Coming to us from another church?

When Pastors Dominic & Catherine came to Norwich, they had a strong sense that primarily One Church would be a church that would grow through not-yet Christians being saved and also unchurched people being added to the family (plus at times through Christians relocating to the Norwich/ Norfolk region and wanting to be part of the church).

Whilst we recognise that there may be certain circumstances in which it is right for a believer living within a certain locality to move to a different church within the same locality, we don’t want to be a church that grows simply by transfer growth (we certainly want to be a church that discourages "church hopping"; at best this is not genuine kingdom growth and at worse this is destructive to the Church in the locality).

That’s why, though we welcome all, our default is to dissuade existing believers within Norwich or nearby from simply joining One Church without at the very least having a conversation with them about it first - and also the opportunity to talk to their current pastor(s). Our heart here is to protect the mission that God has given us and also the unity of the Church in the city – as well as showing honour and respect to other local churches and leaders too.

If you are looking to join us and are currently part of another church in the local area, we’d recommend that you first talk to your pastor(s), explain your intentions and get their blessing/ release so that if you are to leave, you do so as well as possible and with their knowledge. Then come and talk to us about it and we’ll happily explore the possibilities together.

However, when thinking about leaving a church, before coming to a point of decision it's always best to involve your pastor(s) as early as possible so you can prayerfully journey together towards the right outcome for both you and the church. We think that's the right, honouring and biblical thing to do.

Thank you so much for your understanding.