Churches Tourism Association

Opening up churches for wider community use

A new toolkit takes churches step-by-step through the process of opening up their church for wider community use.  This was launched in November at the 'Community Development Approach to the Use of Church Buildings' conference in Hereford.

The toolkit was commissioned by the Diocese of Hereford, with input from the Shropshire Rural Community Council and Herefordshire Council.

A DVD is also available, which features residents from four Hereford villages discussing the successful projects in their historic churches and how they made them work.

To download the Toolkit (which has been made available free of charge) visit the dedicated section of the Hereford Diocese website

This was the first in the national 'Crossing the Threshold' programme, a series of events aimed at helping dioceses and parishes get the best from their buildings for wider community use.

The programme marked the fifth anniversary of the launch of the Church of England's national strategy document, Building Faith in Our Future, and shared experiences from around the dioceses, and from experts within and outside the Church.

The toolkit offers a valuable resource for churches contemplating opening up their building for wider community use.