Archbishop of Wales

The bishops of St Davids, St Asaph, Llandaff, Swansea & Brecon, Bangor and Monmouth                                                              Source: Church in Wales

One of the bishops in this lineup is destined to become the next Archbishop of Wales when the Electoral College meets in Llandrindod Wells between 5 and 7 September. Many think it a ludicrous title when a mere 0.9% of the population regularly attends Anglicanservices in Wales but it affords its occupier a dignity and status to be milked for all its worth based on the example of the previous office holder.

Given Archbishop Barry Morgan's slavish adherence to the reckless policies of the former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, I am surprised that he has not suggested that 'Presiding Bishop' would be a more apt title.

Nevertheless, under the Church in WalesConstitution one of the six diocesan bishops is elected Archbishop but not necessarily the one with the biggest hat unless it proves to be Buggins' turn.

Subsequent elections could be a different matter if the bishops ever decide to progress Section 15 of the 2012Harris Report (Dioceses: their number and administration) as eagerly as they have attacked the parish system to introduce Ministry Areas:

"The present number and shape of dioceses may not be ideal. If we were starting again we would have three. However, the present number and configuration works and we think that the Church should continue, at least for the next four years, with the present six dioceses. ... These recommendations should be reviewed after three years, with a view to evaluating the effectiveness of the change."

If there were only three bishops to choose from, the first female Archbishop in Wales would be more likely - or even earlier! Could it be an omen that the latest addition to the bench also carries a crosier?

If it is not to be Buggins' turn I guess there will be another episcopal vacancy next year, possibly two as I also hear that a bishop up North is seeking to escape to England. More women bishops leading to less members on current trends.

After the Llandaff Electoral College farce when the JJ appreciation society attempted to direct proceedings, I hear that lay members of the new College have hatched a nomination plan that would silence the bishops by requiring them to absent themselves from the process before voting.

The former Archbishop launched a review of the role and responsibilities of the "the demanding role", which involves "duties within the church and nationally", mainly of his own making as he carried out his personal, liberal agenda to secularise the Church in Wales.

Whatever the result, the new Archbishop would do well to concentrate on advancing the Kingdom of Heaven instead of an agenda which has resulted in a much reduced membership of 29,000 in the Anglican Church in Wales and falling at a rate of 5% a year out of a population of 3 million souls. A demanding role indeed.

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Church in Wales attendance down 5% 2014-2015

Source: The Church in Wales Membership and Finances 2015

The average Sunday attendance of worshippers over 18 in the Church in Wales dropped another 5% between 2014 and 2015 according to the latest figures published in The Church in Wales Membership and Finances 2015. That represents just 0.9% of the population of Wales.

British Religion in Numbers (BRIN) puts the duduk perkara of declining numbers into perspective. In 2004 the Over 18 average attendance on Sundays was 41,771 making the 2015 figure of 29,019 all the more startling, a fall of 12,752 on the 2004 figure (-31%), but the Church in Wales simply carries on regardless continuing its "Gadarene slide" as VirtueOnline puts it in Viewpoints.

Attempts to bolster numbers by adding 'Non-traditional Acts of Worship' such as Animal blessings, Caf? Churches, Teenscreen clubs and Interfaith engagement have served only to emphasis the decline: "Overall, it would seem that just over 30,000 people in total participate in some form of nontraditional worship, compared with 36,000 in 2014danquot;.

The Membership and Finance Report (pdf) is way down the Agenda at item 19 for the next meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales to be held 14 - 15 September 2016. There will be a Motion: That the Governing Body do take note of this report.

Given the seriousness of the situation one would have thought that 'taking note' of the Report is somewhat short of the mark but with "Evangelism" coming last on the agenda it puts the current state of the Church in Wales in context.

The Report follows "Admission to Holy Communion ? Pastoral Letter " [item 18]. There is no clue as to what surprises the bishops have in store in their Pastoral Letter which is to be "distributed at the time", a device favoured by the bench sitters to avoid anyone with an enquiring mind being forewarned.

This is reminiscent of the same sex marriage manoeuvring and of the women bishops saga which provided a worthless code of practice for anyone who holds their faith in conscience making the forthcomingConference to "preserve the breadth of Anglicanism in Wales" all the more confusing. Dr Morgan has remained true to his word that there would be alternative Episcopal oversight in Wales 'over his dead body'. He retires as Archbishop of Wales in January 2017 so is there to be new life? Simply to carry on as before would make nonsense of the conference.

The un-Christian Jackson/Wigley Amendment to the women bishops legislation established that unlike other Anglican provinces 'provisions for conscience should not be included in the body of  formal legislation' and that 'legislation should not include structural provision to accommodate dissent' thus removing the prospect of any meaningful sacramental and pastoral provision for church members who in conscience could not accept the ministry of women bishops.

It would be absurd to have a male assistant to a woman bishop on whose authority he would act so given that there will be no "structural provision to accommodate dissent" in Wales the way forward must be to allow Society bishops to minister in Wales. The Welsh bishops have alreadyinvited US women bishops to celebrate the Eucharist in the Church in Wales and I see from Item 20 on the GB agenda, "Evangelism ? Report from the Evangelism Conferencedanquot;, that Bishop Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford, was able to lead 2 key sessions. To refuse loyal Anglicans access to Society bishops would not just be uncharitable, it would be hypocritical.

As the Church in Wales continues to decline in numbers the Ordinariate is increasing and is gaining more priests. In this month's edition of New Directions, the Chairman of Credo Cymru (FiF Wales) quotes the previous Archbishop of Wales Rowan Williams who stressed the value of promoting internal ecumenism. By allowing bishops from outside Wales to minister to 'traditionalists' the bench would regain some much needed credibility and provide a reason for worshippers to remain in the Church in Wales.

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Church in Wales decline and fall

Membership and Finance 2018 | The Governing Body of the Church in Wales

Figures from the membership and Finance Report 2018 to be presented at the September meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales show continued decline in all measures bar one.

Confirmations were up 30% despite the unilateral decision of the bench of bishops to scrap confirmation as a prerequisite to Holy Communion - see Dodgy legal advice leads to Eucharistic free for all. There was a 36% fall in confirmations2017 - 2016.

The 25% increase in weekdays only attendance between 2017 - 2016 fell back 19% between 2018 - 2017.

Perhaps more surprisingly the reported Sunday attendance increased between 2017 and 2018 in a number of important fields: under 7s; 7 to 10s; 11 to 17s; and families. The average attendance of under 18's was down 1%; down 7% between 2017 and 2016.

The Report also shows a worrying decline in total giving across a range of categories despite an increase in average giving per attender.

Archbishop George Carey's six-year-old prediction that "the Church of England was one generation away from extinctiondanquot; unless more was done to attract young people into the Church was aired again in Norwich Cathedral where a helter skelter was thought to be the answer.

In Llandaff it is gay pride.

The predicted outlook for the Church in Wales is even more gloomy than for the Church of England with 'massive church closures from around 2025 onwards' leading to extinction around 2040.

The ordination of women was supposed to reinvigorate the Church. It has had the opposite effect importing a brand of liberalism summed up by Piers Morgan in an interview ‘Liberals have become utterly, pathetically illiberal’.

One cleric has had the guts to put down a question (Q.2) at GB about the declining moral standards of the Church in Wales. Perhaps he will inspire others to reclaim the Church in Wales from the bishops before they destroy her.

Postscript [05.09.2019]

From Not Another Episcopal Blog:

"The Church in Wales has bought into the LGBTQ formula for denominational decline. The statistics look eerily similar to those we have witnessed in most Episcopalian dioceses."

A point strongly made by George Conger on Monday's Anglican Unscripted (No. 529) when he said all the mistakes made by the Episcopal Church 20 years ago are being repeated by the Church of England. The Church in Wales has gone down the same path but has become so irrelevant that it no longer warrants a mention.

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The future?

To gain a better understanding of boosting rural churches amid falling congregation numbers the Church in Wales is urging people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved and have their say in shaping the future of rural churches in their communities. - Powys County Times

Commentators may have their say but will anyone be listening if what is said is not what 'progressive' Anglican bishops want to hear?

One newspaperreport claims that a witch, Harmony Nice, has so many devotees on social media she is outdoing the Church of England. She boasts "more than one million followers on YouTube and Instagram combined, compared to the church’s 335,000."

The archiepiscopal diocese of Swansea and Brecon has dabbled there but with entirely different results.

In 1996 the Church in Wales claimed a membership in excess of 91,000. Regular Sunday adult attendance slumped to just over 26,000 in 2018 and probably lower when the 2019 figures are published.

In their attempt to become more relevant to society, parts of the Anglican Communion have departed so far from the Christian message that they appear more akin to an arm of social services.

A highlight of the Church in Wales 2020 celebrations is a visit to the Welsh province by the Archbishop of Canterbury, described by The Conservative Woman as the 'Archbishop of Woke' who 'slanders his own flock' after he apologised for the Church of England being ‘deeply, institutionally’ racist.

The Gospel message is no longer good enough for progressive Anglicans.

The result can be seen in the above photographs published by Mail Online in 2013:

"The photo on the left shows St Mary's Church in Cable Street while the photo on the right shows worshippers gathered for Friday midday prayers outside a nearby mosque in Spitalfields, both in East London.

"What these pictures suggest is that, on current trends, Christianity in this country is becoming a religion of the past, and Islam is one of the future."

Postscript [19.02.2020]

FromA Badge of Disgrace: The Fall of the Boy Scouts

"Right now, too many churches, Christian colleges, even businesses are dangerously close to making the same mistake [as The Boy Scouts of America]. They're so desperate or fearful -- or both -- that they're willing to water down who they are to protect the small space they're standing on. There's just one persoalan: the gospel's truth isn't up for negotiation. And in their rush to soften the blow of its confrontation, some believers are selling out their identity as followers of Jesus."

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