interregnum,retirement,youth | GS 2026 Candidates

Statement

I have been a member of the Church of England my entire life having been
born into a clergy family. Early on I came to understand what it meant for my
father to be a parish priest and how faith is communicated through both
church and community activities. I also learned that the relationship between
the clergy and the laity was a two way process. By that I mean, in order for
faith and understanding to grow they need to support each other. This was
not an easy task in the 1960’s and 1970’s but in 2026 the task for the present
clergy is far more difficult as a single priest may be required to lead up to five
or in some cases even ten churches grouped together. Many new and difficult
problems emerge for clergy who grapple with huge workloads and new issues
for laity develop as they begin to feel cut off from their parish priest who can
no longer be a constant presence in a parish, meeting parishioners on a daily
basis or bumping into them at a local shop.

This background has shaped my interest in how the problems of today can be
eased and how the distances between priest and community can be reduced
or at the very least, made workable. Growing faith and making faith
connections seems central to this issue. A starting point for this may be
working with schools and youth clubs to encourage participation so that an
understanding of the way faith can have an impact upon lives can develop. I
have a particular interest in this area having worked as a teacher in schools
and as a lecturer in Birmingham, Leicester and the Open University.

Rural churches face particular issues as clergy often have to support isolated
communities in small villages. Such communities often do have the benefit of
understanding how they need to support each other but this may not include
their local church. Rural churches also keenly feel the loss of their local priest
when retirement or move to another post leaves an empty space. The
requirement to have an interregnum can create a difficult time for
parishioners in these parishes.

These are all issues that I consider to be of national importance as well as
local importance to both clergy and laity and I would welcome the opportunity
to debate and develop faith in a forum such as The General Synod.

On a personal level, I believe that my working career as a teacher, lecturer in
Higher Education and University Professor of Education has provided me with
skills of communication that would support me in such a role.