Growing Good for Lent 2025

This Lent why not use the Church Urban Fund’s (CUF) Growing Good Tool Kit? It is a free course for churches, offering six sessions to help your congregation grow in faith and make a difference in your community.The 6 sessions help you journey through the six weeks of Lent.

Developed by the CUF and Theos, and backed by three years of research, the toolkit is grounded in scripture, and developed for all churches – both rural and urban. The toolkit is flexible, practical and easy to use: it can be used online or in person; you can use it online or at church, in-home groups or bible study groups. It offers reflection on scripture and time for prayer and provides take-away actions you can implement straight away. The Growing Good Toolkit is a resource that equips your church to grow new connections and make a difference where you live. 

The Revd Eleanor King used the Growing Good Toolkit with a group from one of the churches in the Quantock benefice. It led to an action plan with fresh ideas for bringing the community together and welcoming visitors and families.

What is the Growing Good Toolkit?

To support local churches, CUF has developed the Growing Good Toolkit: a free six session course helping churches explore the connection between social  action, discipleship and growth. 
Why should I use this resource during Lent?
Lent is traditionally a time of study and many churches look to offer small group courses. The central concepts of Growing Good – connecting with and serving others through social action, growing spiritually through discipleship and inviting everyone to be part of God’s transforming work, – complement some of the traditional Lenten disciplines.
You could use sessions 1-5 during Lent and then come back to the sixth, ‘Next Steps’ session, after the Easter break

How was it developed?

The Growing Good Toolkit is based on a three-year research project from Theos and Church Urban Fund that explored the relationship between social action, growth and discipleship in the Church of England. The research identified five common themes shared by churches that are growing in faithfulness and fruitfulness: presence, perseverance, hospitality, adaptability, participation. 

What are the benefits to  my church?

• Practical ideas that can help turn your hunger for justice into  concrete action.
• Ideas for adapting creatively to the challenges and changes in their neighborhood.
• Practical and simple next steps at the end of each session equip everyone to make a difference. 
• Signposting to other sources of support and ideas, including CUF’s growing list of resources, events, networks etc
• The case studies featured in the Growing Good films celebrate the breadth and depth of activity that many churches are already engaged in. This builds confidence in the important role that the church can play in communities. 
• Churches will become more aware of the multiple needs, yet also the wealth of gifts and skills, in their community.
• Following the course churches will feel more confident and motivated to connect with the community: inviting their community to participate in the life of the church, and listening to their community to find out more about what is important to them.

What materials are included?

Each session includes:

• Reflection, discussion, film and prayer. It also includes practical examples that can be immediately applied.
• Open questions and discussion points.
• A reflection on a biblical passage.
• Group activities that encourage participants to discuss, take action, move around their local space.

How can I use it?

• Anyone can use the Toolkit online or in person at church. 
• You can download and print the session guides as PDFs, or share them via online screens.
• The Toolkit is accessible via online log in.
• You do not need leadership training to lead a group session.

Sign up to access the resources including session guides, case study films, tips for group leaders and more.