About the fund
The £25 million Seeds for Growth Fund supports projects aimed at church growth, reaching out to people who do not belong to an existing church, with particular emphasis on church planting.
Over a seven-year period, Seeds for Growth will award grants to support:
- The planting of new worshipping communities
- Work focused on the development of new forms and fresh expressions of church life
- Creative engagement with all sectors of society, in particular with those aged 40 and under, in every case promoting the advancement of religion and the overarching purpose of the numerical and spiritual growth of the Church
- Community transformation motivated by Christian service.
In the initial three years (2023–2026), the fund will prioritise the support of:
- The planting of new worshipping communities
- Work with people aged 40 and under.
Applications are welcome from June 2023 for the smaller Level 1 (up to £1,000) and Level 2 (up to £10,000) grants. From Autumn 2023 we will accept applications for the larger Level 3 and Level 4 ones.
For more information about the grant types, eligibility and assessment criteria, and how to access the application paperwork, see the Grants and How to Apply page.
The Pioneer Spectrum
The Seeds for Growth Fund is supporting people to become more pioneering in their approaches to church growth.
You may find it useful to think of pioneering as a range within which people are called to different aspects. The Pioneer Spectrum was developed by the Church Mission Society as a visual representation of this range of approaches. The spectrum shows the range of pioneer ministry activities on an axis of increasing "cultural distance" from the missioner or missional team. It also shows how these activities relate to the intention of planting churches and to the concept of fresh expressions of church.
- Replicate/Plant: taking a (revitalised) model of church and trying it in a new place
- Adapt: who modify ideas for a local context
- Innovate: pushing the boundaries of what is church and seeking to find new ways to connect with people and to do church.
The Seeds for Growth Fund is aimed at supporting all three of these elements.
Privacy Notice
Please review our privacy notice (click on "Grant Privacy Notice" in the drop-down menu), which outlines the way in which the Church of Scotland Office of the Assembly Trustees will use personal information provided to us in connection with awarding grants on behalf of the Church of Scotland.