THE mission of the Church of England is "grinding to a halt" under a burden of meetings, consultations and paperwork, says the Bishop of Liverpool.
The Rt Rev James Jones accused the management of the Church of thwarting "the Kingdom of God" with bureaucracy. Christians should be going to parties, not church meetings, and telling their friends about their faith, he said.
Eighty per cent of people who became Christians did so through a personal relationship. A favourite of the Prime Minister, who suggested him for Liverpool, Bishop Jones is tipped to succeed Dr George Carey as Archbishop of Canterbury. Although often outspoken, it is rare for Bishop Jones to criticise the running of the Church.
He made his comments in an interview with The Church of England Newspaper, published today, about his appointment as chairman of the Church's Board of Mission. "The Kingdom of God is grinding to a halt under the multiplicity of consultations and meeting," he said.
Every time a difficult issue arose, someone "glibly" suggested another consultation. "We have really got to exercise some leadership and say: 'Do we really need as many meetings? Do we really need as much consultation?'
"We should free people to be with their friends and families and enjoy life, and share the lover of life, who is Jesus, with the world." He said he was particularly worried about new adult Christians being sucked into bureaucracy as soon as they were baptised.
The notion of a Board of Mission was strange because the Church's role was one of mission. "It is a bit like a political party saying: 'We've got an officer for politics'."
12 March 1998: Bishop of Liverpool appointed