British government advises Anglican churches to set up post offices and medical clinics to better serve their communities

Churches that make serving the world a priority end up becoming, and being seen by the world, merely as community service centres, instead of assemblies of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is also what results from having a church which is, as the Church of England, "by law established." As reported by Oilivia Rudgard of the London Daily Telegraph, December 20, 2017 (link in original):

Churches should offer Post Offices and flu jabs to better serve communities, a major Government review has found.

The report found that churches needed more help to set up community events such as coffee mornings, skate parks and exercise classes to make sure they get enough funds to stay open.

The review said a network of community support advisers should be created to give advice to churches and help them talk to local councils about how their buildings can be better used.

"There are many examples of innovation throughout the sector. Equally, there are many congregations struggling to identify suitable partnerships and opportunities, or who are too overwhelmed by their situation to be able to explore options," the report said.

In one case of good practice, St Cuthbert's Church, Copnor, in the diocese of Portsmouth, incorporated a GP surgery into its redesign.

In another example, Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire holds events and concerts, hosts a café and a playgroup, and even sets up a skate park which runs every February half-term.

It added that there were misunderstandings about the way in which church buildings were funded such as "a common assumption, that they are managed and maintained by well-resourced and endowed bodies".

In most cases the upkeep of parish churches is not done by the central church but must be carried out by the local community, which has become more difficult as congregations dwindle.

The report said there needed to be "a balance between innovation and adaptation of buildings to suit modern needs and the appreciation and preservation of what is of historical significance".

The review was chaired by Bernard Taylor and prepared by experts including Loyd Grossman, chair of Heritage Alliance, Sir Simon Jenkins of the Churches Conservation Trust and Sir Peter Luff of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Mr Taylor said: “Increased use and helping communities in their broadest form to see the value and potential of the local church is the key to the church building becoming more self-sustaining and ultimately ensuring its long term survival."

He said that local churches should each be able to decide the appropriate uses of their building without being dictated to by the national church.

"I think the local community has to decide what to do to use its building in a respectable and sensible way," he told the Daily Telegraph.

The review recommended that pilot schemes should be set up in urban and rural areas to test the proposals, which also suggest heritage experts should be appointed to consult with local churches about repairs and maintenance.

Heritage groups and the Church of England welcomed the review.

The Rt Revd John Inge, Bishop of Worcester and lead bishop on cathedrals and church buildings said churches had become "social hubs for people of all ages, spaces to offer hospitality and vital services to the vulnerable; churches increasingly are the glue in community life."

The report comes as a church court gave Bath Abbey permission to remove its pews in order to allow it to host events such as bake sales and graduation ceremonies.

Many churches have become embroiled in rows with conservationists over proposals to refurbish their interiors, leading to claims that precious heritage is being lost.

Mr Taylor said that in some cases if the "wonderful building in its overall form is in jeopardy, or you have to make some changes, then that's the kind of compromise you have to look at.

"Clearly you have to balance the views of the heritage groups who are obviously extremely knowledgeable," he said.

"But also, these buildings have changed over the years and have been useful to their communities throughout."

Heritage Minister John Glen said: “This review is an important first step to building a more sustainable future for thousands of church buildings across the country, and we will look at these recommendations carefully.”

The article linked to above, as reported by Ms. Rudgard, December 19, 2017 (links in original):

Churches don't need pews any more because they are increasingly used for bake sales and art exhibitions, a church court has said, as it ruled Bath Abbey can remove its Victorian pews.

The Chancellor of the Diocese of Bath and Wells has ruled that the Abbey is allowed to remove the 19th century seating despite the opposition of conservation group the Victorian Society.

In his ruling on the case he commented that while the pews had "moderate" architectural significant they were no longer appropriate because of the changing use of churches.

Representatives for the Abbey argued that the nave of the church was used for "a wide variety of social and cultural purposes, including concerts, art exhibitions, university degree ceremonies and charity events such as the 'Great Bath Bake Sale'."

They added that the pews were also uncomfortable, an argument which the Chancellor, Timothy Briden, said was "well-founded" after testing them himself.

The comfort issue is "accentuated" at secular events such as concerts and ceremonies which involve "prolonged sitting", the Abbey said.

The Abbey's current interior was designed by eminent Victorian architect Sir George Gilbert-Scott, who delegated the actual creation of the pews to colleagues and craftsmen, the Chancellor said.

In his judgment Mr Briden argued that the Scott seating was a "product of its age" and was installed in part because "the medieval use of the nave for secular purposes had long been abandoned".

However, that secular purpose had now returned. "The revived use of churches for appropriate secular purposes is now recognised as both a service to the community and as an aid to the mission of the church," he said.

The Victorian Society said it was considering an appeal. James Hughes, its churches conservation adviser, said: "The nave pews are unique to the Abbey and are excellent examples of Scott’s work, with the carved pew ends modelled on surviving medieval examples in other 16th century Somerset churches.

"The Victorian Society believes that their loss will significantly diminish the Abbey’s architectural and historical significance."

The pews are set to be replaced with stackable wooden chairs, which will be finished in a colour which matches existing wood in the Abbey's interior.

The Society also raised concerns about the chairs carrying enough space for hymn books and song sheets, but the Abbey argued that these were being phased out and replaced by screens.

Representatives had argued that "in practice, the use of books and service sheets was progressively being superseded by portable display screens. My conclusion is that if any inconvenience was to arise from the lack of a shelf for books and papers, it would not be a long-term problem," the Chancellor said.

Revd Edward Mason of Bath Abbey said: "We strongly believe in the benefits of removing the pews. It will enable us to open up the Abbey’s nave and side aisles to all and make it possible for people of different physical ability to sit where they choose.

"Stackable chairs mean that the nave can be used for a wide variety of traditional and contemporary worship and restore the Abbey to the community use for which it was first designed."

The plan is part of a £19.3m renovation of the Abbey which will restore a collapsing floor, install an eco-friendly heating system and create new meeting rooms and facilities including a kitchen and cloakrooms.

The Abbey was first founded in the 7th century and was substantially rebuilt and restored in the 16th century and again in the 19th century.

See my previous posts:

An example of a dead church morphing into a community centre (January 26, 2014)

An example from Edmonton of a community service centre masquerading as an evangelical church (January 22, 2015)

More examples from Edmonton of community service centres masquerading as churches (December 31, 2015)

An example from Saskatoon of a community service centre masquerading as a Christian church (March 28, 2016)