Save The Parish - Cornwall

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In the latest twist in the Diocese of Truro's steady march towards disastrous On The Way restructuring plans: the acting Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, has admitted that rural deans are finding the demands of proposed new huge benefices just too much. He is a creating a new role for what effectively are 'area deans' covering several deaneries. He and his colleagues have heard 'clearly and consistently' from rural deans over the past 18 months that their role is not manageable,  he writes in a letter to the Diocese this week. "As a result, there will be a 'significant changes' to the rural dean's role. "The new Deans for each area will carry all the legal responsibilities of a Rural Dean, will play a key role in deanery plan implementation, will support parishes and benefices with the practical and relational work of change and will provide clergy and lay leaders with practical and pastoral support. ... This change is designed to ...

An evaluation of ‘Transforming Wigan’   - a controversial programme for change - has been published: click here to read an Executive Summary . This evaluation is an 'absolute shocker' and should be a game changer, writes Rev Marcus Walker of Save The Parish on Twitter. This is so important given how many other dioceses are implementing schemes following what we can safely call the Failed Wigan Model, he says. Sadly, the Diocese of Truro is one of these dioceses: click here to read more. The highlights of 'Failed Wigan'? £1.2 million wasted Weekly attendance 1/3 Annual giving 1/3 Deficit £56,000 to £295,666 In figures that is almost 600 people stopping going to church and £500,000 less given. Read the report here: https://d3hgrlq6yacptf.cloudfront.net/603eb0893e402/ What was the plan? Merge all the 33 parishes of Wigan into one super benefice with seven “parish hubs” (they love “hubs” in the new CofE). Slash the number of clergy from 24 to 15 (they actually o...

Wake up, Bishop Hugh! An evaluation of ‘ Transforming Wigan ’   - a controversial programme for change - has been published: click here to read an Executive Summary . And guess what, it is not a success.  "The evaluation of a project to transform Wigan into a “missional powerhouse” — which entailed the grouping of 33 churches in a single benefice has reported mixed success after seven years and the spending of £1.2 million," says the Church Times. Tis is serious news for Cornwall. Changes proposed for Diocese of Truro through controversial plans known as ‘On The Way’ are inspired by the Wigan ‘experiment’.  They build on Cornwall's own 'Transforming' initiative - aka 'Transforming Mission' -  i.e. moving ministry away from priests in parishes to large benefices with teams of 'workers' (Youth, Education, Pilgrimage etc) managed by an 'Oversight Minister'. Despite vociferous local opposition, they have been championed by the acting Bishop of...

More than a quarter of churches in Cornwall are failing to offer a Sunday service, analysis by the Telegraph reveals today. Click here to read the full article. Two weeks ago the S unday Telegraph covered our dossier on churchgoers' - and the wider communities' - concerns about plans for radical change in worship patterns in Cornwall . These plans, known as On The Way, have been championed by the former Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen, and the acting Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson (formerly Bishop of St Germans). The paper said today that across 287 churches in the county, 78 had no forms of Sunday worship advertised on the last weekend of September - a total of 27 per cent. Of those that did, just 114 advertised that Communion was being offered, considered by many Christians to be the most important sacrament. Responding to the data, the Rev Marcus Walker, chairman  of the campaign group, Save The Parish, said: "It can come as no shock to any...

“A bishop with the soul of a servant should be able to express uncertainty about the way ahead, ask for help, and, ….'find reverse gear’ if necessary.” Click here to read. An important leader from the Church Times (8 September 2023), just days after the Sunday Telegraph published an expose of the unhappiness and unrest in Cornwall caused by the Bishops of Truro and St Germans's restructuring plans for the Diocese of Truro - known as 'On The Way'.   Bishops should be sensitive and responsive to the unrest - and concern - that their plans provoke, it suggests. As the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen makes his way to his new appointment at Winchester (his farewell service at the Cathedral was last Sunday)  Save The Parish Cornwall is urging the Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, to have the courage to press the 'pause button' on these plans. People across Cornwall believe that they should be re-evaluated and re-assessed, this time with proper consultation. ...

 There's still time to send Diocesan Secretary Simon Cade your thoughts about his controversial 2024 budget consultation - which proposes selling off vicarages to raise funds to pay priests.  The deadline is 23 September 2023. Martin Saunders of Pydar Deanery has written the following paper: click here to read. Simon Cade's paper, entitled Tending the Vineyard , is here .  Send your thoughts to simon.cade@truro.anglican.org To read a response by Save The Parish Cornwall's Neil Wallis, click here .