Paul Lewis - Pastoral and Redundant Churches Secretary

One of the facts about the Church of England that impresses Pastoral and Redundant Churches Secretary Paul Lewis most is that 16,000 parish churches are regularly holding services and constantly serving their communities.

'We only close about 30 a year,' he says, 'so the Christian faith and the Church of England are alive and well in England.'

Sometimes, though, there is no other option for a church - and it is Paul's remit to find and agree a new use for a church building.

'It might be that the building has become structurally unsound and the sheer expense of repairing it is too great for the local congregation,' Paul, a former planner for a local council, explains, 'or it might be that there are too many Anglican churches in a town - and the Victorians were great builders of church buildings.'

To ensure the Church of England stays in control of what happens next, policies are in place and consultations are held to guarantee a building is re-used properly: 19 per cent by other Christian bodies, 30 per cent by educational institutions, and 30 per cent are converted for residential use.

'We only allow appropriate uses in our buildings,' Paul, who also masterminds parish reorganisation in the Church of England, says. 'These are buildings which have been consecrated to God, and they still look like churches and people still read them as being the Church.

'It's very important to us that we find uses that will sustain the buildings into the future - so it's a success story all round.'