Kingdom Buildings. Your church and churchyard as assets for mission, Kenneth Padley
If you are looking for a practical and up to date book on developing the mission potential of Church of England churches and church halls, this is the book for you. It is clearly written and well-structured, full of practical examples and garnished with links to helpful websites. It represents the fruit of the author’s considerable experience, and communicates a sense of optimism and encouragement, while recognising that every church building operates in a unique context, and that building projects are rarely straightforward.
In a nutshell, the author’s view is something like this : Yes, looking after churches, churchyards and church halls can all be a bit of a nightmare, but actually there are things we can do to improve the situation, and plenty of good advice is available. Our churches and churchyards are assets for mission, and even small changes can make a real difference- not just to the church congregation, but to the wider community as well, So don’t sit back and do nothing – form a team and get on with it!
The book starts with a brief theological outline, before moving into a handy chapter on how to run a church development project. This chapter is headed : Preliminaries : Planning, permission, paying, perseverance. It would be excellent preliminary reading for any PCC member or church leader who is new to the business of church building projects. The next chapter extolls the virtue of keeping a church building open – again, an excellent chapter to give to a PCC member or church leader who might have their doubts on the wisdom of such a policy.
The fourth chapter is headed simply Projects that make a difference. It discusses the pros and cons of various changes which can be made to a church building, including the introduction of glazed porches; toilets; kitchens; cafes; office space; and shops. It manages to communicate much sensible advice in a small compass, and is to be commended.
In my opinion, the fifth chapter is the most valuable chapter in the whole book. It focuses on the issue of climate change, and the need to adapt our church buildings in order to reduce their carbon footprint. It is rare to find a general book on the adaptation of church buildings to take climate change so seriously, and the author deserves three cheers for doing so. The chapter is full of very useful information relating to heating and lighting, and it is insistent that churches really need to treat issues relating to decarbonisation and Net Zero as a priority. One of the sub-headings in this chapter simply reads: Getting on the right side of history. This sub-heading says it all.
The sixth chapter considers the mission potential of churchyards (Churchyards: From untamed jungles to sacred ground), and is, as we expect, full of good examples and sensible advice. The same can be said of chapter 7, Making the most of your church hall.
The short conclusion is entitled Securing lasting change. It includes the following words: …we live in an age of rapid changes that present their own challenges. We do not want to be swept away through foolish investment in the bleeding edge of technology. However, churches that are responsive and responsible adopters of progress will not only stay ahead of the same but will also witness effectively to the contemporary relevance of the gospel they preach. All of us can do something to improve the mission effectiveness of our buildings, churchyards and halls. It might be that we can only do a small thing, but it is something. Even small changes can help our building to become Kingdom Buildings – buildings which are truly assets for mission in our own day.
None of this is likely to come as news to those with experience in the world of church buildings. But this book is aimed at a more general audience, especially PCC members and church leaders who are new to the challenges and opportunities of church building projects. As such, I recommend it whole-heartedly. It is concise, easy to use, and full of good advice. It also has a delicate flavouring of realism – not so heavy as to depress the reader, but sufficient to bring reassurance that the author does indeed inhabit the real world.
Kingdom Buildings. Your church and churchyard as assets for mission, Kenneth Padley , (Canterbury Press Norwich, May 2025), 192 pages, paperback, £20.00, ISBN:9781786226235
Also available as an ePUB (via the GlassBoxx app).
