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the story since Breaking New Ground

church planting heydays?

From 1987 to 1991, what began at Holy Trinity Brompton as a gathering of

private invitees became an annual open event. It attracted many hundreds

of attendees across the traditions: existing plant leaders, would be

explorers and some diocesan permission givers such as archdeacons. The

number of churches planted each year continued to rise, reaching about 

40 per year in 1990, a figure sustained until 1992. The 1991 conference

papers became the book Planting New Churches,

3

which is still the most

substantial work from Church of England authors on the subject. There was

no lobby or formal network of planters, just expanding friendship groups

sharing the vision at every opportunity and level. Within five years an

unknown fringe activity had made its way onto the main stage of church

thinking and practice.

One observed phenomenon at the time was the proportion of churches

planted that crossed parish boundaries. The annual closure rate of church

buildings was then in excess of churches begun, and a spate of pastoral

reorganization was in progress. From 1985 to 1991, 25 per cent of cases

involved a cross boundary dimension, such as a partnership with an 

existing weakened church or the reopening of a closed building.

The vast majority were begun with diocesan consent, but of the 370 in the

last 25 years, 4 in 1991 took the radical course of proceeding without

those permissions. Local `invaded' incumbents voiced strong disapproval,

and media interest emphasized conflict within the Church and the threat 

to the future of the parochial system. These factors led to the October

1991 House of Bishops Standing Committee to call for the formation of 

a working party on `church planting'. Their work became the 1994 report

Breaking New Ground.

4

what did Breaking New Ground say?

church planting is legitimate

The introductory letter from the Chair, Bishop Patrick Harris, set out a

framework:

The conclusion of the present report is that the structures and Canons

of the Church of England are flexible enough to allow bishops to

encourage and to enable Church Planting to take place in their

dioceses. Where there is goodwill on all sides, new congregations can

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