Church to cut paid clergy as a fifth of flock wanders off
by Nicholas Hellen and Caroline Wheeler, The Times:
The damage inflicted on the Church of England by the pandemic is revealed in a leaked internal document which warns up to 20 per cent of its regular worshippers may never return.
It calls into question “the sustainability of many local churches” and the continued financial subsidy given to 5,000 loss-making parishes out of a total of 12,000.
The document also warns that most dioceses intend to “prune [the] number of clergy and diocesan staff”. One bishop and another senior source said the number of paid priests could be cut by 10 to 20 per cent, as the church cuts costs by recruiting more unpaid clergy.
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