“There is a need to plant churches in new places to reach new people in new ways,” he said. A third of the way through his expected 10-year term at the church’s helm, Welby faces a critical few years. He drew a rough graph, showing the downward trajectory of the traditional congregation and the upward trajectory of the “growing church”. “Liberals might worry about a threat to the ‘broad church’; conservative evangelicals will wonder why it remains so broad,” wrote Paul. They form the congregations of many traditional parish churches, and are the backbone of the Women’s Institute, Mothers’ Union and other Middle England institutions.

Source: The Guardian August 13, 2016 23:05 UTC