Buttershaw Baptist, Bradford

It's been a long journey, but Buttershaw Baptist is now in a place where most of the congregation lives within half a mile and they are known to be a major blessing to their community - with services ranging from a toy library, fresh fruit and vegetables and counselling. Read about how they got there...

Buttershaw Baptist is in the centre of the Buttershaw estate, South Bradford, is a church which is actively seeking to engage more and more with its community. The church runs a family centre, has recently started an eden project on the estate and has a wide range of activities for children and adults.  But the church hasn’t always been this active, this is a story of long term perseverance, love and sacrifice.

Around 20 years ago the Baptist leadership in Yorkshire realised this church wasn’t being salt and light to its community and that something brave and different needed to happen. They called Arthur Tuffey to be minister, an ex local government youth officer who was very community-focused. Initially there were three or four years of wrestling over the culture and direction in which the church should go. Eventually a new nucleus was formed including young couples committed to living on and changing their estate. The Yorkshire Baptist assembly helped them to do a community survey and find out the needs of their community. As a church they recognised they needed a team to tackle the work and as they prayed the right people arrived to live and be there. People came and worked for the church, sacrificing jobs, money and lifestyle to be Jesus to the people on the Buttershaw estate.

Influences such as Willow Creek and Bethel church in America helped them to transform the culture within the church – something Stuart, the minister, said is the most critical aspect of the change they have seen.

The church became increasingly focused on bringing God’s kingdom to Buttershaw. “We are a people with a passion to seek first the coming of the Kingdom of God in all its life saving, life changing and healing power to bring wholeness of life to people and communities. We are seeking and, increasingly seeing, God's rule and reign over our lives and over the Buttershaw Estate.”

They wanted to strike a balance between social action and evangelism and reflect that Jesus brought all of these together through his Spirit when he ministered to people holistically, not at a special service but through his everyday coming and going. The majority of the church live within half a mile of the church, people moved onto the estate so that rather than driving in to lead worship on a Sunday, they are living their worship on the estate seven days a week.

Partnerships have been made with local authority and other community groups - for example with the job centre. The family centre and playgroup are just two of the high quality services they run in the community and which means the church is seen as a key player.  Like many other churches, Buttershaw has found the need to turn the 'come to use' church model on its head and no longer expect expect people to become Christians, join the church and be blessed.  Although there are still huge challenges, they are also being blessing in return.

Their vision is now:

• Bless our community through service and love.
• Belong together as a family which welcomes all.
• Believe in Jesus and show it with understandable, application-rich teaching and inspiring worship.
• Become more like Christ through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

For Stuart the hardest struggle they’ve had is discipleship - “it often feels like you are taking one step forward and five back.” The church want to be a place where it is ‘safe to fail’ where people feel loved and accepted.

For more about the vision and how God is working it out in practise, watch their Buttershaw is home video about their journey and see three individuals who talk about the change they have experienced because the church was there and accessible to them. Through the heartbreak and the tears the church have kept going and believe change will keep coming. The Kingdom of God and his transforming power has given the motivation to keep going. 

Helen Brown, June 2010

For more information visit www.buttershawbaptist.org.uk