The Rural Strand of the Diocesan Vision and Strategy
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The Rural Strand of the Diocesan Vision and Strategy FOREWARD Bishop Christine set out her vision for the future of our Diocese: growing church bringing hope. As part of this strategy 5 key strands of activity were identified, of which the reimagining of the rural church was one; now known as “the rural strand”. The Archdeacon of Lindisfarne, the Venerable Peter Robinson and the Bishop’s Rural Affairs Adviser, the Rev’d Canon Jonathan Mason convened a series of rural conversations in 2016 to begin the task of scoping out the work of the rural strand. In 2017 this led to the formation of a Guiding Coalition, formed of a mixture of lay and ordained members of the rural conversations network, and chaired by local businessman and philanthropist Stephen Purvis. Newcastle Diocese’s rural areas embrace not only rural Northumberland but also the Cumbrian town of Alston including the villages of Garrigill and Nenthead and the County Durham settlements of Hunstanworth, Edmundbyers, Muggleswick and Waskerley. The initial work of our group was deeply rooted in understanding the complexity and variety that exists in the identity of not only the rural church but also in rural areas themselves. Much work was undertaken to understand what was required to ensure a positive and sustainable future for the rural church in this diocese. It was clear from an early stage that with a scale of geography as challenging as that posed by our rural areas, we would require specific case studies in which we could explore and assess potential new methods of rural ministry that may be applicable more broadly across the rural church. The purpose of this document is to distil many months of thinking, prayer and reflection into a single text that can be used to guide the reimagining of our rural church. We are particularly grateful to the members of the Guiding Coalition who have given so much of their time and thought to this important work. We have been blessed to share this journey with the Rev’d Dr Helen Savage, Rev’d Steve Wilkinson, Rev’d Dr Rob Kelsey, Dr Hilary Elder, Barbara Davidson and many others along the way. We are extremely grateful for all of the contributions that have led us to this point, and grateful in advance for the continuing effort required to drive this strategy into a delivered re-imagination of our rural church. The Guiding Coalition is grateful to Helen Savage for drafting this document. The rural church has its challenges, but in undertaking this work we emerge confident in a strategy to discern God’s will for the rural church in Newcastle Diocese, that it may continue to be a growing church bringing hope. With very best wishes Stephen Jonathan Peter Stephen Purvis Jonathan Mason Peter Robinson Chair Rural Affairs Adviser Archdeacon of Lindisfarne WHERE ARE WE NOW AND WHAT IS RURAL? As we started our work as the Guiding Coalition we asked what are the characteristics of the rural setting in Newcastle Diocese which encompasses the whole of rural Northumberland but also small parts of Cumbria and County Durham? In other words, where are we now and what is rural? Rural life is changing fast. More efficient personal transport and improved technology has opened up the possibility of new settlements, working and industrial (agricultural) patterns. One consequence of this is that there is a decreasing number of jobs in rural areas. The UK countryside is now less distinctly ‘rural’ than it was even a generation ago. Despite some evidence of a new commitment to the ‘local’, those who live in the countryside increasingly look beyond the immediately local for their services; yet significant pockets of deprivation also remain in rural areas. Rural communities are extremely diverse with discrete needs and distinctive character. They include former industrial settlements, remnants of medieval rural settlement patterns in addition to ones that have emerged more recently (for example linked to forestry and water industries), estate villages, commuter estates and market towns. A nostalgic romanticism persists about country life that does not correspond to its reality, present or past. This is perpetuated equally by people who live in rural areas as well as by those who don’t. Third sector and Voluntary organisations are not advantaged. In the countryside they face the same problems as voluntary organisations everywhere else: it’s hard to persuade people to join and those who are involved are getting older. Deep personal and community relationships matter. It is possible to get to know people in a small community in a deep way, which facilitates a persistence of neighbourliness and a clearer focus of ‘community’ identity. WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF OUR RURAL DIOCESE? In our own rural settings there are particular features of the rural that mean we have our own identity and understanding as a diocese: • Northumberland has a highly distinctive pattern of land ownership. Four estates own 50% of the National Park (Northumberland Estates, The Ministry of Defence, Lilburn Estates and College Valley Estates) and a number of smaller estates have further significant and historic holdings across the county. An unusually high proportion of agricultural land is thus farmed by tenants, including around 65% of the farms in the National Park. • Northumberland is home to the second-largest and least populated national park in the UK. Northumberland National Park covers over 1000 km2, a quarter of the County, and includes 220 farms together with the largest area of protected night skies in Europe. The diocese also includes two areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Northumberland Coast AONB from Berwick down to Amble and a large part of the North Pennines AONB, the second-largest AONB in England. • The military has a significant, long-standing impact on local communities in Northumberland. Otterburn Army Training Estate was established in 1911. It covers 242 km2 of North Northumberland, 23% of the National Park, and is the UK’s largest firing range. Other major military establishments are RAF Boulmer and Albermarle Barracks near Stamfordham. • Farming is the dominant economic activity across large areas of the diocese. Hill farms, the vast majority tenanted, are based on historic flocks of sheep hefted to their fell, and owned by the landowner, not the tenant. In the Tyne Valleys, mid Northumberland and along the coastal plain, mixed farming dominates, with stock rearing and, especially along the coastal plain, arable farming. • Forestry is a major contributor to the rural economy in the diocese and covers 22% of the national park alone. Kielder Forest Park, which includes Kielder Forest, the largest woodland in England, stretches into Cumbria with almost 250,000 hectares. Other major areas of managed woodland include Wooler Common, Hepburn, Thrunton, Harbottle, Harwood and Slaley. • The Water industry is highly important to Northumberland. Kielder Water is the largest artificial lake in the UK and includes the largest hydro-power facility in England. The Derwent reservoir in the south of the diocese forms another major, linked scheme. • Historic industries have long played a major part in the economy, culture and landscape of the rural parts of the diocese and are still a significant factor in its settlement pattern. Coal mining is now solely open cast; lead, zinc and fluorspar are all mined in the North Pennines which saw its population soar briefly in the mid nineteenth century, followed by a long slow decline. Farming, forestry and tourism today are complemented by pharmaceutical industries, advanced engineering, manufacturing and the food and drink industries. • Tourism is a highly significant feature of rural life in the diocese, with around 13% of all local jobs. We enjoy a rich and varied historical legacy embracing Hadrian’s Wall and the great medieval castles together with an exceptionally powerful ecclesiastical heritage, which includes Holy Island and Hexham. The Alnwick Garden alone attracts over a third of a million visitors each year. • Northumberland is sparsely populated, with just 63 people per km2, but of these just less than half the population live in the 97% of the county classed as rural. The border parish of Falstone with Greystead and Thorneyburn, by far the largest parish in the diocese, has a population density of just 1.5 people per km2. • Rural poverty is often hidden and dispersed but real and is defined by low wages or pensions, poor access to transport and other services and a severe shortage of affordable housing – all in a significantly aging population, an increasingly high proportion of whom are aged 55 and over, a figure well above the national average. HOW READY IS OUR RURAL CHURCH TO ENGAGE? If this is our setting then how ready is the present rural church to engage with the vision, aims and objectives of the rural strand? Ageing congregations Sacred spaces Financial & personnel capacity? Powerful and effective allies Diocesan resources Lots of Messy Churches Capacity to come to the countryside Good rural leadership (ordained and lay) Resistance to change Openness to change Changing demographics Changing demographics Lack of possible office holders Rural conversations network Too many isolated parishes Excellent connectivity to local Not enough Local Ministry communities development It is interesting to note that, at the moment, there appears to be a somewhat individualistic approach with the parish priest as ‘franchise holder’. There is a developing argument for the simplification of structures in order to provide alignment to a single broad strategy for the rural church; hence the production of this document. It is also already apparent that there are pockets of excellent practice that must be celebrated and shared as a catalyst for change. PURPOSE, ROLE, VISION, GOALS AND VALUES PURPOSE The purpose of the Rural Strand of the Diocesan Vision and Strategy is to serve the rural communities of the diocese so that benefices and parishes, laity and clergy, local communities and worshiping communities in the rural setting, including our market towns, flourish and have a lively future which is faithful to the Gospel.