Let's put things right....
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| A moratorium is possible, Bishop |
There is no disguising that 'On The Way' has been a distinctly poor example of public 'consultation'.There are now deep rifts in the Church particularly between the Diocese and the laity, there is despair and most disturbingly a great deal of distrust.
We have to fix this.
The former Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Bishop Philip Mounstephen has presided over this mess and has now shimmied off to new and unsuspecting pastures. This has left Bishop Hugh with a lot on his plate - for which we could all feel some sympathy - but it also affords him a great opportunity to heal division and right the sinking ship.
To start at the beginning, what would have be the best way to conduct an On The Way process that would have involved all interested parties and stood the best chance of a successful outcome?
Actually I don't think it's that difficult.
First you would accept that the CofE belongs to all the citizens of England and would bear that constantly front and central to your thinking.
Next you would clearly outline the perceived problem - declining congregations, ageing demographic, shortfall in funding etc - while at the same time outlining all the income streams of the church, where it
is spent and the choices around that spending.
Then lay out the main alternatives:-
1) Fewer priests, large benefices, sale of parsonages, training of laity to fill the gap.
2) Smaller benefices, training of laity, retention of parsonages.
3) Central Transforming Mission hubs to engender energy into 1. above.
4) Decentralisation, an even spread of Church Commissioner funding over all parishes with each having a greater autonomy over decision making. For example a parish or group of parishes could decide to hire an additional priest based on their confidence that they could raise the additional funds for this tangible objective.
Next rehearse the findings of relevant church surveys on e.g. what happens when priests are given large benefices ( cf. the Welsh Super Parishes ) , what happens where a priest is retained in a small cluster of neighbouring parishes and lives in the community ? The Church has carried out some extensive surveys in the last 20 years which should be made available to all interested parties.
Along with the above would be various forecasts outlining worse case alongside realistic and indeed optimum results. Each forecast would cover a 3 -5 year period and it would be clear that any potential job
contracts would run to that period so allowing the parties to change course if their strategy wasn't working.
All this may sound difficult and complicated but it really isn't, it's the kind of exercise that every business in the country is constantly reviewing, updating and revising as they navigate constantly changing
conditions. The only complication for the Church is that by definition their 'shareholders' are all of us so they need to look for our views, our guidance and our help in arriving at the right decisions.
If the Church had gone about it in this genuinely consultative manner then there was/is every chance of a good outcome with a revitalised membership and a united purpose.And I'm pretty certain that the
overwhelming majority would back 4) Decentralisation.
Under Bishop Philip, the Diocese started and ended with their own plan which has been foisted on the parishioners under the heading 'there is no alternative'. Bishop Hugh now has an unprecedented opportunity to restore benign and wise counsel to the Church in Cornwall ,to pause On The Way plans and to row back to a point where every church member and the wider population is given a voice and a choice.
For Bishop Hugh's sake, for his legacy and for the future of the Church he must not let this
opportunity slip through his fingers.
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