Reader Writes June 2024

It was with surprise and huge disappointment that we got the news that our second round

of recruiting for a vicar for Kington and parishes didn’t receive a single applicant! We had

dared to hope for an exciting candidate when we heard that there had been detailed

enquiries about the post. What an honour and what a calling to come to Kington! When the

deadline came, applicants were there none. Our disappointment of course is part of a

widespread pattern. In our Diocese of Hereford with 72 stipendiary priests there are 16

vacancies; and only 3 of those have been filled in recent rounds of advertising.

One factor is the popularity of urban parishes; your congregation will gather in your church

because its focus meets their hopes and preferences. A rural multi-parish benefice

demands broad churchmanship and pastoral flexibility. Is it harder work, or is it just more

demanding to juggle the range of needs? It’s certainly the case that rural ministry requires

diverse gifts. Often this is challenging and just as often it’s entertaining; this afternoon I

met some beautiful Indian women shyly entering our church having removed their shoes. I

persuaded them to replace the shoes on health and safety grounds if not custom.

It was well said by an archbishop that the Church is the only institution in the world that

exists solely for the benefit of those who are not yet its members. I found myself saying in

a reflection, “Let’s not look down to what we already have and don’t want changed, but

let’s look up to what God is already doing and calling us to join him”. It is true; we exist for

growth, the Great Commission. Before Jesus ascended, he instructed his followers to “Go

therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and

of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Back in our own green and sheep-dotted part of the world, the ends of the earth to some,

we have a lively church with all sorts of lay-led ministries, almost always with an

enthusiasm to reach out to the majority who are still waiting to hear the Good News of the

Gospel. We all value encouragement and we need guidance; but generally no one is

waiting to be told what to do. That is why our Parish Profile emphasises the need for a

leader with a passion for growth and the confidence to build and nurture teams (rather

than helpers).

I wonder if we could teach ourselves something by imagining a huge future revival; what

would our little market town be like if the different churches accounted for membership

around fifteen hundred rather than a hundred and fifty. How did it get there? For certain

there would have been a lot of prayer, believers caring for each other and loving their

neighbours, and a growing knowledge of our Triune God; He came to earth as one of us,

died on a cross for all of us, and sent us his Holy Spirit to empower each of us. Our Rural

Dean, who has good humouredly been leading services and filling in the many gaps,

provided a succinct ideal profile for our saintly yet-to-be-found vicar: “They must say Yes,

Yes, and Yes! And I’ll carry the can if it all goes belly up!”