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doctrinal objection to the same service being repeated several times
on the same day
(C4)
which could provide a means for a small church to
cater for a large congregation. The biggest single expense seems to
be heating and lighting. So poorly presented are parish accounts a
precise figure for the Diocese as a whole is difficult to calculate,
but from the 1976 accounts, the Diocesan Secretary made a 'guesstimate'
of £100,000 (with a further £80,000 on maintenance) for his own study
(B14)
.
If this be so then there is a prima facie managerial case (we must for
the moment ignore the emotive aspect, important though that is, else
we shall obscure the financial theme) for encouraging parishes who at
certain times have low congregations to combine those congregations
and use only one building rather than two or three. This would produce
an improved net cash flow and is another point we may find useful in
constructing our allocation system.
Usage for purposes other than worship (an obvious line of thought
if increased usage is desired) is nothing new
(P2)
but it does come up
against problems such as psychological reluctance
(C7)
; that any request
for payment to enter a church, e.g. for a concert, cannot be enforced
(C4)
;
and that if carried too far may lose the church its privilege of being
rate exempt
(C4)
. Where that point would come is uncertain, although
there are cases within the Diocese of rated commercial premises being
used for worship
(T1)
, and therefore, presumably, available for the
Church to use for secular revenue-producing purposes at other times,
no-one has worked out the break-even between the extremes. Although
even where it is possible we are still faced with the question of
commercial viability, a 'Theatre Roundabout' held in the Cathedral
only "broke even"
(C4)
and a suggestion of an exhibition of church plate
- much of which at the moment is stored in bank vaults because no-one
can think of anything better - looks like being judged a non-starter
(C4)
