𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 – 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

Delegates at Diocesan Synod ’24 were given a glimpse of the challenges facing Church – through falling numbers and looming clerical retirements – when [on Wednesday 23rd October 2024] the two Archdeacons updated them on the Diocesan Council’s work on the Diocesan Review announced a year ago. The Archdeacon of Derry, Venerable Robert Miller, reminded Synod of last October’s decision to set up a commission to “prayerfully conduct a strategic review” of the diocese – a motion endorsed without objection. Progress in shaping the nature of the review had been slower than they would have wished, he said, although they were launching a resource at this year’s synod to equip the Diocese in prayer as a unified Diocese. “In prayer,” he said, “we will grasp the bigger picture which God has in mind for our dioceses and, furthermore, see the path to walk in order to make that picture a reality.”

The two Archdeacons were in a position to present an ‘initial report’ only, rather than the anticipated ‘interim report’, he said. “There is more work needed before we’re in a position to agree on a timetable for the presentation of the commission’s summary of the findings and recommendations but we would hope to bring this interim report to the Synod in 2025.”

In moving this review forward, Archdeacon Miller said, they were committed to listening to God and to one another. “A meeting of those who had expressed interest was held back in June 2024 and this proved to be a helpful opportunity to listen to what God has been laying on people’s hearts when praying as a part of the Diocesan Review. There are challenges to be faced – church attendance has dropped in the past 10 years – and we need to effectively plan for church leadership and ministry in the future…In the Church of Ireland we anticipate 170 retirements in the Church of Ireland in the next 10 years.

“As Archdeacons, we’ve been at work with Bishop Andrew to consider how other dioceses have approached these challenges and what their model of diocesan review has been. This information is still being collated and considered, and will inform the model of review going forward.

“What is becoming clear,” he said, “is that there are a number of ways that we can effectively listen to a wide cross-section of our dioceses to construct an accurate picture of needs and of possibilities. Our Diocesan Review will define clear actions and issue from the picture of the dioceses that we form through our listening process, and these actions will both be cultural and structural in nature. And some of the areas that the Diocesan Review will be considering will be vocation, giving, presence, mission and resourcing.

“Already in this Diocesan Synod we have renewed the call to prayer and sought to resource fresh thinking in mission with the announcement that [a new] mission fund will be launched [in the New Year]. God is at work in His church and as we seek to draw close to Him in prayer, our prayer should be that we may nurture the gifts that He has already given to us. As we look towards the review, we look also to our own hearts and the call to odedience of Our Heavenly Father.”

The Archdeacon of Raphoe, Venerable David Huss, pointed out that he wasn’t one of the 170 clergy planning for retirement in the next 10 years “although, who knows?” Echoing and endorsing everything that Archdeacon Miller had said, Archdeacon Huss focused on a few specific areas of work in regard to the Review.

The resolution passed last year could be summarised as calling for four actions, he said – to resource, research, reflect and recommend. Referring to the new prayer resource launched at Synod, Archdeacon Huss said that prayer would underpin everything about the review. “It is not simply a managerial exercise but a spiritual enterprise, and it is as much to do with prayer as about practicalities.”

Regarding the process of research, Archdeacon Huss focused on the 2023 census across the Church of Ireland. It wasn’t perfect, he said, but it was the best census that we had had, and would provide helpful data. “They show an undoubted decline over the last 10 years. In terms of attendance, a decline of at least 25% on average across our Diocese in Sunday church attendance from 2013 to 2023.” Meetings with parishes and surveys may well be used, Archdeacon Huss suggested, to gather information about finances and demographic changes, and to get a sense of the spiritual temperature and the level of morale.

The final two parts of the Review’s remit – to reflect on the information and to make recommendations – would necessarily come later, following on from the research. “In one sense, I think, they are easier, in a strange way, because it seems to me that there are a reklatively small set of possible options for configuring our dicoeses and our ministries in order to keep them afloat as we punch through the oncoming wave of secularisation which is inevitably bearing down upon all of us. The difficult thing is making sure we know clearly where we are at present and what kind of ministry we want into the future. When we are clear on those we will be able to set a wise plan which will hopefully receive assent and be put into action.”

Bishop Andrew thanked the Archbishops for providing their upate on the progress of the review.