Some Ministry Statistics


The most recent statistics for ministry in the Church of England are those for the end of 2008. They point to a healthy situation with regards to vocations and ministry in our Church.

For instance, there were about 12,000 licensed clergy and almost 8,000 readers and Church Army officers. In addition there were almost 1,600 chaplains to prisons, hospitals, the armed forces and in education, and around 7,120 retired clergy and readers with permission to officiate.

In 2008 the Church of England recommended 490 persons for ordination training. 574 (274 women and 300 men) were ordained in 2008, the highest number since the year 2000. (In the entire Roman Catholic Church in Belgium, there were 6 ordinations in the same year).

The generally healthy state extends to our own Diocese in Europe where we have 152 licensed priests and deacons and 98 active readers who serve our 270 congregations. 28 of the clergy are women. We are supporting 39 men and women in various stages of vocational discernment or training for ordained ministry and 37 men and women are in academic training to be readers (lay ministers).

Comments

  1. Mark Collinson14 June 2010 at 15:49

    Dear Bishop David, sorry to be pedantic (but it's a particular quality seen in many Anglican clergy) - but during my idle hours earlier this year I counted the number of locations served in our Diocese, and don't know where this magic figure of 270 congregations comes from. We claim to offer worship in 309 locations of which, 170 provide worship every Sunday, and 139 provide it less frequently, or not on Sunday. Of course some churches have worship more than once on Sunday, and could claim therefore to have more than one congregation in one location... but I wasn't pendantic enough to count those!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Farewell to the Diocese in Europe

Image
Deacon Frances and I packed up our office yesterday and turned over our official files, emails and equipment. Thus a close working together for 22 years comes to an end. So it is hard to believe that today, St David's day, a new chapter begins, after 44 years of stipendiary ministry, 22 years as deacon then priest and 22 as a bishop.  Here are just a few memories from the last couple of months...   But now it is time to begin a new chapter.  O God, by whose command the order of time runs its course: forgive our impatience, perfect our faith and, while we await the fulfilment of your promise, grant us to have a good hope because of your Word,  even Jesus Christ our Lord. (St Gregory Nazianzus, 330 - 390)
Read more

Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter: A European Consequence

Image
In his Pentecost letter, the Archbishop of Canterbury warned of certain consequences for provinces of the Anglican Communion which have failed to stand by the three moratoria . (No authorisation of blessings services for same-sex unions; no consecrations of bishops living in same-sex relationships; and no bishop authorising any ministry within the diocese of another bishop without explicit permission). One consequence would be that representatives from such provinces w ould not be able to participate in the formal international interchurch dialogues of the Communion. One of those dialogues is the Anglican-Old Catholic International Co-ordinating Council ( AOCICC ), the official instrument set up to deepen the relationship of communion established in 1931 between the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht . As the member Churches of the Union of Utrecht are all European, the AOCICC is effectively a European body. (I am one of the members, appo...
Read more

New Area Dean for Belgium and Luxembourg

Image
The Revd Andrew Wagstaff (above), chaplain of St Boniface Church, Antwerp, was commissioned by Bishop Geoffrey as Area Dean of Belgium and Luxembourg on 9 October, at the Eucharist which concluded the sessions of the synod of the Archdeaconry of NW Europe. Fr Andrew succeeds the Revd Canon Ray Jones who retired earlier this year. The Area Dean will work under Archdeacon John de Wit (who is based in Utrecht, Netherlands) in providing pastoral support to the clergy of Belgium and Luxembourg. He will also work with the President of the Anglican Central Committee for Belgium, the Revd Canon Dr Robert Innes, Chancellor of Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral, Brussels. (A unique and helpful feature of our Anglican life in the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is that our clergy in those countries receive a traitement or stipend support from the state. Canon Innes represents our Anglican Church in all dealings with the Belgian State, including the matter of traitements). ...
Read more