Facing a 'mega benefice'? Contact your patron for help

-

Abandoned church in Wales
As radical plans for church restructuring go forward in Cornwall - backed by the Bishop of Truro the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen and the Bishop of St German's the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson- the first 'pastoral re-organisation' schemes are now being published. These are part of On The Way, the Bishops' vision of a radically different Church of England in Cornwall.

If you are at all worried about the 'mega benefices' proposed - e.g. in Kerrier 23 churches are to be brought together under one rural dean - it's important to start making your concerns known. (Click here to read the draft proposals for Kerrier).

The patron of your parish could be an important ally: please think about contacting him or her. Patrons have the power to object. Future generations are likely to look back at these extraordinary plans with confusion and dismay.  Similar plans in Wales have resulted in widespread church closures.

Click here to read Save The Parish's fact sheet on the role of patrons and pastoral re-organisation.  It notes:

  •   Local trustees or an individual with local knowledge may be keen to stress the need for local 
  • Patronage societies may be concerned about changes in churchmanship in a mega benefice
  •  All patrons should be concerned that the evidence shows that mega benefices/parishes cause decline.

 

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

Save The Parish Cornwall calls for a moratorium on the Bishops' divisive On The Way plans

-
Image
Click here to read our dossier, published today to coincide with a meeting with the Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, and Diocesan Secretary Rev Simon Cade. It contains testimonies from people across Cornwall who are dismayed and alarmed at the Bishops' On The Way plans that will change the nature of the Church of England in Cornwall forever. Bishop Hugh has the power to press the 'pause' button as the controversial plans attract national attention. We are urging him to have the courage to do so. How does healing of the church of Cornwall now happen?  Many have been badly hurt and threatened…. Can a safe place be created where all might flourish? We are calling for a moratorium, an increase in clergy numbers, a halt on the sale of parsonages and an end to oversight ministry.
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