VitalChurch is excited to announce that the UK chapter of our ministry has officially been granted charity status in the UK! If you recall, we announced last July that VitalChurch had become an independent nonprofit charitable organization in the US, and now our UK division has obtained a similar status (the UK version of a nonprofit organization).
A Little History About VitalChurch UK
VitalChurch UK was birthed out of a lunch meeting between VitalChurch founding partner Dave Miles and the now-Executive Director of VitalChurch UK, Wade Thompson. They were both attending a CRM Worldwide Conference on a small island off the coast of Malaysia. At that first lunch meeting, Miles shared his vision and love for the church and for seeing local churches revitalized. This sparked something in Thompson who, after much prayer, decided to join the work of VitalChurch. He went through VitalChurch’s interim pastor training and has since been conducting church assessments and serving as an interim pastor in churches throughout the UK.
VitalChurch UK was granted its own charity status in December 2018 after completing the lengthy application process, which included establishing a board of trustees specifically for VitalChurch UK.
They had an official launch in January 2019 and invited key local leaders and others who might be interested in partnering with VitalChurch UK in the future. They also launched their own website to give the ministry a more solid online presence in the UK.
What’s Next for VitalChurch UK?
Thompson is currently in the last few months of an interim pastor assignment in a church near Durham, England and is waiting to see where God will send him next. This year, he is also hoping to recruit at least one new interim pastor to expand the work VitalChurch is doing in the UK, and he is looking to hold a training event for church leaders this fall.
Thompson said, “We are excited to now be able to say that VitalChurch is officially a UK-based ministry. We believe this will lead to increased trust and validity for the ministry here in the UK. We can now raise our own capital and build our own teams by recruiting and training local leaders. There is also a possibility that we will have the ability to host visas, allowing pastors from the US to come to the UK and serve as interim pastors. Down the road, we envision growing into other parts of Europe.”
We believe that God has great things in store for VitalChurch around the world! We are encouraged by the great work the UK team has already done and look forward to what else God has planned for our growing ministry.
If you are looking for an interim pastor or for an organization that can conduct a church health assessment for your church, we’d love to hear from you. Whether your church is in the United States or in the UK, we can help. Contact us today to learn more.