DT article: Death knell is ringing for Church of England parishes
Rev. Marcus Walker talks about what is happening in the Church. Let’s take a look at what the Diocese of Truro is trying to do. It is forcing dozens of parishes together into giant benefices and starving them of regular priests.
What does this mean? For the laity, absolutely zero chance of having communion each week, or hearing a sermon preached by someone with theological education. What are the chances of finding a priest to bury your father, marry your daughter, prepare you for confirmation or chat with you as your marriage goes through a difficult patch? The church has essentially withdrawn its core services from you.
For the clergy it destroys the joy of being a priest. Getting embedded in a community; christening the grandchild of a man I buried the month before; being there at the highs and the lows and everything in between of people in a community that I am a part of.
