Churches Tourism Association

The Church Tourism Cascade was the first ever attempt to integrate Lincoln Cathedral and all the churches in the area of the diocese (including Methodist and other non-Anglican churches) into one church tourism process. Although this project has now finished, it is a good example of what can be achieved by a church tourism area partnership.

All churches involved are identified as Cascade, Stream or Pool churches and are linked as shown:

• Lincoln Cathedral leads you to....
• 9 Cascade churches (eg Louth St. James), one per local authority area, each directing visitors to....
• 8 local Stream churches (a total of 72 Stream churches) each directing to....
• up to 20 nearby Pool churches (a potential for 1440 churches to be involved, including non-Anglican churches, in the target area).

Cascade information panel at St Hugh's Brumby

The following article was written by the late Rosemary Watts, one of the founder members of the CTA and a great champion for churches engagement with the visitor.

The Cascade Project in Lincolnshire

The Cascade process (with which over 200 churches are already involved), is more than creating a clever wordbite for your church. Its importance lies in integrating all church tourism, in churches large and small, old and new, rural and urban, and including within the system the cathedral church.The thinking behind Cascade is that of the early church where "no one claimed private ownership of any possession, but everything was held in common" (Acts 4:32). In this case the "everything" is our visitors.

The Cascade process is a way of every church which receives a visitor potentially sharing the visitor with other churches.When someone enters a church in Lincolnshire involved with Cascade (and non-Anglican churches are also involved) they will be offered suggestions for other churches they might visit.

At a Pool church, such as the Monson Estate church at Burton By Lincoln, visitors will find a dispenser with cards giving information on other churches in the locality and the Stream church for that area.This is Kettlethorpe, with links to Katherine Swynford, mistress (and later wife) of John of Gaunt. At Kettlethorpe there will be an information panel, explaining about the Cascade process and again information cards about the Pool churches and the Cascade church (Gainsborough All Saints) in the area. The Cascade churches are the major churches of the diocese. At Gainsborough All Saints there will again be information on panels, but this time the dispensers will have information about the Stream churches which relate to the Cascade church and also the cathedral.

The advantages to visitors are clear. In the past, vast quantities of wonderful churches have made the choice of where to go next a complex exercise. Now visitors have a more structured process. At the cathedral they can decide which direction they are going and fix on their church accordingly. There are also benefits for the churches. The increased number of visitors may bring income to the church, although my experience is that making opportunity usually receive less financially than those who offer their church without pressure for donations. They find visitors' response is "Freely we have received, so freely we give".

The Cascade process also offers churches the opportunity to work together to improve their visitor welcome. All the churches in a single Stream area can come together to plan a joint event (or as part of a wider event such as the West Lindsey Churches Festival). An open day covering a number of churches having events at different times of the day, refreshment on offer at some, and where others can offer a Sacred Space where people can come and be silent is a possibility.Also, the churches can come together for training, which can focus on issues most relevant locally.

In June (2003), there was a service of Celebrations of Church Tourism at the cathedral, led by the Bishop of Lincoln. The service included the recognition of churches which have shown excellence in the Tourist Church of the Year awards. It is important to recognise small churches in this way. At the end of the service, there was a procession out of the Great West Door of the cathedral with every church (many with banners) flowing as Cascade, Stream or Pool out into the world to share the good news of the love of Jesus.

The 2001 Census showed that 72% of people in this country regard themselves as Christians. Only a small proportion of them choose to express this by regular attendance at services. But many want to come closer to God and will say they have a special sense of God's presence in a church. Coming to a church as a "tourist" has for many been the start of a spiritual journey which has brought them into active church life. Will your church help people to make that first step?

Rosemary Watts, July 2003

NB! The Cathedral of the Fens is St Mary Magdalene Church at Gedney. The finest medieval wall paintings in Lincolnshire are to be seen at St John the Evangelist Church at Corby Glen.