Extraordinary General Assembly

Extraordinary General Assembly 14-16 November 2025

The Revd Dr John Bradbury, General Secretary of the URC, gave a presentation looking back on the story of Church Life Review (CLR), starting in 2021 with a call for people to share their experiences, hopes and fears about church life. This was accompanied by focused research into who the URC are, and forensic accounting, which raised questions but showed we had some financial resources.

What emerged, said Dr Bradbury, was the picture of a Church in which small congregations make an oversized difference to their communities, but are deeply tired and scared of running out of people.

Our Church continues to face decline, he said, but also faces a moment of opportunity in our society: “The proposals that come to this General Assembly are a faithful attempt to offer a response to what we have heard the Church say it needs. We believe they will equip us for the next stage of the journey together as the United Reformed Church. But we are under no illusions that this is the whole solution to the challenges we face…

“My prayer is for the movement of the Holy Spirit among us. I believe there is a Kairos moment in the life of the Churches in this part of the globe. Something is changing around us – something which opens up new possibilities. I believe that in our discernment together this weekend, the foundations might well be laid for the next stage of our journey together as the United Reformed Church that will enable us to respond faithfully to the call of God, who is holding before us a moment of promise, opportunity, and hope.”

General Assembly went on to pass motions supporting all the proposals of the Church Life Review. In summary, these were:

  • greater financial resource sharing between Synods and the creation of a Church Life Fund
  • shared support services for local churches, including a resources hub
  • increased employment of lay workers to relieve pressures on the local church
  • the creation of new communities of discipleship and worship

Notes compiled from URC.org.uk by Peter Knowles (Thames North Synod representative to General Assembly)

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