Fundamental questions about the role and structure of the Church in Wales as it approaches its centenary will be addressed in a wide- ranging review led by a group of outside experts, the Archbishop of Wales announced today (April 27).
And he warned that the Church needed to be open to the possibility of major change in order to continue serving Wales effectively in the future.
The Archbishop, Dr Barry Morgan, was delivering his key note address as President to members of the Church’s Governing Body at the start of its two-day meeting at Swansea University.
He said the independent group would be free to examine any aspects of the Church – its leadership, structures and use of resources. It would be made up of three experts in church management – Lord Richard Harries, the former Bishop of Oxford, Professor Charles Handy, former business professor at London Business School and a third person yet to be named.
They would build on review work already begun by Governing Body members and the Bishops in order to ensure the Church is fit for purpose as it reaches its centenary in 2020.
Dr Morgan said, “In commissioning such a review, we will all have to be prepared to take seriously its findings and to be open to the possibility of significant change in our structures, ministry, use of buildings and other resources if it is seen to be in the best interests of the church and its mission to the people and communities of Wales as we look ahead to the next decade. We believe as a Bench and Standing Committee, that a combination of our own insights, those of GB Members and those from this Group, will help us become the kind of Church God wants us to become.”
The Archbishop highlighted three challenges facing the church: leadership because of a decline in clergy numbers; resources, because of the impact of the recession on investments; and structure because of falling congregations.
The review, he said, needed to ask, “What changes need to be made to our processes for selection, training and support of all those involved in public ministry for us, as a Church, to be able to provide the community building and effective leadership we need? …. How can the human and financial resources of the Church and its buildings be effectively deployed to support mission?…How does the Church retain an effective presence and witness to the love of God across Wales?”
He said it was hoped the group would report back by next year.
The Archbishop reminded members that the challenges facing the Church in Wales were trivial compared with those facing other Anglican churches across the world and he urged them to contribute to a collection for the Global Anglican Alliance – a body recently set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury for the most vulnerable members of the Communion, such as the churches in Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
The Governing Body of the Church in Wales is meeting on Wednesday and Thursday (April 27-28) at Swansea University.
