So where are we now? The current state of play in Penwith deanery

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The Diocese of Truro's major restructuring and clergy-cutting exercise On The Way is felt nowhere more keenly in Penwith, one of the first deaneries to vote through an unpopular and challenging restructuring plan. 

The Episcopal College recently failed to recruit a Rural Dean responsible for a new 'split' deanery into East Side and West Side and oversee parish re-organisation: only one application was received.

What are the proposals on the table? How and why has this situation developed?

Our Bishops, sadly, share the view of others in the hierarchy of the Church of England that there is little future for parishes as a means of delivering the Gospel. Key to this has been a national paper called the 'Mission and Pastoral Measure' which argued that congregations with an average congregation of 20 or fewer were unviable.

A way forward was proposed - concentrating clergy and financial resources in 'Transforming Mission hubs in some cities and towns. (In Cornwall, Church Commissioners' funds (60%) and diocesan reserves (40%) support Transforming Mission hubs in Camborne, St Austell, Liskeard, Highertown Truro and Falmouth). 

Also in the proposals:  putting rural parishes and clergy together in large joint groups of 12 or 14 parishes.

As far as Penwith is concerned, the Diocese has backed a deanery plan cutting the number of clergy posts to 5.5 from 10.5.  This deanery plan was - according to the Bishops - a 'bottom up' process and they had no input in this, leaving churchgoers to forge their own way forward. In fact, in Penwith - as elsewhere in Cornwall - this was certainly not the case as Leadership Teams liaised closely with the Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, as deanery plans were developed. Click here to read what happened in Carnmarth North.

In Penwith, despite strong local opposition, the Bishops pushed the plan through. At a Penwith Deanery Synod in November 2021, a letter was read out by Rev Geoff James saying that unless the Bishops' preferred plan was approved by those present, the Bishop of St Germans the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson would approve it anyway.

Needless to say, this model of concentrating resources in large towns doesn't work in Cornwall. Click here to see a paper by academic Bernard Deacon on the subject.

This is what the current Penwith Deanery plan proposes:

 - the deanery is split into two sections, the West Side based around Penzance, and the East Side around St Ives

- the East Side will have three benefices: St Ives and St John Halsetown (two parishes), Mounts Bay Benefice (four parishes). St Uny and Lelant will join with the Godrevy Team (seven parishes) with help from a Pioneer Priest to be appointed.  In the East Side, the three stipendiary clergy of the benefices and the Pioneer Priest will form a small chapter, which has already started meeting.

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