Appreciating Church – A practical Appreciative Inquiry (AI) resource for churches and communities

Welcome to Appreciating Church

Appreciating Church is a Christian ecumenical project which aims to encourage the church at a local and national level to engage people in an inclusive way, listening to ‘all the voices’, building on our existing strengths and skills, counting our blessings and co-creating a resilient church as part of the kingdom of Heaven.

Appreciating Church seeks to develop a self-sustaining Appreciative Inquiry (AI) community of practice across the churches. The organisation was originally initiated by the United Reformed Church, in partnership with the Methodist Church, Quakers, and the Congregational Federation, with interest from individual dioceses of the Church of England and others.

The programme offers AI training and advice supported by the Appreciating Church resource book which is a source of practical understanding of AI theory and practice, theological insights, experiences of AI within the Church, and worship material.

This accompanying website offers supplementary exercises and content.

Our Story

This is the story of how Appreciating Church developed, and its outline plans for further development.

Deploying stipendiary ministry: from conundrums to consultations

Like many Synods in the United Reformed Church, the National Synod of Wales is wrestling with the question of how to deploy stipendiary ministry. Jason Askew uses Appreciative Inquiry to bring a fresh perspective.

What’s New?

Imagining Appreciative Meetings

Wednesday 8th February 2023, 11.00 – 12.00 (GMT). Reshaping the tent of meeting. In whatever context we work, however closely we are bound with the church, we find ourselves involved in meetings of one kind or another. What happens if we bring our Appreciative Inquiry practice into play when chairing, moderating, or shaping a meeting?