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Teaching & Seminars

Preparing for change is no small task in any organisation.

As the needs of the Church change and mission and ministry develop, so too must the understanding and use of the buildings. Large buildings empty and cold for 90% of the week are neither sustainable nor an invitation to the outside world.

EPS has developed a variety of Workshops and Listening Days both for individual Churches and large gatherings of clergy, ministers and Church members, and for Supervisory Officers and Bodies at a strategic level. The workshops are proving to be an astonishing catalyst for change and growth.

Workshops

This is the starting point for any individual Church community considering embarking on a building project. The workshop should involve as many community members as possible and EPS can combine it with a sermon delivered at the Sunday service. The workshop takes about five hours including lunch, and involves full community participation to identify the priorities for their building both in the short and long term.

Beginning with the question ‘What do you want for your Church?’ we ask the participants to see their Church as the people, not just as a building. They are encouraged to dream some dreams and explore their wish-list free of limitations, before agreeing their priorities. We then move on to the subject of the church buildings, what the Church community want of them and how they may serve (or hinder) these priorities.

"Thank you for the way you handled the meeting. I thought it was very fruitful, and has given us a lot to think about and work towards."

PCC Secretary St John's Glastonbury

"The workshop worked well. You made a real impact and I am very grateful."

The Rev'd Canon Peter Coates Vicar of Spilsby St James

Options Appraisal or Feasibility Study

EPS has found that these two can get confused!

The Options Appraisal is helpful if your church building or site offers a number of potential uses because it explores the whole range of possible options. Depending on the outcome, you may choose to commission a Feasibility Study into one particular option.

The Feasibility Study rigorously unpicks whether a possible option might actually work. It is normal for a Feasibility Study to include some architectural and planning input from other professional consultants which incurs greater costs. The budget for completing this commission can range from £3,000 to £10,000 dependant on the number of options being examined and the complexity of the proposed project. If there is only one option for the church building or site then only a Feasibility Study is required.

Asset Management Plan

EPS promotes the Asset Management Plan (AMP) as a proactive form of property management.

The AMP examines three linked components:

  • Condition – a focus on the physical state of the premises to ensure safe and continuous operation as well as other issues involving building regulations and statutory requirements
  • Suitability – the quality of the premises
  • Sufficiency – the quantity and layout of spaces within the building, taking into account the requirements of user-groups and the wider community

The AMP is the foundation of any ‘best value' review of property. It is partly a review of actual accommodation, and partly a consideration of the needs of the groups currently using the building.

An AMP is also the first step to developing a plan for to ensure the maintenance of the building is planned, budgeted and actioned. By identifying what will need doing over the next 30 years, the Church and wider community can address their responsibility for the church building in a more manageable way.

Charity Account

We recognise that some Church communities, however keen they are to embrace change, find it difficult to raise the initial sum for the workshop or first stages of professional consultancy.

EPS has developed a Charity Account to ensure that the important initial stages of consultancy advice are available to all new church clients.

For further information on how you might benefit from this fund, please contact us.