by Ian Paul, Psephizo
Bishops and dioceses are finally rebelling against the central control of decision making imposed by the Church Commissioners (and the Archbishops’ Council) upon them. At least that is the impression you might get from reading the Church Times this week.
Dioceses ready to take back purse strings from centre, Dr Gibbs tells Rochester synod
The Church Commissioners’ control over dioceses has been criticised by the Bishop of Rochester, Dr Jonathan Gibbs, who has warned of “significant and unsustainable annual deficits”.
The announcement this weekend that his own diocese had been awarded £11 million from the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment (SMMI) Board did not deter Dr Gibbs from arguing that the increasing emphasis on grants “exacerbates the sense of control by the centre”.
“Everyone accepts that the Commissioners are brilliant at investing money and generating excellent returns,” he told his diocesan synod on Saturday. “But the reality is that the resources they now hold represent a significant net transfer not only of assets but also of financial control from the dioceses to the national Church, something which has become more and more evident over the last ten or so years.”
I think you, dear reader, can already seen some paradoxes even in the opening of this article. The comments made by Jonathan Gibbs are in the context of the ‘award’ (is this the right word?) of £11m from the SMMI Board for significant work in the diocese. If you read the full details of his address to Synod here, then you can see the fulsome enthusiasm that he shows about this; the later comments are not the main point, with the award being a mere aside.