from Anglican Futures
It seems like a long time ago that a letter was written to the Daily Telegraph suggesting that churches should close and that congregations should be relieved of the pressure of maintaining ancient buildings. In the Diocese of Leicester the answer to declining congregations and a budget deficit is ‘Shaped by God Together’, which when fully implemented will have created 20-25 Minster Communities across the Diocese.
One such Minster Community will consist of approximately 30 parishes and will be cared for by three clergy. Many of the parishes are small rural parishes where congregations are in single numbers. The vicar of one of the larger, growing churches in a market town has described the sacrifices required of them as like cutting off the arm of a fit and healthy person and roasting it so the small churches can have one last meal.
Another clergyman was recently asked to take a service in a small village church because they had no vicar. On arriving, he discovered the church was cold, dark, and largely unloved – the warden from another church in the benefice had yet to open up. Three men came to the service, all of them appeared to be Christians who trusted in Jesus Christ. On reflection, he said, “The service felt very sad, almost like attending a funeral. The church is approximately two miles from a thriving church with a lively congregation. You have to ask the question: why not transport those three Christian men two miles to be part of a thriving congregation and close at a church that, to me, seems no longer able to serve its local community, and whose community appears to have ceased to care for it?”
The following is an extract from a letter sent to the Bishop of Leicester regarding the possible impact of the “Shaped by God Together” policy.