Statement shared with Grace Generation Church at the Vision Night, 4 March 2026.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees for Grace Generation Church, I would like to welcome you here tonight. Thank you for coming out mid-week to hear more about the vision and heart of the Church and to be updated on where the Church is heading in 2026 and the years ahead.

Let’s start with some context. Over the past couple of years, Pastors Paul and Helen have had informal discussions with members of the Board of Trustees and the External Spiritual Oversight team as to how best to prepare the church for its future. These discussions were to ensure the continuity of Grace Generation’s core values and DNA through a careful process to ensure unity and leadership for the future of the church.

With Pastor Paul’s sudden, serious health issues emerging at the end of 2025, those conversations shifted into a more formal, structured process. Our desire is to maintain confident leadership of the church in what we recognise has been a time of significant change. You will recall that at our last vision meeting together on 28 th January, it was announced that Pastor Paul was stepping aside from active leadership for a period of time, due to ongoing ill health. At that point, we introduced the Senior Leadership Team to assist with the smooth and effective running of the church. We remain grateful for those in our church who accepted those positions and have been delighted to see how quickly and positively this team has been working together, for the blessing of all around them.

Pastor Paul and Pastor Helen, along with the Board of Trustees and the External Spiritual Oversight, have had meetings to discuss the future direction of GGC. It has been evident to all that God has been in our prayers and our conversations together – it has been amazing to see how the process has been orchestrated by God, seen in the clarity, reassurance and vision we have all experienced. There has been considerable prayer and discussion as we have sought God’s will together, and we have found ourselves united in our discernment of His best plans for this community at this time. So many of us call Grace Generation ‘home’, and that’s because this church is rooted and grounded in relationship. Therefore, as we share tonight about some upcoming changes, we want to make sure that everyone understands the reasons behind them. What we are bringing to you is not a sudden directional pivot – this is a continuation of God’s story in this house, with care and consideration being given to the needs of the church community.

With all this in mind, the Board of Trustees, the External Spiritual Oversight and the Internal Spiritual Oversight teams, with the blessing of Pastor Paul and Pastor Helen Cupples, would like to share with you some important changes that are going to be made within our senior leadership structure.

Firstly, let’s confirm a key piece of information: Pastors Paul and Helen are remaining at Grace Generation. However, in light of Pastor Paul’s health challenges, their roles will be changing.

Let’s start with Pastor Paul. It is with great honour that we confirm that Pastor Paul will be moving from Lead Pastor to become the first Pastor Emeritus of Grace Generation Church. A Pastor Emeritus is an honorary role bestowed upon a long-term or founding leader who has shown sustained passion, leadership and service to the Lord and to their local church community – I think we can all agree this perfectly describes Pastor Paul. Our desire is to ensure Pastor Paul continues to be financially supported in this role at this time. Moreover, should he feel well enough to return to a ministry role within GGC, he will, with the support of his medical team and at the direction of the church leadership, continue to bless and build this community of believers with his wisdom and pastoral heart.

And what about Pastor Helen? Pastor Helen, with all her amazing gifts and anointing, will transition from her current role as Lead Pastor to Senior Associate Pastor.

In church terms, a Senior Associate Pastor is a high-level leader who acts as a bridge between senior church leadership and daily church operations. It’s to this role that Helen will bring her years of wisdom, pastoral influence and spiritual authority, and will continue to have a significant impact on the life of Grace Generation. In this role, she will continue to oversee the Senior Leadership Team and the day-to-day operations of the church, ensuring the staff, teams and ministries of GGC continue to grow and flourish. We look forward with confidence to her continued contribution in this next season, recognising her faithful, prayerful leadership and the profound impact she continues to have on the life and culture of our church.

These are significant changes. You will hear from Pastor Helen tonight, on behalf of her and Pastor Paul, as she shares with you all.

As a result of those prayers and our discussions together, the Board of Trustees, the External Spiritual Oversight and Internal Spiritual Oversight Teams, with the support and encouragement of Pastors Paul and Helen Cupples, are united in the next step in this process. We would like to inform you tonight that Pastor Brian and Pastor Judith Somerville have accepted the offer to be the Lead Pastors of Grace Generation Church, commencing 10th May 2026. This announcement is the fruit of a long-standing relationship with Pastors Brian and Judith, who have been sowing into us through their love and care expressed to us all in their visits, and through Brian’s practical support and wisdom, seen in both his preaching and his contributions as a long-standing member of the Board.

Practically, what will that look like? Pastor Brian will focus on vision and culture, on leadership development and on preaching and teaching, ensuring the church remains spiritually healthy, missionally focused and aligned with its God-given calling. Brian will carry primary responsibility for the Lead Pastor role, including time commitment, executive authority, strategic oversight and formal accountability. Brian will do this whilst continuing in his current role as National Leader of CCI.

What About Pastor Judith? Judith will stand alongside Brian as a Lead Pastor, sharing the spiritual authority and pastoral calling of the role, while contributing in a supportive capacity. Pastor Judith will also retain her role on the National Leadership Team of CCI. We’re also delighted that Brian and Judith, along with Sarah, Peter, Lucy and Charlotte, will relocate to the Banbridge area as soon as circumstances feasibly allow.

Brian and Judith will be sharing their perspective on this journey with Grace Generation. We know that they have a love for this house and know many of you here well. They are already in relationship with Grace Generation. They are leaders who are committed to this congregation, our ministries, our staff and our leadership teams, and choose to walk with us and before us in this incredible journey of faith, hope and love. They are committed to the long-term and see our future direction with hope, building on the foundations already established. They are coming in to steward something precious – and they take their roles seriously and prayerfully.

To conclude, Pastor Paul and Pastor Helen have been the Pastors of Grace Generation for the past 14 years, nearly to the day – and we are deeply grateful for their faithful, prayerful and sacrificial ministry as our Senior Pastors. Paul and Helen’s years of service have profoundly shaped the spiritual life, culture and mission of this church, which continues to be woven into who we are and how we serve. Every level of leadership within the church remains committed to stewarding and building upon that foundation with integrity, humility and faithfulness to God’s call.

Paul and Helen are in unity with this transition – and look forward to the advancement of God’s kingdom in Banbridge. To see their continued involvement in the church is a remarkable testament to the trust and relationship that has been and continues to be nurtured here. Our vision is that Grace Generation, along with Pastors Paul and Helen, will thrive. On behalf of all of us, we are all praying for a miracle in Pastor Paul’s health, for God to heal him and for him to be restored to full health.

End of document.