Is there a better time than this to ‘thrive in change?’ That’s the theme of our 2021 residential conference and we can’t wait to be together. Of course, the pandemic lockdown rules themselves are constantly changing and there is a lot of uncertainty remaining. Our conference team is working hard behind-the-scenes to help us get together, even if the shape or timing of the conference has to change.

At UCAN we’ve teamed up with New Wine for their 2021 leadership conference and are heading up a new track for administrators and operational personnel in churches.

One feature of church life in 2021 is sure to be the need for creative decision-making in a changing environment. Here is a listing of resources on John Truscott’s website that deal with this theme.

This new article offers a complete training event to run in your church, or material that a group of ‘out loud Bible readers’ (aka ‘lesson readers’) can study together.

On behalf of UCAN, please can I wish you a Happy New Year.

How many times have you received this greeting so far this year? It’s the common opener to emails and the initial sentiment to most phone calls. My 2 young boys have taken great delight in saying it to passers-by on our daily walks since 1st January. Happy New Year – But perhaps this year, more than most, you receive this with a sense of hesitation or questioning – will it be a Happy New Year?

Many church staff members find the weekly meeting frustrating in some way, so here is practical guidance to help make your staff meetings worthwhile.

Many churches fail to collect the data they need for wise decision-making. These new notes outline the kind of information churches could use to direct their efforts in mission.

I have an active imagination which can often find itself immersed in a Bible narrative visually. This can sometimes be a problem when I encounter a chapter like Acts 27 and the storm that overcomes the boat carrying Paul to Rome.

This is a very timely message to us right now.

It can be helpful for leaders to be aware of all the sub-groups that exist in their church. This can then explain why people behave in certain ways at different times. It may also be important for communication as often one group will be aware of information not known by another group.

These notes call for fresh thinking on how the model of a paid Church Administrator needs to be adapted for small churches.

Last week, I was working with our gardening club whose volunteers look after our grounds. I became most concerned at the state of a fuchsia which was looking far from its usual buoyant self. Its leaves had turned yellow, its floral bells looked tired and were withering, and it projected an air of being altogether sick and struggling.

At the front of the building, another fuchsia was proud and strong, its branches laden with radiant scarlet bells and enjoying the hot weather that had recently arrived.