UK rural churches future as ‘festival’ buildings only

Tuesday, October 20th, 2015

Historic Church of England village churches could be closed down except on feasts like Christmas and Easter as a move to cope with dwindling congregations.

A committee of senior CofE clerics and laity is recommending many village churches throughout England be designated as “festival” churches.

This would be a new category of parish used only for important celebrations or occasional weddings and funerals.

The idea, already piloted in a handful of dioceses, offers an alternative to the current choice between maintaining a church with almost no congregation and closing it completely.

Additional reading

News category: News Shorts.

Tags: Christmas, Church of England, Easter, Festival churches

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