Read original “The Parish Share often goes towards vital resources such as paying for a vicar. However, rural congregants and clergy are warning that they have been forced to share one vicar across multiple parishes, or claim they have been Read more…
“THE depth of anger expressed in recent responses to the so-called “Church Closers’ Charter” — the now infamous GS2222 — reflects a widening culture gap not only between diocese and parish, but also between urban and rural church life.”
In total, 1686 responses were received with most — 1495 — sent by individuals. Of
these, the vast majority were lay people, generally regular churchgoers, PCC
members, churchwardens, and volunteers. Most raised “signi#cant concerns”,
In most cases, PCC amalgamations should be resisted – by politely saying ‘no thank you’ and staying firm, even under pressure to change. Reason: the PCC is the legal entity, and there are no better guardians of a particular church than the local people who attend it and live near it.
“If a church is sold, the diocese receives two-thirds of the proceeds, and the Church Commissioners one third. The parish gets nothing.”
“The number of worshippers will only grow if the Church recovers its understanding of its central purpose.”
WE require a wider purpose and a broader vision. A rethinking of cura
animarum — the cure of souls — provides a good foundation. Although it has an
ancient and archaic ring, it is a surprisingly contemporary idea. Its origins are
Roman and about authority in a particular place; but its expression comes from the
Saxon idea of the Church’s underpinning the formation of the nation, as a function
of the spiritual, moral, and material welfare of the people.
“As the Civil Service, the NHS, and the Home Office, the first response to any problem is to recruit more bureaucrats. So, over the past 30 years, we have seen diocesan bureaucracies increase drastically, while the number of parish priests has fallen.”
“Since the 70s there’s been an asset grab. The [property, rectories and endowments] of local churches have been nicked by the dioceses and Church Commissioners, and have been sold off. Actually, if we start reinvesting in the local, and allow local churches to build themselves up again, there’s a huge scope for those churches to survive.”
More than 400 churches have been shut down in less than a decade, The Telegraph can reveal, as senior clergy warn of the “shocking” threat to parishes as “the bedrock of the Church of England”