Save The Parish Cornwall speaks at national conference in York
"Church life in Cornwall faces irreversible changes – for the worse – due to restructuring plans known as On The Way being pushed through ruthlessly by Bishops and Archdeacons of the Diocese of Truro," he told the national Save The Parish conference in York. Gone is the idea of priests in parishes.
"The Bishops of Truro and St Germans' plans for “Oversight Ministry” aka Oversight Management will see ever fewer manager-priests tasked with running lay teams. New teams of Lay ministers are being encouraged and communion-by-extension will become the norm in some churches – to the dismay of many.
"In one deanery – Kerrier - the final approved plan calls for just two priests to be in charge of 23 separate and widespread churches. By default, many of the churches in this historic area will face closure by default: who will nurture congregations to keep them open?
"Existing stipendiary clergy have been driven out or chopped to make way for them.
"Clergy cuts being implemented have led to the iniquitous inequality where the ratio of stipendiary priest to parishioner in the poorest deaneries like my own (Carnmarth North) is one to 14,000 souls compared to one to 5,500 in the richest.
"Opposition has been crushed, dissenting voices silenced, alternative ideas sidelined or ignored."
Mr Wallis said that - in the best sense of the word - the Cornish are now revolting: increasingly, both parishioners and priests are saying no and rising up to resist what they see as ecclesiastical vandalism.
At least one vicar is quitting with no Living to go to because Truro diocese failed to tell him on his appointment that his role would be an 'oversight minister', rather than a curer of souls.
The Diocese has struggled to recruit to new large benefices planned in Kerrier and Penwith: clergy have appeared reluctant to undertake the huge administrative roles planned.
Church wardens, treasurers, church council members, lay readers, ordinary parishioners and non-churchgoers are now bravely fighting back and saying no to their bishops and archdeacons, Mr Wallis said.
"We at "Save The Parish - Cornwall" have fought hard to help those brave congregations prepared to defy the bishops - and we can see the revolt is growing exponentially.
"We have also begun collating personal testimonies of those impacted by and fighting back against On The Way. I can tell you, it makes devastating reading…."
"In one deanery – Kerrier - the final approved plan calls for just two priests to be in charge of 23 separate and widespread churches. By default, many of the churches in this historic area will face closure by default: who will nurture congregations to keep them open?
"Existing stipendiary clergy have been driven out or chopped to make way for them.
"Clergy cuts being implemented have led to the iniquitous inequality where the ratio of stipendiary priest to parishioner in the poorest deaneries like my own (Carnmarth North) is one to 14,000 souls compared to one to 5,500 in the richest.
"Opposition has been crushed, dissenting voices silenced, alternative ideas sidelined or ignored."
Mr Wallis said that - in the best sense of the word - the Cornish are now revolting: increasingly, both parishioners and priests are saying no and rising up to resist what they see as ecclesiastical vandalism.
At least one vicar is quitting with no Living to go to because Truro diocese failed to tell him on his appointment that his role would be an 'oversight minister', rather than a curer of souls.
The Diocese has struggled to recruit to new large benefices planned in Kerrier and Penwith: clergy have appeared reluctant to undertake the huge administrative roles planned.
Church wardens, treasurers, church council members, lay readers, ordinary parishioners and non-churchgoers are now bravely fighting back and saying no to their bishops and archdeacons, Mr Wallis said.
"We at "Save The Parish - Cornwall" have fought hard to help those brave congregations prepared to defy the bishops - and we can see the revolt is growing exponentially.
"We have also begun collating personal testimonies of those impacted by and fighting back against On The Way. I can tell you, it makes devastating reading…."
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