Guest blog by T. Lester Trewscape
Four years ago I was able to reveal to you The Clergy Sabbatical Refresher Course. This is a confidential document summarising the instruction given to clergy on sabbatical. Under oath, it is disclosed to them that the Church of England is being wound up and that their task is to further this aim.
Remarkably, I have now had a view of a related but much more recent document, evidently a summary or draft outline of a longer, more detailed report. It gives a fairly up-to-date picture of the plans for the winding down process and shows that this has now been given a definite focus date. It is unclear what body within the C of E issued this, but it clearly comes from the administrative centre.
Church of England 500
Background
Research shows that, at the present rate of decline, the (lay) membership of the Church of England will reach zero by 2035.
It is our intention to adopt this as our official winding-up date, though naturally this will not be publicly divulged until a suitable time.
Providentially (as might have been said in former times) 2035 is the five hundredth anniversary of the Act of Supremacy, which was, to all intents and purposes, the birth of the C. of E.
It can therefore be presented as eminently fitting that the era of Anglicanism in England should be brought to an end on this date. Nearer the time, ways will need to be devised of celebrating the event positively. The emphasis should be on the great contribution of the Church to national life, and in particular how this has now been absorbed into our culture and values, so that, in a sense, the Church’s mission has been fulfilled.
Establishment
It is imperative that the position of the Monarch as Supreme Governor should be safeguarded. The Church will of course continue to have an institutional existence, since the bishops and clergy, the infrastructure, church buildings, and ecclesiastical organisations will remain. Though the exact model is as yet not fixed, it is intended that some kind of ‘Continuing Church of England’ will be constituted, with the Monarch as head, ensuring that the religious side of State occasions can continue without interruption. In order to make this viable, some form of ‘privatisation’, setting the institution on a profitable basis, is envisaged. A faint parallel can be seen in the privatised ‘Royal Mail’.
Cathedrals
Cathedrals and Abbeys are of course the most popular aspect of the Church. At present they are also the most expensive plant to maintain, but the intention is that they should be placed on a secure commercial basis. All means of securing a profitable income stream to offset the cost of the musical and cultural provision of the cathedrals will be explored. The enduring presence of the cathedrals will do much to preserve the idea of a ‘Continuing Church’.
Wings of the church
The expectation, based on the demographic data, is that the lay membership of the Liberal and High Church or Anglo-Catholic wings of the C of E will virtually wither away to nothing. It is thought that the Evangelical churches will preserve a viable membership for longer. How exactly they will act during the next decade is uncertain. Some churches, perhaps even some whole church groupings, may decide to ‘go it alone’.
However, it is felt to be more likely that some, at least, are awaiting the hour when they can ‘reclaim’ the Church of England as a truly Reformed or Evangelical Church. This will given sympathetic consideration, but only on negotiated terms. Such terms would of course involve accepting continued Establishment, maintenance of the Cathedrals, and outward tolerance of bishops and clergy of differing traditions. These would be to the advantage of both sides.
General Synod
The synodal system was, of course, introduced to facilitate the decline of the Church of England. In its early years it was not very effective in this, but over the past decade it has done much better. The current stalemate in General Synod over sexual identity has proved very successful in absorbing the energies of all participants in unproductive debate, with the consequent discouraging influence on lay people outside it, and it looks set to continue to bear fruit for several more years. The synodal system will, of course, be terminated in or soon after 2035, as there will effectively be no House of Laity.
Safeguarding
The safeguarding scandal is the main threat to the successful orderly winding up of the Church of England. Obviously it is imperative that the Church never gets manoeuvred into a position where the claims of abuse survivors and victims of false accusations are so far recognised that significant financial obligations are incurred. On the other hand, a general acknowledgement of the misfortunes of victims must continue to be expressed, so as not to appear to be entirely unconcerned. The bishops are, on the whole, managing to perform this balancing act quite well.
Crucially, these delaying tactics need to be continued until the Church is wound up. The setting up and abolishing of pseudo-independent safeguarding commissions, followed by lengthy explorations of alternative structures, should succeed in protracting the process for the necessary period, though it may be a close call. Once the Church has been wound up and reconstituted on a different legal basis it should be difficult or impossible for successful financial claims to be lodged against it.
Finances
Finances are, quite literally, the bottom line. The key consideration is the maintenance and indeed expansion of the Church’s funds so as to enable all bishops, clergy, and lay administrative staff to be assured of secure and generous pensions. It is imperative that the Church avoids all large-scale financial outlay. Hence the stress on the very judicious management of the abuse scandals.
The Church, of course, has a vast resource in terms of its buildings. But here again we need to tread cautiously. There can be no wholesale selling off of buildings, especially historic churches. Instead, a detailed, highly confidential, national plan will need to be worked out over the coming decade for the sensitive realisation of these assets on virtually a case by case basis, ensuring that each building has a destiny that will be acknowledged, especially by locals, as fitting. This destiny may be as a concert hall, a theatre, a community hub, or a place of worship for another religious group.
Conclusion
It has been persuasively suggested in some quarters that the winding-down of the Church of England should be marked by a National Festival. The figures of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I could be employed as part of the pageantry, given their general popularity (despite the realities of their ecclesiastical policies!). Spirituality would of course be a major theme of such a Festival.
