Depending on where you live in the country, housing developments seem to be everywhere. We are based in the South of England so perhaps the increase is due to the demand from people wishing to commute in to London. However, the National House Builing Council (NHBC) reported that new build homes were at the highest level for over a decade back in November 2018, and that the UK has seen an increase of 9% in the number of new homes registered in January compared to January 2018. For many, new housing is seen as an inconvience affecting services, pollution, and house prices. However, for churches, new housing developments means new opportunites to outreach, as families and single people move to an unknown area and look for places to connect and make friends.

Clearly the Church of England has taken this opportunity seriously with a £35 million fund being made available for new churches and outreach in city centres, outer estates and rural areas. However, perhaps you are daunted as to what can be done to reach those who have just moved to your area, so we have put together some thoughts about what can be done.

Who are your new residents?

Before you put together any strategic plan to reach the unchurched in your area, it is good to know the following: Who is your demographic? What type of housing development is it? Are there family homes? Flats/houses for single people? Retirement housing? Privately rented properties? Social housing? Once you know what type of development is being built then you can begin to get an idea of what the needs of your new community will be, and you can target this accordingly.

What can a church do to meet the needs of the community?

Gather information about your community

You probably haven't the resources to survey the local community as to what facilities they want in their area, but your Borough, District, Town or Parish Council may well have this information. It is also worth looking at the local district plan to see what the Planning Authority is suggesting is needed for your area as it grows in population.

Another good source of information is Facebook. There are often information groups for your area that have a wealth of posts to help you to know what is actually going on in your area at grassroots. This is also a place where your church can promote your events.

You probably already know what services are being offered in your area, but it is good to establish what these are. It is also good to find out what other churches in your area are doing so that you can work with them to reach those who are have never heard the Gospel, and probably think that church is irrelevant.

Provide opportunities for people to feel welcome

One thing that you can be pretty certain of is that many of the people moving to your area will be lonely. They probably don't have many friends, and will be looking to make a new network of friends for themselves, and if they have children, their kids. So here's some suggestions for interacting with new people in your area:

• Set up a Mother and Toddler group. Make this a wonderfully friendly place with great toys, refreshments, and a warm welcome. Encourage people from your congregation to go along just to chat to the parents and make friends with them.
• Open a youth group where young people can go and feel safe. Again try to have older Christan youth there who can act as role models for the kids. With cuts to councils then youth services have suffered and churches can be the ideal organisation to fill this gap.
• Run a café for different groups in your community. Again make it a place of welcome and excellence so that people can see how Jesus makes a difference to those who have encountered Him.
• Offer debt counselling e.g become a Christians Against Poverty partner. You can then be instrumental in helping those in debt become debt free.
• Set up a running/walking/cycling etc group. This is an excellent way for meeting people who wouldn't normally come to church, and if combined with a drink afterwards is an excellent way to get to know people.
• Set up a bereavement group for those people walking the journey of grief. Offering a listening ear and compassion and love can make an enormous difference to someone feeling lost and broken hearted.
• Facebook is also be a good place provide a welcome to your community. With over 78% of the UK population using it then you are highly likely to be able to engage with newcomers. Photos, videos, and active engagement can show your community just how accepting and loving your church is, and that it is the sort of place that will welcome people.
• Get active on Instagram. Did you know that 42% of people use Instagram? With slightly more females than males, and a younger demographic than Facebook. So depending on your demographic Instagram is an excellent way of introducing your church to the unchurched and it is worth looking at investing time in (see our blog). 
• Consider YouTube. You may be surprised that YouTube is the UK's second most popular search engine after Google. Interestingly with viewing on YouTube being on average 40 minutes this is the ideal place to put informative and engaging content regarding your church. You might even want to upload your sermons to the platform. However, please be aware that content does need to be of a good quality because this is what today's web consumers are expecting.

How else can we make the most of the opportunity that new housing brings?

The most important thing that you can do is pray. As Psalm 127:1 says "Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain." Prayer should always underpin all our endeavours, without it then the work becomes ours, not the Lord's. And as we trust in the Lord with all of our hearts, and submit to him, he will make our paths straight and provide us with the wisdom and insight to know how to engage with the community that we have been called to serve.

Can we help?

Whether you're gathering information about your community or finding creative ways to make newcomers feel welcome, do let us know if we can support you online. Your church website is a great tool for research (you could put a survey on there, or use your web stats to find out who is visiting) and an invaluable resource for sharing your initiatives. I.e. if you setup a Mum's and Tots group, make sure you have a webpage about it! The majority of people will search on their mobile for local events so make sure that yours can be found. 

If you'd like advice on how best to use your church website, do not hesitate to get in touch and it would be great to get your comments below!

References

NHBC

Office for National Statistics