howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
courtesy of the independent.
The Church of England will no longer be functionally existent in 20 years' time according to some projections, a General Synod member has said.
The Rev Dr Patrick Richmond, a vicar from Norwich, told members of the Church's national assembly in York that they were facing a "perfect storm" of ageing congregations and falling clergy numbers.
"The perfect storm we can see forming on the far horizon is the ageing congregations we have heard about - average age is 61 now, with many congregations above that," he said. "These congregations will be led by fewer and fewer stipendiary clergy... 2020, apparently, is when our congregations start falling through the floor because of just natural wastage, that is people dying.
"Another 10 years on, some extrapolations put the Church of England as no longer functionally extant at all."
Andreas Whittam Smith, the first Church Estates Commissioner, added that the demographic "time bomb of 2020" for Anglicans was a "crisis".
Meanwhile, the Rt Rev Paul Butler, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, said schools should apply a Christian perspective to all aspects of the curriculum, including maths.
"The way maths is taught is by and large assuming capitalist economics which we may have questions of," he said. "We need to explore different models from a Christian perspective of how we approach all the curriculum, not just RE."
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
this article did not surprise me, when out and about on a sunday morning most of the people dressed in their sunday best are of pensionable age.
when i see people going into churches again the age group is similar, the only exception is the r.c. church in maison dieu road which has a large number of youngish asian loking people going in or out.
Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
Howard
it seems to me that churches have always been full of older people. Perhaps this is because they have more time or perhaps they are hedging their bets as the end looms into view!
There is an issue of relevance to many people and I was glad to see the Archbishop of Canterbury weighing into government policies recently. If the church leaders don't speak up and out no-one is going to hear them and they need to be heard, and seen, to connect with the population.
Perhaps if the CofE spent some of its vast wealth on salaried vicars who could get into the communities they may see a return on their investment too.
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
I agree with what Mark has said, the church leaders should speak up and out. They must connect with more of the population to gain more followers.
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Lincolnshire Born and Bred
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the argument would then be that church leaders have never really connected with the public even in the days of full churches.
the amount of regular church goers today is a fraction of 40 or 50 years ago, are we becoming less religious or just more interested in other things? i don't think that i know anyone that goes to church on a regular basis.
Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
I think there's probably a great deal of truth in that, Howard. Certainly rural churches would have been full as most would be expected to be there to be seen by the squire and I imagine a similar power was exerted on urban dwellers if the factory owners went to church.
Changing lifestyles - most adults in households working so weekends spent catching up on domestic chores; Sunday trading; Sunday football etc mean there is less 'free time' and when combined with the 'me first' culture there is little time/thought for the bigger picture.
The church has carried on regardless but needs to up its game if it is to be of relevance to today's generation.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Diversification is needed (but tell that to the one protestor who ties himself to railings outside) like St Mary's in Ashford
http://www.ashfordbestplaced.co.uk/live_here/leisure_and_culture/arts_at_st_marys_church.aspxBeen nice knowing you :)
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
Have to agree with the posters, we are in a different climate now, where the church's need to react and change there ways.
I was always told my local church of england church had a big following so i popped along, there were 9 people there if you included the vicar who took little part in the service.
I did attend a few more times in case that was a one off, but the figures were the same each time i visited.ure time,
Peoples life styles have changed, as said sunday trading, little leisure time, and church's lost touch
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the ashford church seems to be moving with the times, good luck to them.
i lived near to a methodist church some time ago and the church was always being used 7 days a week.
elderly drop in, young mothers club, various youth clubs etc.
the chap in charge(don't know if the methodists call them vicars or what) really had his finger on the pulse of the community.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
HOWARD;
I think the vicars having there fingers on some one elses pulse is part of the problem lol
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Guest 688- Registered: 16 Jul 2009
- Posts: 268
It could be when times are good people are more certain of their own inate strength.However,when in times of jeopardy,be that to the individual or the State,peoples' reactions become more complex and have looked and do look for some thing beyond themselves.The idea,perhaps hinted at, that religion has become irrelevant is far from the truth.
Guest 688- Registered: 16 Jul 2009
- Posts: 268
And to a lot of people now settling in this country it is to the forefront of their lives.As the demographic, changes so will attitudes towards established religious practice.
