Holy Smoke
Best of the Spectator
Holy Smoke: why Quentin Letts fears for the parish church
- Published
- August 23, 2026
- Duration
- 16:51
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Sep 13, 2026
Discusses daily, society, culture.
Summary
Is the Church of England slowly abolishing the parish priest? A new model of ‘oversight ministry’ promises team-based leadership and a greater role for lay volunteers – but critics fear it will leave priests increasingly invisible in the communities they serve. Meanwhile, those volunteers face an expanding regime of training, safeguarding requirements and…
Intelligent Report
Sign in to read teasers, or upgrade to Research Pro to commission intelligent report for this episode. Learn more →
Show notes
Is the Church of England slowly abolishing the parish priest? A new model of ‘oversight ministry’ promises team-based leadership and a greater role for lay volunteers – but critics fear it will leave priests increasingly invisible in the communities they serve. Meanwhile, those volunteers face an expanding regime of training, safeguarding requirements and diocesan bureaucracy. This week on Holy Smoke, Damian Thompson is joined by Daily Mail sketchwriter Quentin Letts, who has written a provocati
Themes
- daily
- society
- culture