Church attempts to oust vicar after attendance ‘plummets to five people’
A vicar has been urged to resign by parishioners over claims he caused Sunday attendance to plummet to just five people.
The churchgoing community at St Leonard’s Church, close to Wendover Woods in Buckinghamshire, claimed Rev Christopher Haywood “caused numerous people distress”, including by refusing to hold a funeral for a churchwarden of 30 years standing.
During the meeting, which was attended by 40 church regulars earlier this month, Rev Mr Haywood was asked to justify his decision not to allow a funeral to take place for Anne Butterworth, a church warden of more than 30 years.
A parishioner claimed he did not allow the funeral because she wanted another Church of England minister to conduct her burial.
The parishioners most recently complained that Rev Mr Haywood had not replied to people about baptisms and allegedly left some families waiting for months to discuss burials.
They also claimed attendance at St Leonard’s had “plummeted” down to about five people a service, including the vicar himself, his wife and the organist.
A secret ballot was held during a church meeting in St Leonard’s earlier this month, with 21 people voting for him to leave the parish, and none against it.
However, the Diocese of Oxford has said the vote is not legally binding and Rev Mr Haywood, who has been vicar at St Leonard’s Church for three years, is not obliged to go. He has declined to comment.
Rev Mr Haywood was announced as the new minister for St Leonard’s and three other Buckinghamshire parishes, The Lee, Hawridge and Cholesbury, in 2021.
In the motion of no confidence, parishioners recognised the vicar’s “dedication” to his own “deeply spiritual journey”.
“Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that in the last three years, under his ministry the church has gone from being a central point in village life to being viewed as insular and detached,” it said.
“We have no confidence in his continued ministry in this parish.”
The Diocese of Oxford confirmed a vote of no confidence had taken place at the small church earlier this month, but remarked the vote was “not legally binding” and Rev Mr Haywood is “not obliged to leave,”
“The diocese is working with all parties concerned to bring about the best resolution to this breakdown in relationships,” it said.