Church to market Cross as brand image - The Times Monday

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The Church of England is adopting modern management techniques,
including marketing the Cross as a "brand image", in a desperate
attempt to halt the decline in attendance.

Moreover, poor management means that some people have become
priests who were never suitable for the job, according to the
Right Rev Michael Turnbull, the Bishop of Durham.

No member of the clergy has been disciplined over doctrine or
ritual for 33 years, although a range of offences covering poor
performance, drunkenness, improper relationships and fiddling the
books happen regularly without punishment, according to a report
in today's edition of People Management magazine.

The survey of the management overhaul taking place in the Church
comes as regular Sunday attendance has slumped to its lowest on
record. In the latest figures available, for 1995, Sunday
attendance fell by 35,000 to 1,045,300. The previous year it fell
by 10,000, and in 1993 it fell by 30,000. If the trend continues
Sunday attendance for 1996 see Church attendance below the one
million mark for the first time since figures began in 1968. For
the first time, the Church of England has decided not to publish
its annual statistics this spring, further fuelling speculation
that attendance have dropped below one million.

This performance is particularly disappointing because it has
happened during the Decade of Evangelism, scheduled to end at the
millennium, and which it was would boost Church attendance across
all denominations. According to the report, the number attending
Church of England services could fall as low as 831,000 by the
millennium.

"The public perception is of a Church in perpetual crisis," the
magazine, the publication of the Institute of Personnel and
Development, says. "Whenever the Church hits the headlines, the
plot seems reminiscent of a Moliere farce."

Regular clergy appraisals are among the new management techniques
to be introduced. The Church will soon recommend that the 43
dioceses put in place two clergy review systems, one to be
carried out by trained consultants and the other to be an
"episcopal review" by the bishop or a member of his staff. '

Bishop Turnbull said: "What we have learnt from business
organisation techniques is the value of discipline about our
work. People have a right to expect certain standards when they
come into a church. Poor management has undoubtedly contributed
to some people remaining in the priesthood when they were never
suitable for it, although they have thankfully remained a tiny
minority."

Canon Raymond Rodger, personal assistant to the Right Rev Robert
Hardy, Bishop of Lincoln, and who has helped to set tip the first
masters degree in church management at Lincoln, said the notion
of the Cross becoming a brand image was useful. "It is our job to
extract the best that successful corporations have to offer and
use it in our context," he ,aid. "We have to think in terms of
exceeding customer delight. What we have to offer is the glory of
God, and we have got to give the very best service to our
customers in terms of added value and value for money that we
can. Our product is quite simply allowing people to come closer
to God."

Clergy are to be offered a new device for their protection - a
crucifix with an integral alarm. Avon Silversmiths plans to
launch the product, which costs =A3169, at the annual National
Christian Resources Exhibition next month. One tug is said to be
enough to activate the device.

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