A Parish Success Story
The 900-year-old church of St. Peter’s sits in the small village of Dowland, in North Devon, and the parish together with three neighbouring parishes forms a benefice of four. One part-time incumbent served this benefice for many years but, when she moved, the diocese’s plan was to reorganise our benefice with another four churches and create a new benefice of eight, with one full-time vicar.
Our PCC totally disagreed with this plan for many reasons but primarily it would result in an overstretched priest visiting our parish for all of one hour a month to take a service, before rushing off to the next parish. The pastoral care, which is vital in our rural location, would be non-existent.
Our benefice was informed of this plan as far back as 2017, when we were told that we wouldn’t be getting another priest when our current incumbent retired or moved on. This decision from the diocese was described as ‘purely financial’. Our objections at the time were clear and well documented and the issue didn’t arise until again until 2020 when the then serving archdeacon again pushed forward the plan. We strongly objected and left no doubt that we did not consider this to be the correct way forward. Matters came to a head in September 2023 when our incumbent left us for pastures new.
The diocese pressed ahead with their planned amalgamation. Service rotas were organised and a priest in charge would be in position as soon as we had all agreed the new rota. In our opinion this was pastoral reorganisation via the back door. By signing up to a rota for one priest to serve eight churches, we would have been effectively agreeing to the reorganisation; this we could not do.
So, the duty of protecting the future of our little medieval church and the pastoral care of the parishioners fell to our PCC.
After extensive research and discussion, we firstly gained the support of the other churches in our benefice of four, and our patrons. However, whilst we were firm in our belief that we needed to fight for our parish, we had no real knowledge of where to begin, so we contacted ‘Save the Parish’.
Over a period of around a month the team at ‘Save the Parish’ helped us to build our case. Whilst we had the local knowledge, we needed the deep understanding of the way that dioceses operate and the relevant legal obligations, which STP could help us with. We were able to compose a letter which after considerable research, was both factually correct and demonstrated where we believed the diocese had not acted correctly. We were also able to show that our way forward, with our own dedicated priest, was a viable proposition, but more importantly to us, would be better for all concerned pastorally.
Our letter was sent to the Bishop in April 2024, with copies to everyone who had an interest in our church. In May 2024 the Bishop asked us to meet with the Archdeacon, and she delivered the news that we had been successful in opposing the amalgamation! We received a most sincere apology from the Archdeacon on behalf of the Bishop and the diocese for failures to listen to our sustained objections and to consult on the matter correctly. This wonderful news means that we can now start the process of recruiting our own priest, who will be valued greatly. We pursue our work with renewed enthusiasm now that the threat of amalgamation against our wishes has been withdrawn and joyful in the knowledge that our Bishop and Archdeacon have listened to and trusted our PCC’s judgement.
The task of maintaining the individuality of our small parish church was daunting in a time when churches are amalgamating and closing countrywide, but to us our medieval church isn’t just a building, it’s the focal point of the village for generations past and present.
Our letter was a detailed and clear history of the situation, and that we were unanimous in opposing the pastoral reorganisation. It was also important to suggest a solution to the problem. There is no doubt that the input and guidance from Emma Thompson, James Burnell-Nugent and Alison Milbank from the ‘Save the Parish’ team was what helped this situation become a success story.
To help others who may be facing similar situations we suggest noting the following points:
- Agree your objection as a PCC.
- Create a clear timeline of historical events which have led to your objection.
- Engage positively with everyone concerned as early as possible.
- Familiarise yourself with the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011.
- Refer to the MPM 2011 code of practice.
- Create the formal letter of objection and send it to the Bishop and all interested parties.
- Make contact with your patrons.
- Be wary of any suggestions to suspend your patron’s rights.
- Find and suggest solutions.
- Get other parishes in your benefice on side.
- Always act professionally, ensure you remain factual and concise.
