Stage Two: Enable

Welcome to Stage Two of the Everyday Church journey.

You've started conversations to get people thinking about their faith in new ways, and you've noticed changes in what people are talking and praying about. Now you're ready to move on to the next stage - but what does it involve?

Enabling is about the small changes we can make in the life of the church to help people think about their faith beyond the church building. It's about including everyday life in our prayers, celebrating the work and service that our congregations do on a daily basis, equipping people through sermons and liturgy to think about how our faith can and does impact others for the best in all parts of our lives.

There are eight shifts that we as churches can try. Each shift has a key question, a key practice, a story from someone who has tried the shift, and a link to Faith at Home to support young people in their everyday faith:

Eight Shifts for Churches

Each shift is complementary, so you can try more than one at a time. You should aim to keep an intentional focus on adopting this shift over a significant period – and check in on how people experience this. We hope changes in behaviour will be noticed. As you begin these shifts, it will help to think through what you might like to see change, so you can better notice this. There are three things to be aware of:

  1. Attitudes and actions. Have you noticed any changes in people’s conversations, levels of trust and openness, a more outward reflection on their faith journey? Are people talking about a difference in confidence around faith?
  2. Issues and priorities. Have you noticed any changes in the issues people consider to be important? Are you discussing different things, or discussing things differently on your PCC?  Is there a difference in what, and who, you are praying for? 
  3. Groups and networks. Are people suggesting new ways of meeting or organising the life of the church? Have people mentioned networks and groups they are interested in that support faith in the whole of life?


As well as making some of these small shifts, the Church Development Tool is now available to measure a starting point for discipleship. This is currently only available via email; for a copy, please contact the Everyday Church team. From January 2022, this will also be available via A Church Near You. Further details will be published later this year.

How long does it take?

As with Stage One, we anticipate that Stage Two will last around 6-8 months. This will of course vary in individual contexts, and it will also depend on how many of the shifts you and your church try.

There are eight shifts in all. You can try more than one at a time (those who have tried the shifts have found that 2-3 at a time is optimal), and there is no specific order. Try to choose a shift that might be easy for your church and one that's likely to be more challenging - and see where they take you!

As you progress on the everyday church journey, we're interested to hear how things are going - good and bad - and any feedback you have along the way. You can send this to our Inspiring Everyday Faith team. Your feedback is crucial to shape how this is made available to parishes and worshipping communities across the country.

Along with the resources available for download, the Everyday Church channel provides ideas from other parishes that have worked well. If your church has tried something or you have an idea, share it here.

How will I know when I'm ready to move to the next stage?

As well as starting these conversations, it’s important to notice change. Although some may find change easy, most will find it more challenging. We suggest a pattern to noticing change that follows - this is the same as for Stage One:

  1. Imagine. What changes would you like to see, hope to see, dream of seeing!? Have you noticed any changes in people’s conversations, levels of trust and openness, more outward reflection on their faith journey?
  2. Identify. What have you seen or heard that is different in what – or who – people are praying for? How do people respond to the questions initially? How do they respond after a month, or longer?
  3. Insights. What does this show you about the ways in which your culture is changing? What have you learnt works well in your context to begin conversations about everyday faith? What needs to be done next, or to help strengthen this?

Ask these questions before you start using the shifts. Check in again after a couple of months, and again at six months. If you're noticing the changes you want to see - great! You're ready for Stage Three. If you're not yet seeing these changes, or you're just starting to see some, don't worry - every church (and every individual) is in a different place on their spiritual journey. As always, don't forget to pray!