Christian Today spoke to the Rev Marcus Walker, Rector of St Bartholomew the Great within the City of London and founding father of the Save the Parish movement within the Church of England, about what he’s in search of in a latest Archbishop of Canterbury after Justin Welby stepped down in January.
CT: You publicly called for the resignation of Justin Welby after the publication of the Makin Review last November into the John Smyth abuse scandal. What are your reflections now on his resignation?
MW: It’s desperately sad that we reached that time. I even have a variety of time for Justin Welby and respect for him, but his position had develop into untenable. I hope this may allow the church to maneuver forward.
CT: You have been a member of General Synod since 2021 and so have seen the leading bishops at close hand. Who is your pick for the role and why?
MW: I’m afraid that I feel my endorsement for any candidate would kill their possibilities stone dead! I do, nonetheless, think that we want a transparent break from the managerial Church which has develop into so stifling of the Church and its mission. Anyone involved within the disastrous policies of mass mergers of parishes must be avoided.
CT: What would you wish to see the subsequent Archbishop do to save lots of the parishes?
MW: The very first thing is to like them! To show that she or he actually likes the people within the pew and to stop attacking them and their history and their practices. Pretty much every Anglican in England desires to find a way to get on with the core business of worshipping God, and the central Church seems to spend all its time making that less possible, less nice, and fewer inexpensive.
The latest Archbishop could possibly be transformative if the energies of the national Church were dedicated to helping the local church. Oh, and getting back to preaching Christ can be good – we do not need a Church Shadow Cabinet; we want a bench of shepherds, pastors, and teachers.
CT: On a scale of 1 to 10 from pessimism to optimism, how optimistic are you that a latest Archbishop could make a difference to frontline parishes?
MW: Full 10/10 – the brand new Archbishop could make a difference. Will they…?
CT: Given the deep divisions within the C of E, particularly over the proposed services of same-sex blessing, to what extent could any person, nonetheless gifted and godly, actually find a way to guide such a divided house?
MW: With God, all things are possible.
