Attendance and giving significantly impacted by pandemic, study finds

Nov 29, 2021 by

Attendance and giving significantly impacted by pandemic, study finds

from Christian Today: Most churches have returned to weekly in-person services but not everyone has returned to the pews and even among those who have, many are not attending as frequently as they did before Covid-19, new research has found. The Evangelical Alliance’s Changing Church report, which surveyed 552 church leaders and 1,676 church members, reveals a significant shift in the habits of churchgoers since the start of the pandemic. Some 95% of church leaders say meeting in person...

read more

Why are schoolchildren selecting Church of England bishops?

Nov 29, 2021 by

Why are schoolchildren selecting Church of England bishops?

by Archbishop Cranmer: Caroline Boddington is barely out the door, and bishops are now being appointed by…  schoolchildren called Temisan, Keziah, Honey and Sophia. With the retirement of the Rt Rev’d Pete Broadbent as Bishop of Willesden, somebody (Caroline Boddington?) decided that children should have a say in who replaces him. The teenagers from Twyford CofE High School in Acton assessed CVs,  judged sermons, interviewed and discerned the spiritual leadership of all those who applied. And...

read more

Christ Church cannot afford the perception of a ‘Show Trial’

Nov 26, 2021 by

Christ Church cannot afford the perception of a ‘Show Trial’

by Martin Sewell, Archbishop Cranmer: Integrity should lie at the heart of every public institution. In the United Kingdom, Her Majesty the Queen models the highest standards of behaviour which ought to be followed across the layers of our society, but few live up to her example, which is why we have a Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, a Solicitors Regulation Authority, and a Charity Commission. Vigilance is essential, but we also rely heavily upon the personal integrity of those...

read more

Church of England cannot survive by ‘spreading clergy more thinly’ – Justin Welby

Nov 26, 2021 by

Church of England cannot survive by ‘spreading clergy more thinly’ – Justin Welby

by Julian Mann, Christian Today: The Church of England cannot achieve its mission “only by spreading clergy more thinly”, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has admitted. In a speech this week to the National Farmers’ Union, Archbishop Welby appeared to acknowledge that the reduction in clergy numbers, especially in rural areas, was not helping the CofE to be “the Church for England”. He quoted figures revealing that around two thirds of all CofE churches...

read more

‘Rogues or idiots’: Justin Welby condemns TV portrayal of clergy

Nov 25, 2021 by

‘Rogues or idiots’: Justin Welby condemns TV portrayal of clergy

by Harriet Sherwood, Guardian: Archbishop of Canterbury says vicars are ‘hard-working, normal people’ rather than ‘depressing’ depictions seen in TV dramas. The archbishop of Canterbury has said the clergy are portrayed in television dramas as “rogues or idiots” whereas in reality they are “hard-working, normal people, caring deeply about what they do”. Such fictional depictions of vicars were “depressing”, Justin Welby told the National Farmers’ Union. Departing from the text of his speech,...

read more

O Come All Ye Vaccinated

Nov 23, 2021 by

O Come All Ye Vaccinated

by Peter Mullen, TCW: BEHOLD, I show you a mystery: many are called, but only those with a Vaccinated Passport are chosen – that is if you want to attend the Advent Carol Service at Durham Cathedral. Contrary to guidance from both the government and the high counsels of the Church of England, the Dean of Durham, the Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, has made these passports mandatory ‘in order to keep everyone safe’. No other Anglican cathedral has done this, so I wonder why Dean Tremlett has...

read more