See how the Church of England now invest in sports

The Church of England is launching a
major drive to attract new people to church
through sporting activities.
In a major boost to churches across the
country, parishes are benefitting from a
£12m fund to help finance activities like
five-a-side football, running groups, after-
school sports and boxing clubs.
The Church has launched the scheme as
part of its ambitious mission programme,
Renewal and Reform, in the hopes of
reaching people who may never have been
to church before.

A grant of £1.98m has been allocated to
fund a new church training hub in the
Diocese of Norwich in partnership with St
Thomas Church, Norwich, which already
has an established sports ministry.

The church’s ‘Sports Factory’ has
dedicated ‘sports ministers’ who work
alongside children and adults in the parish,
and offers a programme of weekly sporting
activities, including netball, football and a
‘Couch to 5K’ running group.
The ministry serves all ages, from a
special summer holiday programme of
sports for children during the school break,
to a weekly Fab and Fit for the over 50s.
The new hub will train future leaders and
church planters, as well as sports ministers
and youth ministers, with an emphasis on
reaching young people and families.
The successful sports ministry already up
and running at St Thomas’s will be
replicated across the diocese in 10
different locations.

Tim Henery, who leads the sports ministry
at St Thomas’s, said: “A lot of young
people see the church as just pews and
hymns – not something that relates to
them. Through playing sports they realise
that there are people who come to church
and are like them.
“Sports ministry is helping us to reach
people who may never have heard the
message of the Gospel, helping us to
transform their view of the church. We are
building relationships and changing lives.”
Ruth Anderson, who founded the sports
ministry work at St Thomas’s, said:
“Interest in sports and fitness is at an all-
time high with huge audiences for the
Cricket World Cup and England’s women’s
football team in recent weeks.
“Our work presents an opportunity, through
a shared love of sports, to talk about faith
and the wider questions of life that we
might not otherwise have had.”

Other projects to receive grants from the
Strategic Development Funding include the
development of six new intercultural
worshipping communities and church
plants aimed at black, Asian and minority
ethnic (BAME) people in the Diocese of
Leicester.

The project is to receive £1.54m, with the
aim of encouraging greater BAME
participation across Anglican parish and
diocesan life, including lay leadership and
ordained ministry. The hope is that, by
2024, there will be 900 more active BAME
worshippers who are interested in exploring
leadership and ministry opportunities in the
Church of England.

In the Diocese of Truro, £1.7m is going
towards church growth in St Austell,
Camborne, Liskeard and Truro where new
worshipping communities are to be
established outside the traditional church
building in venues like cafes, community
centres and a former pub.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin
Welby, said: “From congregations in cafes
and community centres to sports ministry
and social action, these projects are
moving the heart of our mission to where it
should be, recognising Jesus beyond the
borders of the institutional church.

“The Good News of Jesus Christ cannot be
contained within existing worshipping
communities. We want everyone to know
how much they are loved by God.”
Debbie Clinton, who heads the Church of
England’s programme of Renewal and
Reform, said: “These inspirational and
creative projects are further proof of the
Church of England’s drive and commitment
to bringing the Good News of the Gospel to
all communities and areas of the country.”