Understanding Christ Church St Ives

Since 1911, we have been proclaiming Christ to the people of St Ives and beyond. In the two periods of time I have been here, it has been an absolute joy to be able to hold out the word of truth, to proclaim the name of Jesus and to build wholehearted disciples of Jesus. That’s what every church is (or should be) seeking to do but at the same time, every church has a distinctive approach. And this is excellent because if we were all doing the same thing in the same way we would reach the same people. So churches everywhere, and even congregations in churches ought to do different things so we can reach different people. 

So what is our distinct approach to ministry? Well, there are three specific things that guide what we do here. 

1. We are actively pursuing growth towards 3000 wholehearted disciples of Jesus

”Building wholehearted disciples of Jesus” has been the vision of Christ Church St Ives since 2013. In 2022 we added in the vision to build 3000 wholehearted disciples of Jesus because we long to see more and more people following Jesus. Reaching 3000 would mean growing our current active monthly membership (people who attend church or a growth group including kids and youth) by 40%. 

Now having a vision statement with a number in it can be polarising. To some, it gives the church a clear focus and a measurable goal that unites us around concrete, prayerful action. To others, it sounds presumptive and almost demanding of God. I understand both perspectives but for me, talking about 3000 motivates me to mission. When I walk through the shops, I think, look at all these people, most of whom don’t know Jesus. Will I pray for them? What can I do to reach some? What can we do as a church to share Jesus with them? 

So having a number helps me (and I hope you) think and pray mission. It keeps my eyes open to all those who could join us as we seek to grow in the praise and knowledge of God. Right now we are just a medium sized church And there are way more unbelievers than believers around us. So I am praying for growth through gospel preaching and the Spirit’s work and that we might be a large church where everyone is needed and known. 

2. We are building larger congregations rather than multiplying or planting

In our context, prioritising larger congregations enables depth, stability, and long-term gospel impact. Larger gatherings allow us to offer strong, well-resourced kids and youth ministry that is critical for discipling the next generation with trained leaders, age-specific teaching and Christ-like friendships. Our church’s DNA has always leaned towards building substantial, gathered communities shaped by clear Bible teaching and shared mission rather than fragmented smaller groups. 

Moreover, we are in an area where smaller Anglican churches and a variety of church plants are already present and flourishing, so we are intentionally seeking to offer something distinct. Larger congregations create the platform for multiple ministries to flourish, supporting people across all life stages, anchoring gospel work in the area and providing a platform for training people for ministry.

3. We have adopted a portfolio model of leadership rather than a congregational model

Churches seeking to grow larger have benefitted from a portfolio or matrix leadership model because it aligns structure with scale, eliminates the individual leader limitation and provides coherent and focused planning. We are constantly drawing on insights from Reach Australia who explain that the portfolio model assigns responsibility across the whole church rather than confining it to one congregation. This avoids duplication and fragmentation, ensures quality control and consistent culture development as ministries grow. The matrix element means some leaders have both a portfolio and a congregation focus, keeping strategic leadership connected to everyday disciple-making.

To be sure, long-term health requires clarity on who owns what responsibility church-wide but when done well, it fosters unified vision, strong governance, and pastoral care that doesn’t collapse under the weight of growing numbers. Such systems help large churches stay relationally connected while delivering excellent ministry across every age and stage.

This is the model we adopted in 2013 but we have strongly pursued it since 2021. Our staffing, meeting structure and goals align with this approach.  

One problem in all this

So that’s a little insight into how your church works and what we are doing but it also highlights a problem. To put it simply, pursuing a larger congregation model means you need a larger congregational meeting space. It also means we need larger breakout spaces for kids and youth, growth groups and weekday ministries. We will need a larger carpark and administration space as the team grows. We will also need better quality facilities as size brings with it greater usage, expectations and complexity. 

We will not be able to achieve our vision with our current infrastructure. So what are we going to do about that? Well, that’s going to have to wait for another blog.