The United Reformed Church

Welcome to Stepwise, the discipleship development programme from the United Reformed Church. Stepwise is for everyone: all ages, shapes and sizes – including you! 

If you are keen to reflect on, and develop your Christian faith, ready to be stimulated and challenged, and want to make a difference in your own life and the lives of others, then Stepwise is what you’re looking for.

Stepwise is shaped around your strengths and needs, in the context of your own community and church. It emphasises the importance of learning from your daily life – wherever you are and whoever God might be calling you to be.  It is designed for people of all ages and backgrounds and aims to deepen your discipleship and help you to grow in faith as you walk the way of Jesus.

Here's a short video which includes a collection of stories from participants and churches about the difference Stepwise has made to their lives and communities. This update was created for the URCs General Assembly in July 2021.

Want to find out more about Stepwise?  Click here to discover more about the programme and what's in it.

NEW - Stepwise Publicity (Oct 2021)

We now have available publicity posters in A3 (PDF - 2MB) or A4 (PDF 2MB) and an A5 double-sided flyer (PDF 3MB).  

Alternatively, printed copies are available on request.  Please email stepwise@urc.org.uk if you would like some sent to you.

* Stepwise Webinars - Spring 2021 *

During the Spring of 2021 we presented a series of Webinars exploring the 5 streams of Stepwise.  

Recordings of these Webinars are available to watch below or via the URC YouTube Channel

The documents in this section are offered to help churches comply with the General Data Protection Regulation which comes into force on 25 May 2018.

It cannot cover comprehensively everything that any church might ever do with data but churches following this guidance should be well on their way to compliance.

You will have heard a lot of concern about the need to obtain consent from data subjects. There are legal bases for processing data, other than consent, which have been included in the template Data Privacy Statement, and wherever possible it is recommended that the need to obtain consent is avoided. However if you wish to collect or process Special Category Data you will need to obtain consent. A template consent form is included for this purpose.

Further guidance is still expected from the Information Commissioners Office and this guidance will be added to or amended as becomes necessary.

• Hints and tips (pdf)
• Establishing Good Data Protection Practice in Your Church - Checklist (Word)
• Consent Template (Word)
• Privacy Notice Template (Word)
• Top five tips from the Information Commissioner (pdf)

For committees

• Committee Member Undertaking  (Word)
• Committee Leaver Declaration  (Word)

We make these papers available to the wider URC membership asking that people be aware that they are discussion documents and that many changes may be made as a result of Mission Council decisions.

• Order paper March 2018
• Full Mission Council papers March 2018
  
  
• Mission Council round-up day one
• Mission Council round-up day two
• Mission Council round-up day three
  

• March 2018 
• Covering letter
• Groups
• Agenda
• B1 – Children's and youth work committee – Update
• D1 – Governors of Westminster College, Cambridge – Appointment of Tutor
• D2 – Education and learning committee – Walking the Way of Jesus as disciples: 'They who learn as they follow'
• D3 – Education and learning committee – Training for authorised elders
• F1 – Faith and order committee – Scripture and the Church
• G1 – Finance committee – Update
• H1 – Ministries committee – Ministries update
• H2 – Ministries committee – Guidelines on conduct and behaviour for authorised elders
• H3 – Ministries committee – Proposed amendments to the Plan for Partnership
• I1 – Mission committee – Partnership Re-commitment
• I3 – Mission and Discipleship – Walking the Way: Living the life of Jesus today
• J1 – Nominations committee – List of nominations
• K1 – Pastoral reference and welfare committee – Adjustment of remit
• M1 – General Secretariat – Resourcing the Church's worship
• M2 – General Secretariat – The Church's Hymnody
• N1 – Task group on the future of General Assembly – Report to Mission Council
• P1 – Law and polity advisory group – Complaints Policy
• R1 – Safeguarding advisory group – Safeguarding update
• R2 – Safeguarding advisory group – Past case Review update
• T1 – MIND advisory group – Ministerial Disciplinary Process
• V1 – Resource sharing task group – Raising the ministry and mission fund
• Y1 – Private Members' resolution – Changes to the Rules of Procedure for the conduct of the United Reformed Church
• Z1 – Synod Moderators – Where is God calling the URC?

Late papers:

• D4 – Governors of Westminster College – The Cambridge Theological Federation
• J2 – Nominations committee – Supplementary report
• L1 – URC Trust – Report on properties
• L2 – URC Trust – The Church's risk assessment and management process
• P2 – Law and polity advisory group – The standards for eldership