how we work

Our services are available to any church. The Living Stones Consultancy is a team of specialists with relevant expertise and experience - drawn from professional backgrounds of architecture, finance, pastoral care, publishing, research and theology - who will:

• facilitate the development of churches' own skills and resources

• assist them to enrich and sustain the life of the worshipping community

• enable them to be instruments of positive change so that they may bring meaning and hope to others.

We usually begin with a fact-finding visit from one or two of our representatives, for which we charge a nominal fee plus travelling expenses. On this visit we can help to identify a way forward that will make more effective use of all the church's resources. Further work is done on a fee-paying basis, calculated according to the scale of the project and of our involvement, and always agreed in advance.

We will tailor services to meet your particular needs.

Our methods of working include:

• facilitating church meetings for brainstorming and sharing of ideas

• organising or helping with parish or community audits

• carrying out feasibility studies

• advising on the appointment of consultants

• publishing advice notes

In addition to the specialists within our own team, we co-operate with other organisations working in similar situations. We are able offer long term on-going help and support if appropriate. We can design, organise or assist with courses, conferences and workshops, or carry out research into relevant areas. We can also put you in contact with other church congregations who have been in similar situations to yours.

Examples where we have been able to assist include:

• Large, cold churches where conservation constraints and lack of funds preclude drastic action

• Churches with halls in disrepair, and very few activities

• Chapels long unchanged, whose internal structure inhibits worship and precludes service to the wider community

• Worship centres with surplus land and property

• Small churches in developing communities

To arrange an obligation-free visit contact us today for more information - fill in the on screen response form, e-mail us info@living-stones.org.uk, or telephone 020 7976 6347.

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WHO WE ARE