Support our Churches

St Peter's, Kington Langley

Holy Trinity, North Ormesby

These churches, like all, are at the heart of communities, deliver community objectives and are a part of the nation's heritage

Church buildings are vital but overlooked national resources that deserve substantially greater government support. That is the message of a new campaign ignited by the Church’s report Building Faith in our Future.

At the General Synod in February, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, called for a “campaigning spirit sufficient to rouse the sleeping giant that is the Church of England to see the many opportunities our buildings offer to re-connect with the people of England for the sake of God.”

Now the giant is set to be woken with a series of initiatives aimed at getting the huge social contribution of church buildings onto the political agenda – and persuading Government that 50 per cent of the cost of repairs to church buildings ought to be met from public sources.

Bishop Richard pointed out that the Royal Opera House received £23 million in public funds last year while 16,000 parish churches, 42 cathedrals and listed places of worship belonging to other communities received only £26 million. At the same time, some – “gripped by the fantasy that we are State supported” – have criticised Cathedrals like York for charging tourists an entry fee.

“The answer to the mystery of charges at York Minster is very simple,” he said. “The Minster with its 800,000 visitors is quite unsupported from public funds, whereas the York Railway Museum is grant-aided to ensure free entry to the tune of £5.61 million last year.”

Now campaigners are embarking on a grassroots information campaign aiming to show government, statutory bodies and the public how much church buildings matter to the whole community and that they deserve and need realistic help to secure their future – and the vital resource they provide in local communities.

“We’re looking to pull together a national network of volunteers,” said Paula Griffiths, head of the Archbishops’ Council’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Division. “We want people who will act as advocates for our buildings, and work with local authorities and others to develop partnerships and think innovatively and secure their future.”

In a parallel move, English Heritage launched ‘Inspired’, a campaign involving research, pilot projects and training to identify how best to keep parish churches thriving and identifying the need for more funding. The campaign has the Church of England’s full support. English Heritage is also assessing the physical condition of listed church buildings in order to estimate outstanding repair bills and the average cost of annual maintenance. Figures from the parishes in 2003 indicated at least £378 million of outstanding repairs to C of E churches alone. Without realistic state funding, there is growing concern that volunteers who keep these buildings maintained will be stretched beyond their means.

DID YOU KNOW?

Nearly half the population (46%) think that central taxation, local taxation, the National Lottery or English Heritage should be ‘primarily’ responsible for providing money to maintain churches and chapels.

For more information and to become a Building Faith supporter: www.cofe.anglican.org/about/builtheritage/supporter