Bishop of Portsmouth launches national ‘Flourish’ initiative for schools

BISHOP Jonathan has launched a new Church of England initiative to create worshipping communities within schools.

He led the launch event for ‘Flourish’, which aims to create brand new worshipping communities in schools and FE colleges, as part of the Church’s desire to engage children people and their families more effectively. It was held in St John’s Church, Waterloo, on July 2.

A two-year pilot will involve 40 new worshipping communities created in 12 dioceses. Four schools in our diocese will work alongside their local parishes to create voluntary groups, so that pupils can find out more about the Christian faith and worship God. They’re likely to meet at lunchtime or after-school, and be supported by local churches. The four schools in our diocese that will start such groups in September are:

• Bembridge C of E Primary School, in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight (supported by Holy Trinity Church)
• The Bay C of E School primary site, Sandown, Isle of Wight (supported by Christ Church, Sandown)
• The Bay C of E School secondary site, Sandown, Isle of Wight (supported by Christ Church, Sandown)
• Horndean C of E Junior School, Horndean (supported by Clanfield and Catherington parish)

One of the principles behind these new worshipping communities is that they will be created and shaped with pupils themselves at the heart of the decision-making. So the groups may involve singing, art and craft, discussion, teaching or outdoor activities – but each one will be different, depending on the school’s context and geography and the input of the children themselves.

Isaac Haskell, deputy headteacher at Horndean C of E Junior, said: “We’re excited to take part in the Flourish project. We’re particularly looking forward to the opportunities during and after school for our wider school community to come together and learn more about Jesus, and in particular we’re excited that the children will be the driving force within that, and that they can have a huge part in planning and creating the ideas, so that they’re at the centre of it.”

And Horndean pupil Maisy Baldrey, 11, said: “I’m already part of the Children’s Christian Values Team, and get to help the school to improve its Christian life and to make it fun. I think Flourish will be good because it will create an after-school club and church for children and parents.”

Although our four pilot schools are C of E schools, Flourish can take place in community schools, FE colleges and other educational establishments.

Many of those in dioceses, parishes and schools involved in this two-year pilot came to the national launch to discover more about what would be involved. Students from the Ark All Saints Academy in London led the day alongside Bishop Jonathan.

Our bishop, who is also lead bishop for education in the Church, said: “We are beginning to shape one of the most important cultural shifts in the Church of England’s history. Children and young people are the Church of today, not the Church of tomorrow. And putting them instinctively at the heart of our Church, and at the heart of our strategy, our prayer, our worship – every aspect of our ministry, is a real turning point for our Church and for our nation. We need to follow the gaze of our children and look to Jesus.

“I’ve noticed that the team running Flourish tend to choose possibilities over barriers, change over stasis, courage over fear, wisdom over naïveté, challenge over anything over-simplified, growth over decline, the team over the individual, and a ‘yes’ over a ‘no’. This is a moment for us to do the same, and to say yes to the Holy Spirit. We want to change our nation through our children and young people.”

The launch of Flourish in our diocese, in September 2024, is part of our diocese’s vision and strategy for the future, which was agreed by Diocesan synod in June. It is just one way in which we seek to ‘Renew’ our diocesan life, aiming to reach people with the gospel and create disciples in new ways.

It also fits in with our aim to ‘Rejuvenate’ our churches, finding ways in which children, young people and families can find a sense of belonging and purpose, and reducing the age profile of worshipping communities across the diocese. You can read more about this vision and strategy here.

The Church of England’s initial two-year pilot programme will introduce new worshipping communities in the dioceses of Bath and Wells, Birmingham, Bristol, Chester, Derby, Lichfield, Peterborough, Salisbury, Southwark, Southwell and Nottingham, and Truro – as well as in Portsmouth. It builds on the momentum of the partnerships between church, school and home pioneered by the C of E’s Growing Faith Foundation.

Flourish worshipping communities will be based on five core principles:

• Young people’s voices are instinctively at the centre of all leadership decision-making and implementation;
• Clearly articulated and shared purpose to grow a younger and more diverse community of Christian disciples;
• Strategic leadership partnership between school/college and at least one church community (with appropriate long-term governance and resource commitment);
• Intergenerational faith development experiences involving children and their families of all ages;
• Worship that is fully integrated into the regular rhythms, practices, structures and resources of the school/college’s vision for flourishing of children and adults.

The 40 pilot locations will share their insights at local, diocesan, and national levels to assess whether this innovative approach to worshipping communities in educational settings could be a viable opportunity for dioceses to consider in future strategic funding plans.