The vision of St John’s, Hoxton, in the London borough of Hackney, is to be ‘a beacon of hope for Hoxton’. During the Company’s deputation to the church in October 2024, it was clear that the church is doing everything it can to embody this vision.
The Reverend Graham Hunter and his family have been there since 2010. While the church grew in number substantially in the decade after their arrival, the pandemic halted growth. However, this gave the church a chance to reflect on its ministry.
As Graham put it: “never waste a good crisis!”
St John’s had to consider how to re-engage its worshipping community. How might they move people from being affiliated with the church, to becoming assimilated?
With a 3-year project funded by the Church Commissioners, and using tools of community organising, the church is seeing renewed growth. Their ‘Organising for Growth’ programme has seen developments in terms of discipleship, outreach and engagement.
They have moved from a staff-led model to a situation where members of the congregation have vision, agency and responsibilities for the mission and ministry of the church. The church may have fewer people in regular attendance following the pandemic, but it is in a far healthier position.
Among a wide range of initiatives serving the whole community, the programme focused on the young people in and around the church was particularly impressive. From Sunday Football (for young men arriving from outside of the UK and local lads) to Experience Exchange (employability, mentoring and work experience placements) the offer for young people is clearly impactful.
Alongside these initiatives sit a wealth of outreach and discipleship offerings including: children’s ministry, cost of living support, women’s brunch, youth ministry, men’s breakfast, family film nights and more.
The church enjoys a strong relationship with its neighbour, St John the Baptist Primary school. The deputation enjoyed a visit to meet some of the pupils, who were a confident, knowledgeable and joyful group. The school is rated outstanding by Ofsted, an impressive achievement given that so many of their children experience extremely high levels of disadvantage.
The deputation to Hoxton was an insightful, encouraging and joyful one. That’s not to say that there aren’t challenges, including church finances, staff recruitment and well-being, and the lasting effects of austerity. But thanks to the hard work, commitment and energy of Graham, Sara, Bosede, Lorraine, Stephen, Doreen and the whole church team, St John’s is in good hands. The church is walkable from Haberdashers’ Hall so if you are in the area a visit is well worth it.
