The current tragedy now unfolding in Ukraine and in its adjacent countries has rightly dominated news coverage everywhere since February. The deliberate destruction of the maternity hospital in Mariupol has plumbed new depths of evil and it has to be only right and proper to say that Vladimir Putin and his KGB accomplices will be sent to hell at the coming heavenly assize. They claim to be Russian Orthodox Christians, but their campaign of mass murder, wholesale destruction and excruciating hypocrisy can lead to one end only – and there is not the remotest sign of repentance from Moscow.
However, we need to turn our attention to the consequences of this horrific war for the Church here in the UK. People are responding with amazing generosity to appeals for help, with millions being donated in cash and even more in clothing, medical aid and other necessities. This generosity will continue as the fighting continues and Christians will be at least as generous as everyone else. But for Christians this situation presents us with a double whammy, for many of us are already supporting our brothers and sisters suffering severe persecution in every continent right across the world. There will inevitably be less money available for our churches at home, especially now that the cost of living is rising so sharply and the world economy takes a battering as a result of sanctions against Russia. Probably a half of all parishes are likely to default on their diocesan share, many very badly.
This in turn will lead to cutbacks in full-time paid clergy. Many struggling parishes could find themselves forced into shotgun amalgamations with their neighbours and lose their distinctiveness and enthusiasm in the process. Time and time again it has been seen that such reorganisations gain very little apart from institutional tidiness, but lose a lot in terms of people and income, as it becomes clear that pastoral care diminishes to merely a skeleton service. People notice these things and draw their own conclusions. No marks for guessing what they are!
The answer has to be the swift recruitment and training of a big new phalanx of Self Supporting Ministers to staff poor churches in danger of closing or amalgamation. Bishops need at last to be flexible and throw their antiquated rule books out of the window. Some full-time clergy may be forced to revisit the highly marketable degrees they previously gained at the public’s expense. Many could earn good salaries in the secular world and they would have to experience some of the pressures their lay people face as they try to balance their commitment to Christ and His Church against the legitimate claims of family and work. They would also find themselves in daily contact with that huge swathe of agnostics and atheists who are totally ignorant of Jesus Christ and His way. They might well convert some. In the good hands of God, the coming financial crisis could turn out to be a blessing in disguise and give new energy and purpose to a Church which seems to have long since lost its way.
