{"id":30487,"date":"2026-04-23T15:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T14:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/?p=30487"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T14:54:00","slug":"cherish-your-churchwardens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/?p=30487","title":{"rendered":"Cherish your churchwardens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Usually, when we say that we\u2019re \u2018glad to see the back\u2019 of someone, we\u2019re saying that we\u2019re relieved that, with their departure, a difficult chapter is over.<\/p>\n

Not so, for me, with churchwardens. You see, very often, the view I have of churchwardens is of their backs as, wands in hand, they lead me into a licensing or confirmation service. I am then glad to see their backs; thankful to be supported by these faithful people, to receive their kindness, to know that they have prepared the way for my ministry, that they are front-footed.<\/p>\n

Over the last few weeks I\u2019ve witnessed churchwardens overseeing barbecues; building bonfires; wrestling tough issues with wisdom and compassion; leading communities through vacancies; planning for worship; cheering clergy on (and knowing when to caution them!); advocating for congregations; restoring buildings; moving chairs; moving mountains. I could go on! All this means that I\u2019m always glad to see the back of churchwardens because that means they are way ahead of me, doing the work that God has called them to do; as leaders in God\u2019s Church, surveying the horizon.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve done a count and, over the course of my parochial ministry, I worked with twenty-eight churchwardens. In case that sounds rather a lot over nineteen years – as though I was careless in my custody of these excellent people – I should say that my second incumbency consisted of seven churches and that Coventry Cathedral had an abundance of wardens. So not – I promise – a total based on repeated subtractions and additions, but on multiplication: a multiplication of blessing.<\/p>\n

Over those years, these twenty-eight people supported me through tough personal times: a rat infestation in one rectory (think Stephen King horror film), major surgery and a close family bereavement. With me, they led our church communities through unbearable tragedies, repeated lead thefts, occasional bad behaviour (not mine – I trust!), gargantuan building projects, big cleans, change management and barrowing tonnes of topsoil from one part of the churchyard to the other. I still have the muscles to prove it.<\/p>\n

Their companionship cut through the loneliness of my ministry; their wisdom enriched me; their perspectives reset me; their challenge corrected me; their love held me steady; their constancy carried change; their service enabled and modelled kingdom life. As we served together, I thanked God for them daily. I still do.<\/p>\n

For many churches, this is the month of the Annual Meeting of Parishioners, when outgoing churchwardens are thanked for their service and their successors are elected for their next term of office. Perhaps you\u2019re preparing to stand for election as a churchwarden or to nominate or vote for someone else.<\/p>\n

Whatever part you will play in these annual meetings, do so with huge gratitude for those who have served as churchwardens or who are offering to do so. When you\u2019re exploring a dilemma, listen to their wisdom. When they lead through change and difficulty, thank God for their care. When they seem weighed down, help to carry their burdens. And when you see their backs, pray for them in their busyness.<\/p>\n

Bishop Mary<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Usually, when we say that we\u2019re \u2018glad to see the back\u2019 of someone, we\u2019re saying that we\u2019re relieved that, with their departure, a difficult chapter is over. Not so, for me, with churchwardens. You see, very often, the view I have of churchwardens is of their backs as, wands in hand, they lead me into…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":30489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,372,20,406],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-diocesan-news","category-news","category-pcc","ctfw-has-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30487"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30490,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30487\/revisions\/30490"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ducklingtonchurch.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}