Clergy alone can't save churches

By Richard Chartres

 Have your say      Read comments

We in the Church of England are grateful to The Sunday Telegraph for its renewed focus on the great need to help local communities open up their churches for broader public use, without losing their sacred character. News: Swelling chorus demands Save Our Churches Sign our Save Our Churches petition Britain’s historic churches are a countrywide resource, forming community networks that would cost billions to build from scratch. They deserve better than an uncertain future. In recent years, several organisations have helped the Church of England to raise awareness of the problem – English Heritage’s “Inspired!” campaign is one notable example. There have been other helpful developments, such as Gordon Brown’s intervention, as Chancellor, to ensure that the scheme to refund VAT payments on repairs to listed places of worship was extended to 2011. advertisement The Church of England is not, however, despondent about the fate of its churches. Of the 48,500 churches highlighted by the Telegraph campaign, we own 16,200, of which 13,000 are listed. We have done much in recent years to secure their future and we are greatly indebted to tens of thousands of volunteers for their support. Nevertheless, there are a number of fundamental misconceptions, both about the scale of the problem and the availability of simple solutions. According to recent research, many people believe that churches are already funded by the State. There is also the fantasy that the Church of England’s supposed wealth can bankroll the upkeep of every church in the country. The facts are very different. The Church’s coffers do not bulge as they are rumoured to. It is true that in recent years, the Church Commissioners have managed their assets in a way that has outperformed many comparable funds. However, while as a result the Church now has a funded pension scheme, there are resources only to assist poorer dioceses to pay the clergy. It amazes fellow Europeans that there is so little publicly funded help for the upkeep of historic places of worship. Even in France, with its divorce between church and state, the state is responsible for the financial support of all ecclesiastical buildings built before 1904. Here, while English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund make important contributions through the joint grants scheme, 70 per cent of the money required for repairs each year is generated by local community and parish volunteers. Ultimately, the many are benefiting from the heroic generosity of the few. While churches’ role as places of worship is primary, they are increasingly reclaiming their original purpose at the heart of wider community life both in the inner city and in rural areas, where they can act as hubs for community cohesion. There are now more churches than post offices. Across the country, there are numerous examples of churches playing host to a wide range of events, activities and services for the whole community, irrespective of creed – from concerts and theatre productions to crèches for young mothers and drop-in centres for the homeless. Churches are increasingly helping local authorities to deliver vital community services by providing venues for programmes such as SureStart and IT learning. In addition, we share our church buildings with many other Christian bodies and, here in London, large numbers are hosts to communities of Christians with overseas roots. Last year research showed that annually about 85 per cent of the population visit a place of worship, to attend services, concerts or community events, or simply to be in a quiet space. Churches of course also play a crucial role in our tourist industry – but receiving and welcoming visitors generates significant costs. Every year, about 12.5 million people visit Church of England cathedrals. In 2006, four of England’s top 20 paid-admission “visitor attractions” were St Paul’s Cathedral, York Minster, Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Beyond the cost of repairs and maintenance, whether running a global tourist destination such as St Paul’s or a parish with local historical interest, it requires the same kind of financial outlay as any other attraction. Admissions staff, tour guides, lavatory and refreshment facilities, signs and visitor information are just a few of the essential requirements. To make a comparison, it is worth noting that Britain’s museums are state-maintained. Places of worship comprise 45 per cent of Grade I listed buildings, and the Church of England owns 85 per cent of the listed places of worship in England. Despite the efforts of local fundraisers nationwide, English Heritage and the Church of England together estimate the annual funding shortfall for vital repairs to Britain’s churches is £80 million. This shortfall may not be threatening our churches with imminent closure – but it is without doubt holding them back. Historic church buildings are already regularly used all across the country by their wider communities but many can prove expensive to adapt, due to their historical importance. Wider support is needed to enable more of them to deliver a 21st-century service to the community at large. It is therefore clear that a new partnership, with central government and local and regional authorities alike, is now required to make sure that this unique network of community buildings can realise its full potential. Dr Richard Chartres is Bishop of London

 Have your say    

Could we at some time in the future have a financial breakdown of the assets of the C of E and perhaps give the lie to the rumour that it's coffers are depleted. With all the land holding the building the rents that it collects, it's a bit hard to believe. The C of E has its wealth locked up in many enterprises and funds and should realease them to its parishes.
Posted by swatantra on May 18, 2008 7:12 PM
Report this comment

Museums -heritage centres -redoubts against the barabarians- ot like the beautiful classical temples of the ancient world -demolished ,robbed, pillaged, abandoned and neglected as a new dominant religion asserted its intolerant grip on the minds of men
Posted by david on May 18, 2008 6:07 PM
Report this comment

Our churches are at the heart of rural society, not just for worship but in many other ways
Posted by Nigel Lawrence on May 18, 2008 5:55 PM
Report this comment

Most Churches are solid structures that could easily be converted into fortresses for communities to make their last stand, come the time when the present religious threat to our way of life becomes open war.
Posted by EX-BRAT on May 18, 2008 5:43 PM
Report this comment

I'm quite happy with the argument that says it's the responsibility of the faithful to pay for the upkeep of the Church. If that were taken seriously we’d be quite happy with the closure of many an old draughty building, whether or not they were listed. The Church is not the same as the buildings and as a churchgoer I object to pouring money into some old building which everyone else seems to think should be maintained but refuses to pay for.
Posted by Geoffrey Firth on May 18, 2008 4:26 PM
Report this comment

Can't people wake up to the fact that there's a wave of atheism sweeping across the west? Of course churches are going to become redundant.

Problem is that at the same time there's a wave of Islam creeping into its place. Ignorance has a peculiar habit of demanding a voice.

Soon, a new irrationality will dominate our culture.

It's obvious from the number of mosques springing up as the number of churches decline that we'll be seeing Sharia law soon if we don't act sooner.
Posted by jack Lee on May 18, 2008 3:46 PM
Report this comment

Turn them all into hostels for the homeless. Comfort of men in need, the most sacred of causes there can be.
Posted by pewkatchoo on May 18, 2008 1:55 PM
Report this comment

I have a lot of respect for Robert Chartres - who always strikes me as being at the less whimsical end of Anglican clergy on Remembrance Sunday.

That said, there is a huge flaw in his argument here. Church buildings are for the use of their flock - and while we most certainly have an Established Anglican Church and do not claim to be a secular state - there is no reason for the government to maintain them all.

What we are talking about here is redundancy, overcapacity, a real terms decline in worship - within buildings, many of which were built centuries ago - when our population was far smaller than it is now. This is a fairly damning indictment of the state of Christianity in Britain today.

The Church must be relevant and it must be funded by the Faithful. Look at the Mosque building going on - and even the more modern Roman Catholic churches situated in the right places for new centres of population. I'm not noticing lack of willingness to raise funds for those.

Anglicanism is about critical mass and the active Faithful - not about the buildings of whatever age. 'Use it or lose it' is a term referring to the elderly - who can find faculties drain away if they simply vegetate. The same applies to Church premises.

Anglicanism must find new relevance, get people into churches and interested collectively in looking after them. It seems to me there is far too much priestly introspection (pension fund) and internal politics in the Anglican Communion and not nearly enough attention to where the flock has gone - because correcting that would sort out their fiscal issues.
Posted by simon coulter on May 18, 2008 11:42 AM
Report this comment

The owner of a building should be responsible for its maintenance.
Is God having a problem raising a mortgage in the current climate?
Sell some indulgences - it was how the original buildings were financed.
Posted by David MH on May 18, 2008 10:03 AM
Report this comment

Why not just be honest Bishop, and fly THE RED FLAG over every one of your apostate churches!

Hopefully, that'll warn "the Sheep without a shepherd" not to enter or make a donation.
Posted by Olamh Fodhla, Northumberland on May 18, 2008 9:30 AM
Report this comment

"It is therefore clear that a new partnership, with central government and local and regional authorities alike, is now required to make sure that this unique network of community buildings can realise its full potential."

Oh No, not another government, local or otherwise, initiative! That is, without doubt, the kiss of death.

I also notice the word 'regional' authorities. When were the people of Britain asked if they wanted another layer of parasitical corrupt government!!??

I thought, too, that there was referendum in the North East that threw this corrupt EU idea into the North Sea where it belonged.

May God save us from all forms of vain self serving 'government'?

Posted by Charles Crosby on May 18, 2008 8:15 AM
Report this comment

Unfortunately,as I have mentioned previously,I fail to understand why there is money available to extend an already large house for our Bishop,when our church needs the organ and the central heating repaired,the former being done as I write,the latter only when we have raised the cash.
Posted by Sue on May 18, 2008 8:13 AM
Report this comment

". . . or simply to be in a quiet space."
The article as good as declares that churches are so busy serving as centres of "community cohesion" (God save me from those canting words)
". . . there are numerous examples of churches playing host to a wide range of events, activities and services for the whole community, irrespective of creed"), it is a wonder the Church makes any provision for old fashioned Christian believers who need a quiet place to pray and reflect.
This article is redolent of the mealy-mouthed cant which is the mark of the contemporary Church of England, and I say again:- if we will not attend Holy Communion regularly, we do not deserve the church buildings whose primary purpose is to host Anglican liturgical services. The Telegraph's drive to preserve church buildings appeals to the empty-headed sentimentality which is one of the defining features of contemporary society in Britain.
I seem to recall a line from the New Testament about "whited sepulchres".
Posted by Robert Douglas on May 18, 2008 8:04 AM
Report this comment

Please remember that the submission of any material to telegraph.co.uk is governed by our Terms and Conditions (clause 5 in particular) and by submitting material you confirm your agreement to these Terms and Conditions.

Your name: *

Your email address: * (We won't publish this.)

Your site's URL: (If you have one.)

Please click the post button only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

* = Required information

BUSINESS Credit crisis UK Steel and not credit is the sign of this city's troubles.

TRAVEL Bank holiday tips It's not too late to make the most of the weekend.

MUSIC France is furious Sebastien Tellier's Gallic Eurovision entry is in English.

FEATURES It's a knockout There was nothing tacky about the Royal Wedding.