The prospect of change within the Church of England in the island, and particularly the parish churches, has been on the cards for a while, even if nobody particularly wanted to speak of it.
The imminent replacement of the Dean of Guernsey – though with a successor still not yet in place – provides an opportune moment for that change.
One hears of parish churches with a congregation of just a few dozen and no incumbent priest, and though there is clearly life in some of those groups of parishioners – flower festivals, music recitals, farmers' markets and other events are still frequently staged – an element of ‘confrontation’ between the Church and the parishes seems inevitable.
This is particularly the case for those parishes now without a rector.
Who will be the first to spark such a debate? And what will be the target?
The challenges facing the Church of England are not the same as those facing parish ratepayers.
Ultimately the Church may no longer require some of the church buildings available to it – one could argue that a few are already reaching that point – but the parishes, and the island as a whole, would have to think carefully about what to do with those centuries-old buildings.
Sacred places, which have witnessed the most precious moments of happiness and sorrow, life and death, for generations of islanders, should not be carelessly cast aside.
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