We have been working with Stephen Newell, the minister at Zion United Church, for nearly two years now.

Completing the WinningWays leadership consultation gave Stephen fresh perspectives on church life and health. In his words :

“We found the ‘three circles’ model of church health beautifully simple yet entirely helpful. It’s not difficult to grasp yet we found it to be extremely enlightening, and we continue to use it as a test of what we are doing.

Helen's story is a simple one. But it's also a reminder of the power of inviting communities, the importance of process and the impact of seeker-orientated services :

I was baptised as a baby and confirmed when I was twelve. I always went to church with my parents (a traditional Anglican service) and I used to sing in the choir. The church was made up of mainly older people. I would say that I always believed in God but thought it was a lot of theory. I didn’t know how it was relevant and thought that God was rather stern, fierce and finger pointing.

About a year and a half ago I was invited by my sister-in-law, Julia, to a pub lunch and walk organised by a group from her church.