“That vision of the Anglican Church as an inclusive institution, open to everyone and the priest’s cure of souls extending to everyone in his or her parish, no matter what their faith or lack of it, is increasingly under threat in Britain. This is partly through pastoral reorganisation and partly Read more…
Well done. What has been achieved in this year is very inspiring and hopeful. People do care passionately about their local churches and local ministry based in the parish church is very often the most effective manner in which we can provide pastoral care and share the Good News of Read more…
How Village Churches Thrive: A Practical Guide. Church House Publishing, 2022, £9.99. ‘So, if anything, I think many rural churches are rather like spring bulbs, ready for the right conditions to release all the potential they hold, and to thrive.’ Those are the words of comedian Hugh Dennis, a vicarage Read more…
“Yet, approaching a winter where many face a bleak choice between heating or eating, some CofE bishops are demolishing community. Wanton destruction of the parish system by dioceses is accelerating. Parishes are being bundled into “mega-parishes”, across which vicars are spread increasingly thin, making weekly Sunday services in every church Read more…
“Soaring energy costs are leaving churches with a choice between keeping their buildings open for community groups or paying their fuel bills next winter. Churches and charities are not subject to the cap on energy bills, and most are classed as businesses for their tariffs, which has meant that they Read more…
“The Save the Parish movement, born a year ago this month, has seen its leaders chided as “rascally voices” by Archbishops, and roundly condemned by certain more excitable bishops (generally the ones closing parishes). They have, in their turn, received their share of brickbats too. But something happened on the Read more…
“Professor Nicholas Orme made a key contribution in pointing out the early origins of the parish. Parishes evolved naturally in their locations. This immediately resonated with the spontaneous order explained by authors such as Friedrich Hayek, Israel Kirzner, and Elinor Ostrom. Their emphasis is on the local spontaneous order rather Read more…