Save The Parish - Cornwall

 Pressed by Save The Parish Cornwall for clarification on clergy numbers, the acting Bishop of Truro the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson has send the following response. STPC presented a plan to fund 100 clergy from existing Diocesan finances to him, and colleagues, at a meeting on 30 September 2024. At that meeting STPC asked for clarification on current full time stipendiary priests in Cornwall: neither Bishop Hugh, nor Diocesan Secretary Simon Cade were prepared to provide them at that meeting. This response, received on 22 October 2024, similarly does not clarify the exact number of clergy planned for 2025. Bishop Hugh also includes Archdeacons and curates in the 'clergy count'. Bishop Hugh writes: As we described when we met, the measure that we use to count clergy is  headcount stipends paid . That gives us a consistent and clear number that we can count and compare every month. As they do not receive a stipend, this does not include House for Duty clergy.   At the end of Septembe

The acting Bishop of Truro  is  committed to ‘halting the decline’ in numbers of stipendiary parish priests  in Cornwall ,  he pledged to  a campaign group pushing for 100  such positions in Cornwall. Save the Parish Cornwall (STPC) had presented the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson and his senior aides with detailed costed plans demonstrating how the Diocese can significantly increase clergy numbers, currently at an all-time low.  However,  Bishop Hugh , tipped by his supporters to be the next Bis h op of Truro, declined to say how many priests in parishes he envisaged, saying it would be in line with what was planned in the controversial On The Way restructuring plans in the county .  T h ese plans  – rolled out over the past two years  –   however  place  an emphasis on lay ministry, rather than parish priests.  At a meeting with STPC at St John’s Church, Truro,  when pressed  n either he, nor Diocesan Secretary Canon  Simon Cade ,   were  prepared  to reveal an exact number   but  said

At various times, the Diocese of Truro has claimed that it has to reduce the number of stipendiary parish priests because it cannot afford the numbers of stipendiary priests that Save The Parish Cornwall believes should be in place in parishes. It has used this argument as partial justification of its 'Oversight Minister' model. All figures in Save The Parish Cornwall's paper have been extracted from Diocesan budgets or published accounts. It should be noted that the Diocesan budget and accounts are extremely complicated and very difficult to understand. However, we are confident that the figures are directionally correct, having explained their basis to the Diocesan Secretary, Archdeacon of Cornwall and Acting Bishop of Truro. They raised minor challenges but could not refute the principal figures.  Click here to download a copy of the paper for printing, and circulation.

A message from Save The Parish national steering committee member Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent It has been a while since our 3 rd  birthday newsletter in August and there are a number of things on which I would like to update you.   A word of thanks Save The Parish is not a charity because charities are not allowed to have political campaigning as their primary purpose.  Because of the Established status of the Church of England our campaign could be construed to be political.  We are a limited company with a Board and annual accounts, all visible on the Companies House website.  Your Steering Committee are all volunteers but we do ask for and receive generous donations, for such things as research, printing and conferences.  But I thought you would all like to know that donations have been steadily increasing month by month over the last couple of years.  This is very heartening and a strong indicator of the growing support for saving parishes.  Thank you.   STP