Fresh data indicates that nearly a quarter of Church of England parishes are currently without church wardens.
Wardens play a vital voluntary role, overseeing various tasks such as church building maintenance, providing support to the parish priest, and handling administrative duties. They are integral to the smooth day-to-day operation of the parish.
A study spanning the Church's 42 dioceses has shed light on the magnitude of the staffing challenges confronting the institution. Concerns have been raised, warning that volunteers have been undervalued for too long.
Among the dioceses that responded to inquiries regarding recruitment hurdles, it was discovered that 40 percent of parishes have only one church warden, with a further five to 21 percent having none at all.
One diocese reported that 22 percent of its parishes faced shortages in key positions in January, according to the Church Times.
Critics are pointing out that the shortage of volunteers coincides with an increase in workloads and bureaucracy for church wardens, who are struggling to support overstretched vicars, many of whom now serve multiple congregations.
Rev Marcus Walker, chairman of the Save the Parish campaign group and also a member of the General Synod, the Church of England’s legislative body, commented: “The national church tends to burden clergy and volunteers with paperwork, and then seems surprised when they seek other commitments.”
Rev Walker, who serves as rector at St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London, emphasised: “To revitalise the Church at the grassroots level, we must make volunteering in the Church more accessible.
"Volunteers have been overlooked for too long; it’s time to properly appreciate their contributions.”
Last year, an analysis by The Telegraph of the most recent Church of England statistics revealed a decline from 12,510 to 12,232 parishes between 2016 and 2021, with 278 individual parishes] either reorganised or merged.
