Really Bishop? Key documents from Archdeacon Paul Bryer on parish re-organisation

-


A few eyebrows raised today by a suggestion from the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St Germans, that parish re-organisation is not on the agenda in the Diocese of Truro. In a letter to deanery representatives ahead of a meeting in East Wivelshire on 30 June, the Bishop appears to deliberately downplay the question.

Note: Bishop Hugh does not deny that parish re-organisation is in the pipeline, but ducks the question by saying that it cannot be waved through on approval of a deanery plan.  His telling phrase 'where that is needed' speaks volumes.

If there are people who believe that the Deanery plan grants authority to close churches or merge PCCs without the further processes required, it would be helpful for them to know that is not the case. As I understand it, having a Deanery plan that has been passed by Synod is taken into account in future pastoral reorganisation ... but it is not considered to replace the normal consultation process. We checked that out some time ago.

We have a clear process in place for pastoral re-organisation, where that is needed, once a Deanery plan is approved, which follows all the proper processes and is separate to On the Way. As [Bishop] Philip says, the point of the Deanery plan is to describe a vision and a culture that the Deanery believes it has discerned, and to outline a plan for achieving it, which may include changes to patterns of ministry, governance, use of buildings etc – in itself it doesn’t change anything.


 For anyone who doubts that there are Diocesan plans for extensive parish re-organisation in Cornwall - please click on the links below to read recently circulated papers written by Archdeacon Paul Bryer. The Archdeacon has drawn up several documents over a period of months highlighting what he believes are the advantages of  Parochial Church Council (PCC) mergers and parish re-organisation.

Such moves have been strongly resisted by many congregations elsewhere in the country, who believe they deprive local communities of agency and voice.

An Introduction to Parish Re-organisation by Archdeacon Paul Bryer

Advantages of One Parish

Frequently asked questions - setting up Joint PCCs

Background to parish re-organisation from the C of E  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Save The Parish Cornwall responds to Diocese of Truro statement

-
Image
Save The Parish Cornwall issues the following response to a regrettable statement by the Diocese of Truro published on its website on 5 March 2024. The Diocese misleadingly says that Save The Parish Cornwall is 'targeting clergy' and providing inaccurate clergy figures. Save The Parish Cornwall’s recent analysis of clergy numbers in the Diocese shows that there were just 39 priests for Cornwall’s 200 plus parishes and 300 churches at the end of December 2023 - according to figures supplied by Church House sources at the end of January 2024. A further 19 other incumbencies remained vacant. Stipendiary priests in Cornwall at the end of December 2023, and their locations: data supplied by Church House sources to Save The Parish Cornwall at the end of January 2024. There was, therefore, one stipendiary priest to 15,000 people: the population of Cornwall is just over 600,000. The number of stipendiary priests in Cornwall at the end of December 2023 was 39. Save The Parish Cornw
Read more

Cornwall's Bishops in tailspin after BBC Sunday Politics coverage

-
Image
Cornwall’s Bishops have been stung by hard-hitting coverage on BBC Sunday Politics South West of their controversial On the Way cost-cutting programme which is cutting clergy numbers, merging parishes and threatening church closures. In a 1200-word statement on the Diocese of Truro website , and an accompanying letter to all churches, the Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen, and the Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, complain about many aspects of the report ( click here to view the report ). The problem is, as so often with the Diocese of Truro statements, rhetoric does not coincide with reality. Truro complains (on the Diocesan website): “The report lasted just under five minutes but…. Much of the time was given to four speakers from a campaign group, three of whom have no connection with the church in Cornwall or with wider Cornish society." Save The Parish Cornwall explains: The four actually included two well-respected SouthWest MPs who are i
Read more

REVAMPED DEANERY PROPOSALS ACKNOWLEDGE NEED FOR NAMED PAID PARISH PRIESTS IN PARISHES

-
Image
 A crucial deanery synod meeting in west Penwith next week will test both diocesan commitment to maintaining levels of ministry and the deanery’s ability to negotiate with Church House while taking heed of the concerns of anxious churchgoers. At the meeting - the latest step in the Diocese of Truro’s controversial On The Way restructuring plans - there will be a vote on hotly contested clergy numbers.  Thrashing out a plan for the Land’s End peninsula has been beset with problems due to a high number of vacancies as well as recruitment difficulties. The situation is complex: Penzance has some of the highest levels of poverty in Cornwall and the area has some of the county’s most historic churches and fiercely loyal church communities. In the spotlight now: the Diocese’s commitment to increasing number of priests in post and its stated priority ‘to answer the ministry needs of the deanery'. The latest West Penwith Area Ministry Proposal - click here to read   - includes the welc
Read more