Save The Parish - Cornwall

Next stop for Cornwall's Bishops as they tour the county discussing next steps in their On The Way plans is Germoe is on the western edge of Kerrier Deanery. Kerrier has a highly controversial plan to merge 23 parishes into one benefice to be overseen by a single rural dean. The plan, which was voted through narrowly at a deanery synod last year, has attracted criticism from many across Cornwall and beyond the Tamar - all echoing a simple question: how on earth will this work? Kerrier Deanery Plan was one of the first to be voted through.   Clergy cuts left an area from the Lizard to Germoe (where the meeting will take place) with just two stipendiary clergy.At the same time, money is being spent on lay 'support posts'. Click here to read Kerrier Deanery Plan and learn more.   This plan was voted through with the narrowest of margins. At the meeting of Kerrier Deanery Synod on 23rd September 2022, at which the Deanery Plan was presented for approval, the secret ballot...

 Rev Marcus Walker, founder of Save The Parish, writes: It’s a little over a week until Save the Parish has its second conference, just before this July’s General Synod. This year the theme is “The Church in Action” and we are looking forward to hearing from a panel of clergy from across the country discussing what they do in the communities they serve. We will hear from Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, member of the Ecclesiastical Committee in Parliament and a supporter of Save the Parish, who will be talking of the work she sees parish churches do in her own constituency and how overcentralisation has caused so many problems for local ministry and undermined clergy wellbeing. Eddie Tulasiewicz, of the National Churches Trust, will discuss the hugely important publication they put out “House of Good”, which put the social value of local churches at a staggering £55 billion. Giles Fraser will rally the troops setting us up for another year of supporting parish ...

 Click here for information about Save The Parish's summer conference in York in early July - speakers and details of how to book your (free!) place. The Summer Conference will focus on  hearing about the power of parishes to impact their local communities through service, and how those parishes so badly need our support. The Save the Parish campaign was established just under two years ago. In a relatively short time, it has grown from a campaign to get like-minded, parish-supporting people onto the General Synod (of which we now have over 150) to a growing, multi-faceted campaign to help, support, campaign, and champion Parishes. This in person event at St Lawrence parish church in York on 6th July, the day before General Synod starts, will be an opportunity to hear from and meet with those on the STP team, listen to some excellent presentations by friends of the campaign, and get to know fellow supporters. We have some excellent speakers for you to listen to thro...

 See page three of today's Church Times letters page for a strong critique of claims by Cornwall's Bishops that their plans for change in the county are 'bottom up', not 'top down'.  The Bishops' stock response to anxiety about these controversial plans - described as 'revolutionary' by last week's Church Times - is that 'the deaneries voted these through'. But anyone involved  - even peripherally - with 'On The Way' will have realised that the process was micromanaged by the Episcopal College.  Click here to read the letter from Neil Wallis.

An interesting article here on 'oversight ministry' dating from a 2017 conference - showing that the Diocese of Truro has been considering this radical step for some time. Instead of priests in parishes, the traditional notion of of vicars as shepherds guiding their flock, the suggestion is that the clergy might become 'farm managers'.   Click here to read the article on the Diocese of Truro website.