This strategy involves a massive diversion of funds away from struggling rural parishes -- traditionally the church's backbone -- towards new evangelical congregations in city centres. This is a do-or-die attempt to reverse the church's catastrophic decline -- the latest figures and forecasts predicting that within thirty years only 1% of the population will attend church.

And that corresponds with a one point fall in the number of so-called "nones" -- those who describe themselves as having no religion -- from 49 per cent to 48 per cent.

The variations in the last year are too small to be regarded as statistically significant in themselves but will some offer comfort to those praying for an end to the seemingly relentless decline in Christianity.

This is the tale of two bishops: Bishop Bell and Bishop Ball. Bishop George Bell was the Bishop of Chichester and a great friend and supporter of my hero Dietrich Bonhöffer in his resistance to Adolf Hitler. Were it not for his principled opposition to the blanket-bombing of Dresden, Bell would have been elevated to the See of Canterbury. 'To despair of being able to do anything, or refuse to do anything, is to be guilty of infidelity,' he wrote.

"Michael" -- whose identity is known to the Guardian, but who wishes to remain anonymous -- filed the complaints under the CofE's clergy disciplinary measure (CDM) against John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York and second highest-ranking figure in the church; Peter Burrows, the Bishop of Doncaster; Steven Croft, a former Bishop of Sheffield, and now Bishop of Oxford; Martyn Snow, the Bishop of Leicester; and Glyn Webster, the Bishop of Beverley.