Replanting in Abingdon
Is God calling you to play a part?
Is God stirring you to play a part in prayer, in support, in ‘co-creating’, visiting or joining the team in this season, when God is calling us, the Salt & Light Advance family of churches, to ‘replant’ a church in Abingdon, to better serve all the people in this fast-growing town and its region.
In Spring 2026, we’re asking people from across our family of churches, especially friends in nearby Oxford Community Church, to help us replant a new church for the increasingly diverse range of people living in this fast-growing town, as well as serving as a ‘hub’ for Christian communities in the surrounding rural area.
‘Co-creating’ means that we’ll be bringing people from outside ACC together with people already in ACC to ‘re-imagine’ what church should do and feel like, in order to serve God’s mission now in this season, when God is moving afresh in the nation and Abingdon town is growing fast. We’re determined to grow a church that bridges, bringing people together in a multigenerational and intercultural church, serving people across Abingdon and the villages.
‘Replanting’ sums up that we expect to do 5 things: reinvigorate culture, renew vision, recruit people to play their part, relocate Sunday gatherings to be more central and, finally, rename the church reflecting all those changes.
Could God be leading you to help us in this exciting venture?
Who is involved?
Andy and Ruth O’Connell are leading the replant team. Andy and Ruth have been part of the S&L Advance family of churches since the 1980s. They have a strong track record of growing people of all ages through discipleship and leadership development. They are currently seconded from leadership in Oxford Community Church to serve ACC, its current leadership team, and the replant. They are also members of the S&L Advance Vision team and Church Oversight apostolic teams.
Oxford Community Church, as a sister church in the city, is a key partner in this replant, providing support, prayer, advice and encouraging OCC people living in South Oxon and Abingdon to consider how they might play a part in this exciting initiative, while remaining strongly supported by OCC. If you’re in Oxford Community Church and want to know more, please contact Andy and Ruth, or talk with Al or Caroline McNicoll, Steve Jones, Liam Thatcher or Sanjay Mahtani.
Salt & Light Advance, as our family of churches, are bring oversight, strategic support and wisdom to the replant. Mark Eley is closely supporting Andy and Ruth, and the replant team. Mark leads Lifehouse Community Church, is a key prophetic leader in our family of churches, and will be supporting on behalf of the S&L Advance teams. See the Advance blog about the replant.
Learn more
For more on why Abingdon needs more new churches, how God has led us to this point, what will be new for ACC, and our relationship with Oxford Community Church and the Salt & Light Advance family of churches read our FAQs.
Next steps
If you’re not yet in ACC and interested in finding our more about what involvement in the replant could look like, please reach out to Andy and Ruth for a conversation by clcking the button below.
(Our three ‘co-creating’ evening events have now concluded.)
For already in ACC, there will be opportunities within Community Groups for discussion and prayer, and together in the Church Family Meeting on 19 March.