Monica was an extraordinary and very special person, who will be much missed in her zeal in promoting church growth as well as many other things, including the great support she gave to her husband Clifford.
Monica and Clifford talked with, and ministered to, many church leaders. During the 1970s Monica sensed the Wind of the Spirit for seeking to stimulate an increasing urgency to reach the population for Christ, perhaps partly a legacy from the Billy Graham and Luis Palau Crusades. As a result, Monica established the British Church Growth Association (BCGA) in 1981. The BCGA was a networking organization that promoted church growth principles and influenced churches, denominations and seminaries. Colleges like the All Nations Christian College under Bob Hunt was one of the early enthusiastic supporters.
The BCGA published a quarterly journal called the Church Growth Digest which was edited by Monica. The BCGA was based on the work of Donald McGavran, the first Professor of Church Growth at the influential Fuller Theological College in Los Angeles.
Under Monica the BCGA established the Church Planting Initiative, the Small Church Network and Natural Church Development, the last stimulated by some German research. In time other Church Growth Associations began in other European countries (especially in Germany, Finland and the Netherlands) and the European Church Growth Association (ECGA) was started with Monica as its President. I had the privilege of speaking at several of the ECGA bi-annual conferences and joined the BCGA Council in 1994. Jörg Knoblauch, author of books on time management, was a keen German advocate.
Monica had an extraordinary ability to recall incidents of church growth she had come across in her wide ministry, and a wonderful way of getting alongside people, helping many church leaders think through challenging questions. She could recall their names with accuracy and kept detailed notes of many meetings and conversations.
The 1990s were declared “A Decade of Evangelism” by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Andrew Carey, but the Christian Research English Church Censuses of 1989 and 1998 did not show overall growth but decline, although many individual churches had seen some growth in numbers, especially some (but not all) of the evangelical churches. Interest in church growth faded and eventually in 2003 the BCGA had to close for financial reasons.
That did not stop Monica continuing to encourage and stimulate church growth whenever possible, and in her 80s she sought to rationalise and put in logical order some of the many papers which BCGA had accumulated, a work left to be completed Monica was a friend, a confidant, a source of wisdom, understanding of both national happenings and local changes, with diverse interests feeding into her strong longing to see the church grow. She didn’t stop working on her computer until she literally collapsed over it as the Lord took her to glory. It was a great privilege to have known her and worked with her.