Resource: Know Your Church, Know Your Neighbourhood
Newly updated at the end of 2022, Know Your Church, Know Your Neighbourhood (KYCKYN) is a facilitated process to help churches think about themselves in relation to the local communities they seek to serve, and make prayerful and informed decisions about their mission in those communities.
It was originally designed and piloted by the Anglican Diocese of Birmingham as part of a pastoral skills module. It has since been adapted by Together Network regional partner Thrive Together Birmingham and other Together Network members around the country.
The process gives a small group of church members the tools to reflect on how their church is seen by others, to listen to the wider community, celebrate its strengths and have a deeper understanding of its needs. Sharing their findings with the wider congregation, the church is then able to make prayerful and intentional decisions about how it wants to respond. The course is adaptable to the needs of a church and neighbourhood, but it usually consists of five sessions of two hours, delivered over a six month period. There are also some tasks for the group to do in between these sessions.
This booklet aims to give you a taste of the KYCKYN process and to promote the full resource. Please contact hello@cuf.org.uk for a download link to the full facilitator's and participant guides.