A story in The Independent revealed statistics which suggest that recent scandals in the Church of England, resulting in the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, may have had a profound effect on how the church is now regarded – at the national level at least.
Polling carried out by YouGov in November – the week before Justin Welby announced his resignation – found that only 32% of respondents in England, Scotland and Wales had a favourable view of the church. By this February, this had dropped to just a quarter. The number of respondents who had an unfavourable view of the church had risen — from 39% in November to 49% February.
Polling carried out among Anglicans found a similar trend, namely that, while more than half (54%) still held a positive view of the Church of England, this had fallen from 66% last November. At the same time almost a third (32%) of Anglicans now have an unfavourable view of the Church, up from 21% in November.
Commenting on the figures, Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn, said the church has suffered “huge reputational damage” at the national level, but that it remained “credible” and “still vibrant” at the local level.
Writing in the Guardian, Simon Jenkins suggested that part of the blame may lie with top heavy church management structures. “The church’s cumbersome hierarchy must lie at the root of many of its ailments. It is like the Royal Navy having more admirals than warships. There are now 108 bishops, of varying degrees of seniority, scattered across 42 dioceses, with bureaucracies that no other sect seems to need. Despite this, some 3500 churches have shut in the past decade.”
Echoing the view expressed by the Bishop of Blackburn, he goes on to say that, despite this, the Church is very relevant within local communities, and it is perhaps these communities that should take more responsibility for its aging buildings: “None of this need matter to a wider public were it not for one fact: parish churches are not just places of Christian worship. They are the biggest – and usually most beautiful – monument dominating the heart of almost every village and town in Britain. The national church may not matter to the nation, but the local church is prominent at the hub of almost every community. It represents history, ceremony, cultural activity and much of its charitable welfare. Everyone knows their church, even if few pay for it.”
Read the article in the Independent here. Read Simon Jenkins in the Guardian here.