Claire Lording ViaMedia.News Wanting to be One: The Rural Church Today
Meg Munn Chair of the National Safeguarding Panel Clergy Conduct Measure
Sorrel Shamel-Wood ViaMedia.News An End to an Injustice: And the Start of a Campaign
Angela Tilby Church Times Dr Francis-Dehqani’s calm voice of hope for the C of E
I normally respect her articles and find myself largely in agreement, but I am surprised by Angela Tilby’s inaccuracy at claiming that ‘ever larger structures’ in the diocese of Lincoln has been swelling. Over the last few years it has been cut quite harshly (as has been made clear in several mailings to parishes), with significant reductions in central staff. The financial problem facing Lincoln (as with many other dioceses) is that even when the income from the Stipends Fund is taken into account (which in the case of Lincoln is not insignificant) parishes do not cover the cost of… Read more »
I read the “ever larger structures” as referring to the amalgamation of parishes into minsters.
I had read it in the context of the previous sentence referencing ‘sprawling diocesan bureaucracies’:
‘gobbling up of parish share to feed sprawling diocesan bureaucracies. Look at Lincoln, Leicester, and Liverpool, where ordinary church life is being submerged by ever larger structures demanding money and compliance.’
The reality in Lincoln is that there are already areas where two or three clergy look after up to 40 churches – and the proposals being considered seek to identify which of the 30-40 churches the clergy should prioritise whilst seeking to maintain a pastoral ministry to all.
“there are already areas where two or three clergy look after up to 40 churches” This, it seems, is true of all or part of the Bolingbroke, Calcewaithe & Candleshoe, Horncastle and Louthesk deaneries, where there are a number of actual or pending vacancies, and a good deal of HFD/SSM support. It appears to be not quite, but not far off being, true of the Lafford, Westwold, etc., deaneries. “the proposals being considered seek to identify which of the 30-40 churches the clergy should prioritise” Perhaps, but the decisions have often long been made already, in effect. A great many… Read more »