It was six years ago that the leadership team of Northway Church, Oxford contacted Church Growth Trust (CGT) to ask for some advice on trusteeship matters. Giles Arnold, CGT’s Chief Executive, reviewed the property Trust Deed and advised on options available to the property trustees and on Land Registry issues. This was all provided free of charge.
It was then 2022 when the leadership team returned to CGT, asking for a meeting to discuss their situation. As efforts to work closely with another local church had not worked out as hoped, and with the key church leaders wanting to step down, Northway Church was likely to have to close soon. After a several meetings, the church asked whether Church Growth Trust could take on the property and find another church to continue the Gospel work, ideally with that church being suitable for the remaining members of Northway Church to join them.
The Lord’s timing is perfect
Rivers of Life Church Christmas celebrations
There were a number of matters that the church and the trustees wanted to sort out before CGT could proceed. This meant that the search for a new church was only able to start in the summer of 2023. Giles Arnold stated “although our inclination is to get on with things, such as instructing solicitors to sort out the legal matters and start our search for a new church, we wanted to respect the timing that the church had in mind and not rush things. The Lord’s timing is perfect as always, so when we did start looking for a new church, it quickly became clear which was the right one.”
The timing allowed the two fellowships to get to know each other and work well together before all the legal transactions had taken place. Giles continues “Rivers of Life Church have now taken on the Gospel work from the building and most, if not all, of the members of Northway Church have remained and joined with them. CGT is now working with the new church to agree what alterations are required to the building to bring it up to date with current legislation.”
By not rushing things, this gave the church leadership, trustees and members of the church time to prepare and adjust for the changes and has enabled the Gospel work from the property to continue.
