The Church Restoration Group (CRG) is a team of senior FIEC pastors helping smaller struggling churches who request assistance, are willing to make changes, and desire a renewed vision for outreach and evangelism. These churches are invited to engage in a carefully drawn up five-stage plan.

This plan includes 5 stages: 

1. Meeting with the leadership to share the work of CRG
2. Meeting with all members and friends of the Church to share the work of the CRG (if the leadership wish to do this after hearing it themselves)
3. If the church votes to go ahead stage 3 includes research and assessment.  The CRG interview all members and friends of the church, talk to people in the immediate area of the church, study the current pattern of the church, look into the history of the church, study the way the church 'reaches out', and then write an Assessment which is sent to the church leadership.  That Assessment includes strengths, weaknesses, recommendations and much more.  After the leadership has it a couple weeks we discuss it together.
4. Once a church is moving ahead and progressing with the recommendations made in the assessment, the CRG will write up a 12 month Plan for the church   This is discussed with the leadership and agreed together.
5. The CRG find a person to be the Plan Coordinator to help the church follow the 12 month plan.

What have been some of the results of the CRWG work?
The results have been mixed based on the effort made by the church to progress the recommendations made in the assessment.   If serious effort is made the CRG will often come alongside and help the church progress some of the recommendations.  We have been able to help churches find pastors and other workers to come and give our churches extra and additional impetus.  Churches which make no progress moving forward the assessment recommendations will find they simply remain in the same state unless they are acting on some of the thoughts expressed, attempting new things, reaching out more effectively, and making useful other changes or find a pastor themselves. A number of churches have found blessing and growth accompany the work of the CRG.

The Church Restoration Group (CRG) is led by Terry Martin, a member of the FIEC Council. He has served small struggling churches for 40 years. Terry can be contacted via the FIEC Office.

Alternatively a leaflet outlining the work of the CRG is available and can be downloaded in PDF format.