Mixed ecology: blessing or curse? Part 1

The Church of England is under severe pressure on several fronts: attendance, recruitment of ordinands and volunteers, financial concerns in many parishes, safeguarding, merger of parishes, church closures, doctrinal, theological, ecclesiological differences. Some of the issues are not stand-alone, rather they are cocktails eroding the 'unity" of the Church. The Church gives this writer the impression it is divided into camps eyeing each other with suspicion or even downright loathing.

Since Henry V111 replaced the Pope as head of thr CofE there has been disputation and dissent on a wide range of issues.  What is different today is the development of social media and the glare of publicity it brings.  Pressure groups are easier to establish, opinion formers have far greater and accelerated reach, groupthink replaces objectivity and analysis.

Why the CofE is losing members  why many parishes are struggling, why parishes are being merged has to be considered in the context of a range of factors that are just as relevant to other denominations in decline: it is the trend of the population to move away from, to reject, the doctrines and practices of traditional churches, to move away from regular church attendance, away from financial giving and volunteering.  It is the ebb tide of the sea of faith.  Will there be flood tide?  Part 2 will consider this.