The rural rectory: the impact of a resident priest on local church life
1992
Francis, L.J. | Lankshear, D.W.
Changes in the pastoral organisation of the Church of England over the past decades have resulted in a sharp reduction in the number of rural clergy, the amalgamation of churches within multi-parish benefices and the sale of many rural rectories. Opinion is divided on whether this has been beneficial or detrimental to the rural church. The present study employs path analysis to model key statistical indicators of church life in a sample of 2757 rural parishes with populations including no more than 1250 people. The data indicate that the presence of a rural rectory and a resident priest appear to stimulate both the associational and the community functions of the local church as reflected in a larger proportion of the population having regular contact with the church and in the church having contact with more people beyond the regular congregation. The implications of these findings are discussed for future pastoral reorganisation.
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