Church Support

The SCBA supports churches in various ways at different times:

Preaching and Teaching:

If you would like one of the Regional Team to come and preach at a Sunday service, attend a leaders meeting or lead an Away Day/Church Weekend for the church or leadership team then please do contact us. We can focus these on vision, mission, ministry, exploring new ways of doing things or lead training on a specific area such as CYF, Prayer etc.

Support for a Pastoral Vacancy:

This can be a time of transition and difficulty within a church however they can also be a wonderful opportunity for the church to grow and discern God's voice in the way forward.
Pastoral Vacancy enables churches to take a step back and explore together what God is calling them to be in their local community.

The Regional Team can help you explore these possibilities and provide your church with lots of practical advice, including:

Appointing a moderator
Considering a review process
Composing a church profile
Designating a search group
The settlement process

Your Regional Minister can give advice on the Baptists Together Settlement Process
Useful documents for churches looking to appoint a Minister are available on the Baptists Together website.

If you are a Church entering into a pastoral vacancy or seeking a new minister, please contact your Regional Minister.

Church Networks:

We understand the unique pressures of being a small church, a medium-sized church and a large church. Sometimes it is helpful to meet with the leadership teams of other churches in similar sizes to share and learn from each other.

We network these churches together, for the latest see the Events Page

Conflict Resolution:

If you are experiencing a difficult time as a church, we are here to support you. We have people who can walk alongside you as a church and leadership team to aid you in resolving any issues that are preventing your ministry and mission.

Moderators:

Sometimes churches need extra support, especially in a time of transition. In the NBA we work with people who have a special skill at navigating churches through times of transition. If you would like a moderator to walk with the church in discerning a new minister, moving to a more missional model or in listening to your community, then contact your Regional Minister.

Financial Support: Mission Grants

We can support churches in grants for mission! Mission is the heartbeat of the church.

All grant applications are carefully considered and are decided based on set criteria regarding the missional and practical outworking of the project.

The Association awards these grants, therefore it is advisable that anyone hoping to apply has an early consultation with the association.

For more information on these grants click here

Church Closures

Occasionally churches will come to the point where they accept that their mission in their community has been accomplished and that they need to close.

Clearly, this can be a difficult time for those concerned and we want to help congregations as they face up to that possibility. There are always legal hurdles that need to be overcome and decisions that need to be made about local assets.

So, if you are in that situation then it is vital that you let us know before you formally resolve to close so that we can advise you of the process and help you through it.
Contact Rev Hayley to talk through this