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Never been richer, never been poorer: Research points to priceless value of the local parish church as 'community glue'

11 June 2007

 

The value which communities place on the unique role of the parish church at the heart of their neighbourhood is one of the nation’s best-kept secrets, according to the Church of England’s head of research and statistics in a book released today.

In Community Value, the Revd Lynda Barley argues that, while the UK is a nation that is more prosperous and healthy than ever, it is also clear that we have never been so unhappy. “At the beginning of the twenty-first century the people of Britain have become a nation of islands where individual aspirations may have ‘gained us the world’ but at the expense of our social cohesion – and the cracks are beginning to show,” she writes.

The Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, comments in his introduction: “In future there should be no excuse for missing the significant community value of churches – well beyond their primary purpose as places of worship.”

In a comprehensive overview of recent surveys, reports and media coverage, Lynda Barley:

  • explores the fragmentation of community life in Britain and finds that people are searching for community links, which they are keen for churches to provide
  • describes how, up and down the country, churches provide ‘hubs’ where the community are working together for the common good, seeking to solve shared problems
  • reveals that more than seven out of 10 adults agree that a place of worship is an important part of the local community, and more than six in 10 believe that churches and other places of worship should be even more actively involved in their community*.

Community Value is the third book in a series branded Time to Listen, which presents current research in an accessible way to help resource the Church’s mission in today’s society. Lynda Barley points to stories of churches that have grappled with the changes in their neighbourhood and sought to engage with them. As well as parishes setting up Post Offices in their churches, or organising crèches and youth clubs, her book describes:

  • a second-hand clothes and toy shop for under-fives, along with a furniture store and a debt help centre, all being run by a church in Bridlington, Yorkshire
  • a church in Welland, near Worcester, which successfully applied for a grant to convert a derelict undercroft into a drop-in centre for young people
  • how Wakefield Cathedral designed its own ‘spiritual journey’ commentary on a CD to accompany visitors, helping them appreciate the spiritual significance of different parts of the building.

The book also offers simple ideas for parishes seeking to extend a warm welcome, exploring:

  • the significance of simply ensuring that the church is open for as many hours each week as possible, or that a key holder’s address is clearly displayed
  • why churches should rid notice boards of jargon and abbreviations that only mean something to regular worshippers
  • how churches are using the internet to promote the community services they host.

In Churchgoing today, released last July, Lynda Barley called on parishes to expand the scope of their vision, urging churches to think beyond their own walls and beyond the hours of Sunday in their attempts to engage communities with the message of the Gospel. Churchgoing today followed in the footsteps of Christian Roots, Contemporary Spirituality, in which she examined how the task of communicating the Christian message has turned full circle, with churches increasingly turning to visual methods such as prayer stations and rosary beads to reacquaint communities with the basics of Christianity.

In his introduction to the latest book, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, writes: “As this important book suggests, ‘much of what the Church is doing in the community goes on below the radar’. Lynda Barley has assembled the facts in a very accessible way and in future there should be no excuse for missing the significant community value of churches – well beyond their primary purpose as places of worship. At the same time there is a challenge in these pages for church communities as we seek to make the best possible use of the opportunities that we have inherited.”

Community Value (ISBN 978-0715114129-8), priced £6.99, is available from Christian bookshops including Church House Bookshop, 31 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BN, telephone 020 7799 4064, email bookshop@c-of-e.org.uk, or on the web (mail order available).

 

* Opinion Research Business, for English Heritage and Archbishops’ Council, November 2005.