Perilous finances force city church to become pioneering

But now Hull’s Holy Trinity Church is to take a fresh approach to the way it engages with the community, and is considering a range of ventures to address its perilous finances.

While it is planning ways of generating income from the tourist trade, the latest addition to its clergy, the curate and pioneer minister Matt Woodcock, wants it to become relevant to a “lost” generation of parishioners.

He said: “The Church of England is realising we are missing whole generations of people because we are failing to engage with them. For a long time we have expected people to come to us when actually we need to go to them.

“It sounds radical but if you look at the Gospels that’s what Jesus did. I don’t think people have a problem with faith or the message of Christianity, but they have a problem with the way that message is delivered.”

Mr Woodcock said the church could host concerts to engage with young people, with other events being staged in Trinity Square outside. Holy Trinity has already hosted a fashion show as part of its bid to become a centre of the community again.

Mr Woodcock added: “Often people need to belong before they can believe.”