Letters: How to save Cambridge’s reputation

Save the parish

Sir: The Revd Marcus Walker eloquently describes the crisis that has taken hold in the Church of England (‘Breaking faith’, 10 July). He correctly states that the church belongs to the people of England and not to the archbishops, bishops or clergy.

As he wrote, the costs of parish clergy are not a ‘key limiting factor’. They should be the church’s first priority in terms of costs. Stipendiary parish clergy play a vital role in bringing the Christian gospel and pastoral care to their communities. Without properly trained and ordained clergy, there would be no holy communion, no absolution and remission of our sins and no church weddings. I would suggest that there would also be a dearth of volunteers and donors to pay for the bureaucracies in diocesan church houses. Parishes which have been merged into benefices under one vicar are inevitably declining, as forecast in the C of E’s own official growth report.

The hierarchy seems tone-deaf to lay people’s concerns, although it was interesting to see that the diocesan synod in Winchester has used its power to threaten a vote of no confidence against its bishop. However, parliament can legislate for the C of E, overriding the authority of the general synod and the bishops. Moreover, ministers can be asked to exercise the crown’s prerogative powers to appoint a lay-led royal commission to reform the church.

In June, six of us wrote a letter appealing for the appointment of a lay commission to reform the Church of England. It was sent to the ‘state commissioners’: state office holders appointed ex-officio as church commissioners, who have the responsibility for exercising oversight of the established church and its endowments. We hope that ministers will be moved by the letter to exercise their power. Anyone wishing to add their name to this letter should visit savetheparish.