Investing in the Future: A Season of Growth at Emmanuel
- Peter Shaw
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
It is an incredibly exciting time to be part of Emmanuel. We are seeing God move in wonderful ways, with our worshipping community growing to over 200 people and our home groups now supporting 120 members.
However, being "a light to the city" in 2025 brings with it a new set of healthy pressures. As we grow, we have reached a strategic "inflection point" where our current resources are stretched to their limit.
The Reality of Our Growth For nearly three years, we have been operating without an Associate Rector, which has meant considerable stretch on the team. While we have seen amazing momentum, our current "paid staff" capacity equates to roughly only one full-time role to support our entire community. To keep our church safe, vibrant, and outward-looking, we need to move from a season of "endurance" to one of "investment".
The Financial Challenge Transparency is one of our values, and we want our community to understand the landscape we are navigating:
| Emmanuel | St Andrews | St M’s + StS’s | Emmanuel & St Pauls | Notes. |
2024 Participation number | 146 | 264 | 140 | 182 | 140 seems low for St Matts given other data |
2024 giving, incl gift aid, excl legacies | 175,000 | 335,000 | 240,000 | 198,000 | St Paul's Giving is £23k. |
2024 giving per participant | 1,200 | 1,300 | 1,700 | 1,100 | |
Common Fund request for 2026 | 97,000 | 151,000 | 83,000 | 121,000 | |
Common Fund request for 2025 | 93,000 | 144,000 | 83,000 | 114,000 | |
CF request 2024 | 93,000 | 145,000 | 78,000 | 114,000. | |
CF payment 2024 | 93,000 | 145,000 | 57,000 | 114,000 | According to accounts on the charity commission website. |
Paid clergy | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Not counting Tony at Emmanuel and St Pauls |
Paid Staff approx. FTE | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
|
2024 wages paid | 26,000 | 145,000 | 127,000 | 26,000 | At Emm, a Youth Worker would add about £34,000 |
2024 total income | 259,000 | 453,000 | 284,000 | 314,000 | For Emm 20K is special gift to pay for youthworker. St Pauls gets about 22k a year to run Soup Run and Food Bank. |
Ratio of wages to income | 23% | 32% | 45% | 19% | Emm percentage includes a FT Youth Worker currently in vacancy. Although the role is coming out of reserves. |
The Common Fund: Emmanuel and St Paul’s contribute significantly to the wider Diocese—approximately £114,000 annually—to support mission across the region.
Staffing Ratios: Currently, only about 19% to 23% of our income goes toward the staff who run our ministries, which is much lower than many comparable churches.
Operational Needs: The world has changed. Modern requirements for safeguarding, data protection, and complex charity legislation mean we can no longer rely solely on the volunteer models of the past.
Where We Are Heading We aren't looking for quick fixes; we are looking to build a foundation that lasts. This means creating dedicated capacity for our work with children and young people, strengthening our worship, and professionalizing our operations to reduce risk and protect our mission.
How You Can Join Us in This Season
This is an invitation for all of us to seek God’s heart for Emmanuel together. As we step into this new chapter, I am asking our church family and friends to join me in three specific ways:
1. Pray for Guidance and Provision Please join us in asking for God’s wisdom as we navigate these strategic decisions. We are specifically praying for His provision for our Youth Leader role. We have seen such life in our younger generations, and we want to ensure they have the dedicated leadership they need to flourish.
2. Discern the Call to Lead As we grow, the "Acts 6" moment reminds us that God often uses seasons of change to call new people into leadership. I ask that you prayerfully consider if God is nudging you to step up into a new area of service or leadership in this next season. We want to be a church where every gift is recognized and released.
3. Review Our Giving To make this vision a reality, we need to ensure our resources align with our mission. I am asking everyone who calls Emmanuel home to prayerfully review their giving. Our goal is to create a sustainable foundation that allows us to employ an Operations Manager to stabilize our systems, sustain our vital Youth Ministry, and eventually explore the possibility of a Worship Pastor to lead us into the future.
This is not about meeting a budget; it is about enabling a mission. It is about ensuring that Emmanuel remains a healthy, safe, and vibrant "light to the city" for generations to come.
Thank you for standing with us as we step into this next chapter.
Peter Shaw Team Rector
