From The Church Times-WHEN the Revd Philip North's former parish on a large Hartlepool estate fell vacant recently, it was two-and-a-half years before the diocese could find anyone to fill the post.
"Compare that with a recent vacancy in a richly endowed parish near Paddington, which attracted 123 firm applicants, and you will see the true measure of the spiritual health of the Church of England," he told the General Synod in November.
His speech, during a debate on evangelism, concluded that the Church of England was "failing the poor". The loud and sustained applause that followed suggested that the accusation had struck a nerve. But how accurate was it?
The numbers tell part of the story. Between May and November last year, there were 75 clergy on the "Lee List" (a confidential document that contains the CVs of clergy looking for work). Of these, there were 29 seeking work in the north and 54 looking in the south-east (the dioceses of London, Southwark, Canterbury, Rochester, Guildford, Chichester, Chelmsford, St Albans, and Oxford).
More here-
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/7-february/news/uk/clergy-flock-to-fill-posts-in-‘wealthy’-south-east
No comments:
Post a Comment