
experience of Jesus Christ with those we live, work and
connect with. We are excited by the challenge of fulfilling
God’s potential for a church without walls.
What’sNEXT?
A shared leadership that seeks to empower and release;
Intentionally growing prayerful, confident disciples to be passionateambassadors of their faith in Jesus Christ;
Encouraging every member ministry recognising & releasing gifting;
An intentional focus on developing our youth & families, increasingconnections in meeting needs in culturally relevant ways;
An increased focus on our local community, understanding theirneeds and creating intentional engagements to meet these.
Make our mission statement a reality so we fulfill our
calling, responsibility for Loudwater and the potential that
God intends for us individually and as a church through...
As an outcome of our prayer and consideration during this
vacancy, we have been challenged to focus on a much
greater potential for a church without walls – intentionally
reaching out and serving our local community and those
we connect with in our daily lives, so that together we are
engaged in making our mission statement a reality and
extending His kingdom in this part of High Wycombe.
16
As we prayerfully considered the vicar we seek, inevitably
our list was long. But above all our concern is to find a
vicar whose discipleship and dependence on the Holy Spirit
and prayer is transparent in their personal life and public
ministry. We desire a well-grounded, orthodox, Bible-based
teacher and preacher, an evangelical who has a passion
for sharing the Good News of Jesus; and who is unafraid
to confront the values of contemporary society with a
radically different and relevant agenda, based on
God’s word.
Overall we seek a vicar whose leadership aims to:
• Follow the model of Jesus Christ who came not to be served but to serve;
• help us discern together God’s vision and direction for our future;
• enable, set and deliver a clear and effective strategic plan rooted in that vision;
• be a leader of leaders, as well as an accomplished manager and team builder;
• model a culture of pastoral care in our church and community;
• relate to children, young people and families;
• be a vicar to Loudwater as well as a leader for our church family at St Peter’s.
P E R S O N A L AT T R I B U T E S
The Vicar We Seek5
17
We are committed to every member ministry, and we
would like to work in partnership with our new
incumbent, seeking to support the vision that the vicar is
leading. We are committed to:
• Ensuring you have a proper balance between life and
work, with days off, holidays, retreats and opportunities
for continued learning;
• Providing you with an expenses budget for church
activities and self-development;
• Encouraging team working involving members of the
congregation;
• Employing a staff team who can also provide
administrative support;
• Making available experienced volunteers to support
site maintenance, finances and missionary giving;
• Providing you with prayer support and a commitment
to support you in all that God has called you to
achieve at St Peter’s;
• Encouraging you to regularly engage with your Spiritual
Director.
6 The Support We Will Offer You
18
7.1 Our Staff & Volunteers We are well supported by a wide range of both trained
and experienced lay volunteers in all aspects of ministry,
preaching and service leading. Within the congregation we
currently have one SSM, Derek Butler, and two experienced
LLMs, Patrick Finlay & David Clarke (retired), plus an LLM in
training, Rowena Harrison.
Our church office is open during the week with part time
employed administrative, finance and communications
support staff. Andy Saunders our part time (0.6 full time
equivalent) Operations Manager line manages the
administrative and communications staff. We employ a full
time Children, Families & Youth Co-ordinator, Lara Deen, as
well as a full time Youth Worker, Ellie Laverty. In total we
currently employ seven staff with a full time equivalent of
c.4 staff.
We currently have a Vacancy Leadership Team that shares
the leadership of the Church, each with their own area of
responsibility. The team is made up of our two Church
Wardens, Peter Coles and Susan Smithies, plus our
Treasurer, Ray Douglas, our SSM, Derek Butler, and one of
our LLMs, Patrick Finlay.
We have many volunteer teams that manage our prayer
support, safeguarding, worship and many other aspects of
church life, with the various midweek groups described
above also lay-led by committed volunteers.
7.2 Our PCCOur PCC, which is chaired by our vicar, has traditionally met
bi-monthly. It is made up of: two churchwardens (elected
annually); four deanery synod representatives (elected for
three years); eight elected members (elected for three
years, one position vacant); and a co-opted treasurer. The
composition of the PCC is 9 elected male and 6 female
members, with an age range of 25 to 82 and an average
age of 61.
In order to allow for continuity during the vacancy, the usual
provisions for the wardens and one third of the elected
members to stand down after agreed maximum terms have
been suspended until a new incumbent is established. The
PCC is supported by a Parish Secretary, who is in training
as an LLM, and our Operations Manager, who attends all
meetings.
The two active committees of our PCC are:
• the standing committee, which meets as required and is
typically used only for formal approval of non-
contentious matters which arise between PCC
meetings; and
• the missionary support sub-committee (“MSS”) which
meets as required to co-ordinate prayer and financial
support for mission partners. It makes at least an
annual recommendation to the PCC for the allocation
of financial support for the following accounting year.
7 Team
19
7.3 Who Currently Leads On What?
VICAR
Treasurer
FinanceAccounts &
Audit
Budget
Payroll
Expenses
Gift Aid
OperationsMaintenance
& Repairs
Supplies
Hall bookingmanagement
Insuranceutilities etc
Health &Safety
Cleaning
Office &CommsAgenda &minutes
Reception
RotasPrinting
Website
Newsletter &screens
Marketing PR& social media
Ops Manager
PC
C
SA
FE
GU
AR
DIN
G
Children, Youth &Families Co-od
Family &ChildrenKidzone
Sparklers
Tuesday’sTots
OutreachPlanning
Teachingprogramme
YouthAblaze
Fireflies
SoulSurvivor
SchoolsLiasion
TeachingProgramme
Ministry
TeachingProgramme
MorningService
Communion
The Gathering
Worship &Music
WeddingsBaptisms &Funerals
Wedding Prep
Pastoral &Prayer
Prayer Shield
Prophectic
PastoralSupport
Counselling
ThursdayPrayer
24/7 Prayer
Mission
Alpha
Life Groups
Young atHeart
CommunityEvents
Men & WomenMinistry
Parenting &MarriageCourse
Deep Roots
The following diagram sets out the various activities of St
Peter’s by functional grouping, showing in dark blue text
those areas where our vicar has until recently taken the
lead or line managed. Supported by our Wardens and
PCC, our vicar has also taken the lead on the setting of
strategy, determining priorities and our mission agenda.
The activities shown in white text are where either a
member of staff or volunteer currently provide the lead
and /or co-ordinate the activity.
These arrangements and the spread of leadership are open
to change and adaptation, not least to ensure they align and
support our vision, strategy and missional priorities.
S TA F F T E A M
Ellie Laverty
Heather Flood
Lara Deen
Heather Wildsmith
Andy Saunders Rowena Harrison
20
8.1 Our Church Site Originally constructed in 1788 as a Georgian chapel of ease
for local villagers by a local mill owner, William Davis, the
building was enlarged and consecrated as the parish church
for Loudwater in 1904. This history lead to the distinctive
external appearance of our church, a combination of
Georgian chapel and Victorian chancel.
The interior of our church was substantially and very
successfully modernised in 2006 providing an open flexible
space overlooked by galleried balconies that can be
arranged to suit different formats. We still have an organ as
well as fully equipped audio and video systems to support
worship, teaching and presentation. Our church has regular
seating for 262 with the ability to accommodate up to 400
when the seats are cleared, which often happens for our
Ultimate Christmas Party on Christmas Eve.
Directly opposite the church main (west) doors and just a
few metres away is a small hall with kitchen and toilets
attached. This is connected to a larger hall that can be
subdivided. This is used greatly by our children and youth
groups on Sundays and rented out to various community
groups during the week.
Immediately south of the church up a short pedestrian
ramp is a small car park, and beyond this is the “Old
Vicarage” – a substantial Victorian house that has been
converted into the church offices and meeting rooms, one
of which is reserved for prayer. Outside there is a
substantial lawn which we use for summer activities
including church barbecues and picnics. Just off to the
corner of the car park is the current vicarage with private
parking spaces for two or three cars.
8.2 Your Future HomeOur vicarage is a purpose-built five bedroomed detached
family house, set at the end of the drive onto the church
site. Built in the 1970s the property is excellently
proportioned and well maintained, with a large study and
two further reception rooms plus kitchen diner and utility.
The property has a private garden adjacent to woodland
and its own garage. We have agreed for a range of
maintenance works to be undertaken during the vacancy
by Oxford Diocese, including some refurbishment of the
bathrooms and shower. We intend that, with the
agreement of the new vicar, the property will be freshly
decorated throughout before occupation.
Site & Vicarage8
21
9.1 DemographicsWith a population of c.4,500 and covering an area of one
square mile, St Peter’s is the only Christian church within
the parish of Loudwater. The population is 90% ethnically
white and this is reflected in the congregation. 58% of the
parish indicated on the last census that they are Christian,
with the next largest grouping being No Religion at 30%
followed by Muslim at 2%.
In terms of age range, the parish has slightly fewer children
than the national average, and slightly more young adults:
these are typically first-time buyers who then move on to a
larger house when they start a family. The 2011 census
indicates more than 50% of the population are aged
between 30 and 64. However a significant change in
housing stock over the last decade, much infilling and
construction of flats and rising house prices has likely led to
a change in social demographics and a reduction in younger
people, something we see reflected in our congregation.
Only 22% of those on our electoral roll at St Peter’s come
from within the parish boundary, with many travelling in
attracted by the excellent teaching, warm welcome and lively
worship. However, our electoral roll and overall church
attendance have declined by c.20% since 2007 for reasons
that are not clear, but since 2012 our usual Sunday
attendance has stabilised at around c180 adults and children.
We have around 500 people attending our various
Christmas services. 40% of our congregation is male, and we
have sought to grow this by a targeted men’s programme.
Loudwater (census 2011)
Deprivation rank 11,069(1 = most deprived,12,500 = least deprived)
Parish population 4,442
Parish number of 1,988occupied households
Area (square miles) 1.0
Population density 4,389
% White ethnicity 90.1
% Asian ethnicity 5.3
% Black ethnicity 2.2
% Mixed ethnicity 2.0
% Other ethnicity 0.4
% Christian 57.8
% Buddhist 1.1
% Hindu 1.4
% Jewish 0.2
% Muslim 2.1
% Sikh 0.5
% Other religion 0.3
% No religion 30.0
% aged 0-4 6.1
% aged 5-17 13.8
% aged 18-29 15.2
% aged 30-44 24.7
% aged 45-64 27.3
% aged 65 and over 12.9
Our Parish & Village9
9.2 Our Village Although the original paper mill industry of the area has
long since closed, there is still much business and many
who work within the parish. There are several small
trading estates, a small retail park and many stand-alone
offices, including the HQ of the local newspaper and the
national bedding firm Dreams.
Loudwater has many of the facilities of a self-contained
village, including: a few local shops; post office; several pubs;
a school; doctors’ surgery; golf course; rugby club and
cemetery. There is a boys’ club as well as scout and guide
groups with whom the church has links. There are also
Tesco, Dunelm, and Homebase stores, that serve the
wider area.
Opposite the church is a small park/playground popular
with younger families during the day. There is also a
larger area of playing fields and rugby pitches along the
road. We have used both these facilities in prior years for
community events and outside services.
22
The nearest shopping centre is in the town of High
Wycombe, 3 miles along the valley. High Wycombe has a
theatre and two cinema complexes plus an excellent
recently built public sports centre with swimming pools. We
are close to the Thames and the Chiltern Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty featuring rolling hillsides,
woodland and open countryside with plenty of public
footpaths. There are excellent commuter links, with the
M40 passing close by and both the M4 and M25 within a
few miles. There are main line railway stations in
Beaconsfield and High Wycombe, with regular 30-minute
services to London.
There is a county combined school close to the church
which OFSTED rated “Good” in January 2018. It has c.200
children, and we have a close relationship with it although it
is not a church foundation. Our youth team put on seasonal
events for the school in church, and we have individual
members who visit the school for assemblies and special
events. Relationship with school is very good with the head
teacher happy to work with us in helping to deliver some of
the Christian elements of the RE curriculum.
Buckinghamshire operates a selective education system, with
an 11+ exam. There are excellent grammar schools and
several soundly rated co-ed secondary schools all within a
three-mile radius. As an alternative there are some very
good comprehensive schools over the county border and
many private and public schools in easy range.
9.3 Our Local Town, Transport & Education
23
24
The Diocese of Oxford serves the mission of the Church in Buckinghamshire,
Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The Diocese comprises more than 600 parishes, with
over 800 churches, serving a diverse population of more than 2 million people
located in all types of settings.
Due to the size and complexity of the Diocese, there are three Area Bishops
who exercise considerable strategic and pastoral oversight for their respective
Archdeaconries. The Bishop of Buckingham is the Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson who
has been the Area Bishop for Buckingham since 2003.
With the appointment of the new Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Dr Steven
Croft, a new common vision is emerging for the Diocese of Oxford.
Entitled “Towards a Common Vision” it asks:
• What kind of church are we called to be? A Christ-like Church;
• What are the marks of a Christ-like Church? To be the Church of the
Beatitudes – Contemplative, Compassionate, Courageous;
https://www.oxford.anglican.org/mission-ministry/towards-a-common-vision/
It also asks what we are called to do together. This is currently a work in progress, but is likely to cover the following
strategic priorities:
• To make a bigger difference in the world and serve the poor;
• To share our faith with adults, children and young people and grow the church in every place, rural, urban and suburban;
• To plant new churches and congregations everywhere we can;
• To serve every school in our community;
• To put the discipleship of all at the heart of our common life and set God’s people free;
• To celebrate and bless our largest, fastest growing city Milton Keynes.
These priorities will be supported centrally by resources, training, conferences, workshops, and much more. The diocese is
inviting parishes and their priests to share a vision rather than demanding a response. It wants all its priests to flourish in
ministry and to deepen their enjoyment of God.
Alongside the emerging diocesan vision, the priorities and principles for the Buckingham Archdeaconry are set out in the
Buckingham Mission Action Plan (MAP):
http://www.oxford.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Bucks-Archdeaconry-Plan-0515.pdf
It is expected by the diocese that all clergy appointed into the Archdeaconry of Buckingham will want to commit
themselves to the Diocesan vision and Archdeaconry MAP and their strategic directions.
Archdeacon of Buckingham: Guy Elsmore
10 Our Diocese
25
The Wycombe Deanery is a family of 35 Anglican churches who - together with our ecumenical friends - serve the 150,000
people living in and around High Wycombe. Together the Deanery Churches comprise over 3,000 Christians living, working
and playing our part in the growth of God's Kingdom here.
O U R 3 C O R E P R I N C I P L E S A R E :
1. Serving our fellowships
By which we mean:
Always seeking the good of each parish;
Focussing on people and right relationships, not buildings
or structures;
Acting in a collaborative and mutually supportive way.
2. Shaping our future
By which we mean:
Taking responsibility for the future of the Deanery,
which is in our own hands under God;
Proactive long-term planning for growth;
Bold and realistic plans for short / medium-term sustainability.
3. Spurring on our friends
By which we mean:
Exploring new ways to grow in love and in our calling;
Enabling parishes to work better together;
Learning from each other and identifying partnerships;
Supporting, encouraging, unifying and inspiring.
TO ENABLE THIS , OUR KEY GROUPS ARE THE:
• Deanery Chapter - a bimonthly gathering of clergy, modelled on the Upper Room of the book of Acts, where we gather
together to pray, to encourage each other and to seek the leading of the Holy Spirit together;
• Deanery Synod - a quarterly gathering of elected leaders from our 35 churches, where we devote at least 50% of our
time to focusing on what is inspirational or missional, or both;
• Deanery Leadership Teams - our Mission & Pastoral Committee and Standing Committee provide a lead on strategic,
operational and financial aspects of Deanery life and consist of gifted lay and clergy representatives from the churches.
Lay Chair: Graeme Slocombe Area Dean: Dave Bull Assistant Area Dean: Hugh Ellis
Our Deanery11
26
Our patrons are the Martyrs Memorial and Church of
England Trust (CPAS), who are taking a very active interest
in discerning the right appointment for our Church and
community. St Peter’s has a long-standing relationship with
CPAS. In recent years, we have run the CPAS Growing
Leaders Course, attended the PCC Tonight course and
used the associated training material, and most recently
benefited as a PCC from the CPAS Growing Through a
Vacancy material.
12 Our Patrons
27
13.1 Our Church
https://www.loudwater.org/
https://en-gb.facebook.com/stpetersloudwater/
https://twitter.com/sploudwater?lang=en
http://www.wycombedeanery.com/
https://www.oxford.anglican.org/
http://www.oxford.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Bucks-Archdeaconry-Plan-0515.pdf
https://www.cpas.org.uk/
http://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/?q=1128016
https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/181/
13.2 Our Local Area
https://en-gb.facebook.com/Loudwaterforum/
http://www.loudwaterpreschool.co.uk
http://www.cwpc.org.uk/
http://www.loudwater.bucks.sch.uk/website
https://www.wycombe.gov.uk/pages/Community/Education/Schools-and-colleges-in-Wycombe.aspx
https://www.onedome.com/locations/uk/england/buckinghamshire/high-wycombe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckinghamshire
https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/environment/exploring-the-countryside/simply-walk/
13.3 Our Mission Partners
https://www.wycliffe.org.uk/
https://m.facebook.com/deeprootsuganda/
https://www.cmj.org.uk/
http://tjcii.org/
https://www.wyhoc.org.uk/
http://www.wycombeyfc.org.uk/
https://lovewycombe.org.uk/
https://lighthousecentral.org/
https://www.mercyships.org.uk/
Useful Websites13
28
14.1 Financial SummaryOur church finances are strong, established on the
basis of consistent Biblical teaching on the
importance of giving, with the church modelling
the principle of tithing in giving at least 10% of its
donations received to mission outside of the
parish. Significant additional donations, through
restricted giving, further support mission at home
and abroad. Income over the last four years plus
the forecast for 2018 is shown in the graph:
• General fund donations increased significantly
in 2015 following an extended series of
teaching on giving;
• Regular standing orders account for c.80-90%
of donations, with occasional large (c.£5-10k)
ad-hoc donations;
• A forecast drop in 2018 restricted donations is
largely related to the untimely death of the
leader of Deep Roots, with restricted giving for
his support ceasing after he died.
Major projects are commonly funded from
reserves, gift days and specific restricted giving.
Where we decide to increase our on-going
expenditure, we first seek to establish a
confidence that our recurring income will also
increase, although we have on several occasions
used reserves to “seed fund” new initiatives, in
faith that on-going giving will increase to allow the
initiatives to be sustainable.
2014£0
£50,000
£100,000
£150,000
£200,000
£250,000
£300,000
£350,000
£400,000
£450,000
2015 2016
FORECAST
Restricted Income Other Income General Fund Donations
T O T A L I N C O M E
2017 2018
Missionaries
Outreach
Pastoral
Youth
Parish Share
Other Expenditure
Property
Office & Admin
B R E A K D O W N O F E X P E N D I T U R E
2018 FORECAST
9.6%
28.1%
27.0%
5.6%
9.9%
17.5%
1.9%
0.3%
Appendix14
29
The forecast for 2018-year end is a surplus of £13k, mainly
as a result of delayed projects due to the timings of faculty
application. A deficit budget of £35k has been agreed for
2019, to include the delayed project costs and further
committing an element of reserves, in order to continue
major maintenance and upgrade projects on the church site.
• Around 36% of total expenditure, spread over “Youth”
and “Office & Admin,” is to fund salaries and direct
employment costs of our paid staff;
• Although direct “Outreach” costs appear low, 2018’s
Alpha course has been delayed until January 2019 and
much of the focus of the youth and families team is on
outreach.
Our contribution to deanery parish share, as with many
churches, is the largest single item of expenditure (total
youth costs are marginally greater) for the PCC and is
consistently paid in full using the diocesan direct debit
scheme. The PCC was actively involved in promoting the
current deanery model for the allocation of parish share,
which places emphasis on churches covering the costs of
their ministry as far as possible. Whilst this is resulting in a
long-term phased reduction in the PCC’s contribution over
an extended transitional period, we remain committed to
supporting mission and ministry across our deanery.
Whilst our 2018 accounts will include a figure of £1.15m of
reserves on the general fund, over £1m of this figure relates
to the value of our halls and the Old Vicarage used as part
of the church facilities. All of the buildings have restrictive
covenants on their use for the mission of the church.
The PCC is expected to have effective control over c.£70k
of free cash reserves, plus designated funds of £52k
(including a £25k emergency fund) at 31 December 2018.
The deficit budget agreed for 2019 is comfortably covered
by these reserves.
30
14.2 TrendsDashboard for the benefice of Loudwater in the Deanery of Wycombe
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Produced by the Research and Statistics Unit, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ.
Date of production: 13/11/18 @cofestats
Every effort has been made to ensure that data are reliable. We would be grateful to be notified of any significant errors or omissions by email to [email protected]
31
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This dashboard contains figures as submitted by churches currently in the benefice.Attendance statistics: taken from annual Statistics for Mission returns. Average weekly attendance: attendance atSunday and midweek church services & fresh expressions in October; Figs 1 & 5 do not include attendance at servicesfor schools. Easter : Easter Eve & Easter Day; Christmas: Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. Baptisms: all baptisms &thanksgivings. Marriages: marriages and services of prayer & dedication after civil marriages. Funerals: those held inchurch & at crematoria/cemeteries. Worshipping Community information has been collected from 2012 onwards.
Census data: taken from the 2011 national Census.Census statistics have been mapped onto benefice boundaries so are approximations.
For more information, see: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/policy-and-thinking/research-and-statistics
Benefice census summaryBenefice population (2011): 4442
Benefice Diocese National
% aged 0-17 20% 23% 21%
% aged 18-44 40% 37% 37%
% aged 45-64 27% 25% 25%
% aged 65 & over 13% 15% 16%
% Christian 58% 58% 59%
% non-Christian religion 6% 9% 9%
For more detailed census information: see http://arcg.is/1RaS4CShttps://www.churchofengland.org/more/policy-and-thinking/research-and-statistics
14.3 Boundary Maps
32
A40
A40Stat
ion
Road
Boundary Road
Kingsmead Road
A40
A40
M40
M40
M40
FLACKWELL HEATH
L O U D WAT E R
HIGHWYCOMBE
BEACONSFIELD
MARLOW
A40
A404
A4010
A40
A4049
A355
M40
M40
BOURNE END
FLACKWELLHEATH
HIGH WYCOMBE
LOUDWATER
