Step 5

As is well known, the Church of England is organised by parishes. The parish system first came into being in Anglo-Saxon times, so it is well over 1,000 years old. However, we are now seeing the parish system gradually breaking down.

Mainly because of the reduction in clergy numbers, the Church is beginning to look for ways to adapt to the new reality and one of the most common and favoured strategies is to group churches together in teams or multi-parish benefices. The latest figures suggest that at least 70% of Anglican churches are part of multi-church groups of one kind or another. This adaptation is designed to preserve the idea of a Christian presence in every community. But it poses a challenge. To fulfil its potential the multi-church grouping requires a different way of working for both clergy and lay people.