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Bishop defends modern services
Church of England Newspaper
5/29/2005
A vicar who tried to modernise his church's services has been defended by his bishop after more than 60 worshippers quit in protest at the move.
The Rev Derek Price, vicar of St Paul's, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, has replaced the traditional service with a more charismatic approach with gospel-style singing and hand-clapping. He has replaced the organ with a CD player, provoking accusations from some of his congregation of neglecting the organist, choir and youth orchestra.
Worshippers at the Victorian Gothic-style church have also expressed alarm that Mr Price, previously a development officer with a DIY chain, plans to replace pews with flexible seating.
Parishioners have complained that Mr Price wishes to alter anything that bear the hallmarks of tradition. Amongst other notable incidents, earlier this year the vicar's wife, Deborah reportedly danced bare-foot around the coffin at a funeral with the bereaved family's approval.
However, Mr Price's modern approach has been defended by the Diocese of Carlisle. Richard Pratt, a Diocesan spokesman, said that their research revealed that as many people had joined as had left St Paul's because of the changes.
"Sometimes a church may believe it right to move in a particular direction, which may involve taking risks and perhaps unsettling or upsetting some," he said. He insisted that removing the pews would bring in more people for "a much wider range of activities and styles of worship."
The Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev Graham Dow, was unequivocal in his backing for Mr Price: "Derek is seeking to shape a church in the generations ahead. This is bound to be a difficult exercise, but Derek and St Paul's have my full support."
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