Volume 4, Part 1, 2006

The distinctive nature of the rural church community is considered in relation to the question of ‘belonging’. It is suggested that the Gospel of Matthew provides useful guidelines for understanding such a community. It displays on the one hand a clear sense of the ultimate division between saved and lost but on the other hand a reluctance to draw clear lines between insiders and outsiders as far as the earthly community is concerned. There will be surprises at the final judgment. Until then, wheat and weeds must grow together until harvest, even though pragmatic measures will be needed to maintain the church’s witness. Such a church is an inclusive school of discipleship rather than an exclusive gathering of the saved.

A sample of 318 stipendiary male clergy in the Church of England who held responsibility for rural parishes completed a modified form of the Maslach Burnout Inventory together with a questionnaire designed to assess their practice of ministry. The data suggest that an unacceptably high number of rural clergy show signs of emotional exhaustion from their ministry and that burnout is reflected in many subtle ways in the practice of ministry.

The closure of church buildings is a controversial issue. Between 1970 and 2000 the Church of England saw a loss of 1,414 churches, that is a reduction of 8%. This study presents the arguments for and against the closure of church buildings, and maps the way in which four rural dioceses of the Church of England have experienced church closures over the last thirty years. The data demonstrate that church closure varies from one rural diocese to another, and this seems to be more than merely random chance. The data also suggest that church closure may impact negatively on the performance of the rural church, as assessed by selected indicators of core membership and of outreach at the times of major Christian festivals. While a range of theological, economic, pas-toral, social and strategic issues need to be given their due weight when formulating decisions on church closures, it is argued that it may be unwise to discount entirely the value of empirical evidence in generating a fully-informed strategy.

Extended communion has been used as a solution for the increasing shortage of ordained ministers; it is not, however, without critics who identify theological problems with its usage. In particular, the three concepts of the Divine Presence, of celebration, and of the communion of the faithful raise questions for congregations utilizing extended commun-ion. Furthermore, the use of lay ministers in the service of extended communion can lead to isolation of the parish priest as well as high-lighting issues about lay presidency. This article discusses these themes in the context of an evaluation of an extended communion scheme in a parish of the Church of England. While there is some evidence for the isolation of the rector, congregational perceptions make no distinction between extended and holy communion services. In the case of home (extended) communions, however, the absence of worship space plays an important part – something about which the literature is silent.

National and local festivals, carnivals and processions are a feature of social life and the way in which the human race has celebrated in its leisure moments. This study examines the reaction of two local Pennine village churches to a festival in each of their communities. It highlights certain features of the relationship between village festivals and the life of the local church.