Sharing a church?

Swindon Churches Together
Briefing paper

Sharing a church?
The following are a few questions for churches considering starting up in Swindon.. which might want to use an existing church building. They are offered as a base for a discussion with a potential host church.

The background
Swindon is a diverse town of 190,000 people and is still growing. The centre of the town is comprised largely of the traditional railway working community, young professional and students, often temporary residents and a certain number of people from ethnic and faith minority groups and refugees and asylum seekers who are also likely to be transitory. Swindon centre has a number of churches which may be available at times for worship. However, parking in central Swindon can be a problem.
The outskirts of Swindon, in particular the new build areas such as North Swindon, offer better parking opportunities and on the whole modern church buildings. There are a few very old churches associated with villages which have been absorbed into the town.

Swindon Churches Together: how we can help
Churches in Swindon operate well ecumenically, as Swindon Churches Together. It is hoped that any new church will be welcomed into the town and will work well with existing denominations. The churches see their role as to preach the Gospel and serve the poor, and to work well with each other.
We have a website which will give the service times of the contributing denominations in each part of Swindon. This is intended to assist visitors to the town and new arrivals. A questionnaire has been produced to identify the work of the churches, their premises and skills they can share.
The questions below are to assist both host and user church to consider the suitability of the premises, the nature of relationship between the two churches, and assistance with drawing up a contract. If the church approached is not suitable or becomes unsuitable for either party¡¦s needs, please use Swindon Churches Together to see if there are solutions available. We are always glad to welcome new churches to Swindon.
All Churches give careful thought to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. A policy also protects adults who might receive a false accusation of abuse. Churches offering accommodation should ensure that any users have a written policy on safeguarding; that key workers will have been "cleared" by the Criminal Records Bureau for working with children; and that there will always be two adults working with individual children or groups. The major denominations have very useful resource material and guidelines - please ask about them.
Questions for consideration
?æ Are the premises you¡¦re looking at suitable for your kind of worship? For example, are there pews, open spaces, room for instruments you might bring, access to built- in instruments etc? Is the building big enough for your needs?
?æ Are the times of your services compatible with those of the host church? If your pattern is worship on Sunday (or Saturday) would you be able to finish in time?
?æ Are there any other users you need to know about? It may be worth considering how long it takes to set up for your service, how long the service is likely to take, and how long it takes to clear up.
?æ Would you wish to meet mid-week in the same premises?
?æ Are the outreach opportunities in that part of town compatible with your aims?
?æ Is your service compatible with activities in the neighbourhood? This might be significant if you hold either very musical or exuberant morning services. Similarly, your service might be interfered with by noise from the streets if it takes place late at night or at a lunchtime when loud music is playing nearby.
?æ Is there parking for your membership? Is there space for you to unload any equipment you use, for example instruments?
?æ If you wish to keep items on the church premises, is there space to do so? What is the insurance situation?
?æ Is there access for disabled members of your congregation? Are the toilets suitable for people with disabilities? Is there a loop system?
?æ Is there safe space for children¡¦s worship? Are the protection policies in order? Are there child-care facilities?
?æ Do you wish to serve refreshments? Is this on a regular or occasional basis? Is this compatible with the licensing and other agreements of the host church?
?æ What is your formal relationship going to be? It is worthwhile considering whether you are a) a tenant b) a sharer c) a donor. You may wish to enter into a formal tenancy agreement and pay rental for your use of space. You may be in a situation where a donation to cover heating and lighting is more appropriate. In either sense it is best to have a discussion and some form of written agreement. Similarly if there are cleaning or maintenance, who is going to do this work?
?æ Are you going to be a key holder? If not, can you get access at the agreed times without difficulty?
?æ If your church outgrows the premises or for some other reason you wish to move can this be done easily under your agreement?
?æ Would you wish to be part of the local Churches Together? Would you like to join with Swindon Churches Together? How do you see the relationship? Back to top