!st part of a three part enquiry
by Hatty Calbus
In a blog which aims to cover the topic of power in the Church, it is a matter of note that I have not felt qualified to carry any examination of one clear focus of power in the C/E, Holy Trinity Brompton. The author of the following critique, Hatty Calbus, gives us a well informed account of the way that HTB, its theology and money, has not only come to dominate the evangelical/charismatic network but increasingly the entire Church of England. It is not necessary to agree with all the conclusions of these three articles to realise that any church or network exercising so much institutional power needs to face challenge and questioning. Is the wider CofE really prepared to allow HTB to define such things as clerical formation, liturgical practice and the necessary skills associated with pastoral work? Already there are a substantial number of clergy, whose sole experience of church is what they have learned from the HTB network. Thus traditional Anglicanism is for them unfamiliar territory and they may find it hard to operate within the pastoral/liturgical roles which have existed in England for several centuries. – Ed
There are two significant aspects of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) that are not well known enough, but which are significant. The first, of which there is some awareness, is the enormous, subsuming influence it has acquired. The second is what has influenced it to a similarly large extent which is now influencing the wider Church.
I shall try to make clear first the extent of its influence in the wider Church of England. Nicky Gumbel was Vicar from 2005 till 2022 and is still involved with the Alpha course he made into the international, interdenominational phenomenon it has become (over twenty-four million attendees). Because of its success and the consequent numbers attending HTB – ten Sunday services there and in what were nearby parishes, now referred to as HTB ‘sites’ – it was asked to start ‘planting’, that is sending curates and groups of parishioners to revive churches with small congregations. Because of the success of that, it was rewarded with a huge role in halting Church decline via, since 2017, its charity, the Church Revitalisation Trust, now the Revitalise Trust. https:// revitalisetrust.org/plants-and-revitalisations Andrew Graystone, author of Bleeding for Jesus about the – continuing – John Smyth abuse scandal, has recently reported on the controversial multimillionaire Sir Paul Marshall and his very large financial contribution to the Revitalise Trust. https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/65007/paulmarshalls-hateful-likes-make-him-unfit-to-be-a-media-mogul To quote Graystone: “HTB is already by some distance the richest parish church in the UK. It has a budget of around £10m a year and a staff of 118, making it larger than several Church of England dioceses. Most parishes in the Church of England struggle to afford a curate. HTB has 28. In addition, there are no fewer than 14 ordinands—people in training to be priests or ministers. Together with four ministers, that totals 46 in leadership or training roles for one parish.”
As well as ‘planting’ churches nationally, it creates ‘resource churches’ and ‘hubs’ like itself. The literature says this type of church “resources mission across a city, by planting and revitalising churches, developing leaders and providing other resources for mission.” The Archbishops’ Council sees this as the way forward for the Church of England. In 2019, John Spence, then chairman of the Strategic Investment Board, used the phrase “good value for money, good value for Christ” – in that order, which does seem to suggest favouring a business approach to salvation. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/ articles/2019/22-november/features/features/revitalising-mission-but-at-what-cost
According to the 2021 Chote review, more than half (£91.3 million) of the Church of England’s total Strategic Development Fund (SDF), now Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment (SMMI), awarded between 2014 and 2021 was given either to new resource churches or to turning existing churches into resource churches. Of that, the Church Times reported that “14 percent of funding has gone to projects exclusively made up of plants from the Church Revitalisation Trust (CRT) network linked to Holy Trinity Brompton, and a further 29 per cent has gone to projects where CRT churches are present among those of other networks and traditions https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/11march/news/uk/strategic-development-fund-opens-a-route-to-faith-says-study Most resource churches’ ‘planting curates’ have been or are being trained at HTB. Within the HTB network are more than 100 congregations, plus over [30] larger resource churches. https://www.htb.org/sunday-talks-archive/2021/10/5/its-time-to-rebuild-nickygumbel-htb-live-stream?rq=Nicky%20Gumbel%20
The Save the Parish campaign and, in her book The Once and Future Parish, Alison Milbank, have demonstrated theological and practical problems with this. Objections include downgrading the traditional parish, prioritising quantification, an urban focus, crude dismissal of sacramental spirituality – many resource churches are Evangelical – loss of parishioners for neighbouring churches and high handedness with the churches being planted.
The Chote review acknowledged some of this. More money is now being given to Anglo-Catholic and rural churches. But very large sums are still being given to resource churches. According to Bishop Ric Thorpe of Church Planting, “By 2030, there may be as many as 300 resource churches playing their part in the renewal and reform of the Church of England.” In a letter to the Church Times in 2023, General Synod member RG Faulkner said that “the Archbishops’ Council has promised to provide an extra £100 million per annum to the dioceses for the period 2023-25. Informal discussions that I have had with bishops indicate that it will be spent solely on more resource churches” (my italics). And the Chote review, very much using the language of the business world, states, ““Given the professionalism, shared services support and track record of that [HTB] stable, it is hardly surprising they are often the first port of call for a diocese seeking numerical growth relatively quickly. One key success factor has been CRT’s ability to leverage lessons to both develop and replicate its model.”
I have given this background to demonstrate the centrality HTB’s methods have acquired in the Church of England and how much is being invested in those methods spiritually and financially, with the two aspects brought disconcertingly close together.
According to Graystone, the income of the Revitalise Trust for 2020 was £10 million. Its trustees include, along with Nicky Gumbel, Paul Marshall and former Bishop of London Richard Chartres – with his controversial safeguarding record. There are also half a dozen hedge fund managers and investment bankers. Marshall co-founded GB News and is aiming to buy the Daily Telegraph and Spectator. He was recently found to have liked and retweeted anti-Muslim tweets, including in January: “If we want European civilization to survive we need to not just close the borders but start mass expulsions immediately.” The charitable interpretation of this extreme position is that it shows the strength of his feeling for his Christian faith, though of course his is a very particular type of Christian faith: top-public-school, self-confident Charismatic Evangelicalism, as found at HTB, where he and his wife have been members for many years. In a part of London thick with millionaires and billionaires, it is a church where the ease of upper and upper middle class life can get confused with signs of God’s favour.
Graystone observes, “It will not be lost on [Justin] Welby and his colleagues that the evangelical movement and its supporters are, to an extent, bankrolling the church, and that to lose them would be financially disastrous.” He describes HTB without exaggeration as “the engine room that now drives the Church.” For one parish to have such great influence on the wider Church could only be acceptable if that were by reason of its sanctity. That it is doing so because of its very wealthy members is problematic, to say the least – however convinced the patrons and clients are that they are carrying out God’s Will with their money. But what should ring even louder alarm bells is what has been the great influence on HTB: the American megachurch movement and, deriving from that, Hillsong: the Australian church even wealthier than HTB and now disgraced. This influence is spreading, via the Revitalise Trust and its resource hubs and plants, a confident fusion of Anglicanism with megachurch – ideology seems a more appropriate word than theology, as worldliness pushes ‘theos’ – God – out. And with that influence comes the serious potential for abuse inherent in its type of power. In my next article I shall look at Hillsong in more detail and show how relevant it has become to the Church of England.
Maybe I’m jumping the gun here, and displaying the distrustful side of my nature, but Hatty leaves me feeling uncomfortable with her portrait of so powerful an organisation. The money being poured in, from the Archbishop’s Council, as well as its very wealthy congregation members gives it an enormous amount of leverage. OK, nothing perhaps wrong in that, but power has a bad habit of corrupting – and we’ve seen that far too many times in US televangelism and ‘megachurches’. We need to tread very carefully here.
Given past scandals – Smythe and Iwerne, Not the Nine O’Clock Service and Mike Palivatchi among others, should the AC not be proceeding much more cautiously in supporting individuals or groups who are ‘roaring successes’? What goes up has a habit of very painfully coming back down again, and landing very heavily. Once bitten, twice shy seems a sensible approach to me – but some people don’t seem able to learn.
As for GB News and Mr Marshall, I would prefer to steer very wide and clear of the organisation (Is Mr Farage still linked with GBN?) Like Reform it seems to attract some rather extreme views to itself. Indeed, I would have thought Marshall’s reported demand for mass expulsions is itself blatantly racist and likely to inspire fear and hatred. Presumably it is OK, though, like homophobic remarks, if it is said in and through a church media?
I don’t need divine encouragement for my racial and religious prejudices, thank you, Mr Marshall. They come easily enough of themselves – and are sins of which I am ashamed. Why should you wish to inculcate them in me, or anybody else? Remember what Jesus said might happen to those who teach us ‘little ones’ to sin? Well, think about what you’re saying then – and repent.
Be interesting to see what else Hatty finds out. We’ll have to wait and see.
‘You cannot serve both God and money’. Perhaps it’s a bit old fashioned to quote the Lord. Was Jesus joking? What did he really mean?
I spent much of my working life in the business world, so I have no problem at all with a healthy commercial enterprise, but haven’t we got things a bit wrong here with God’s church we are supposed to be leading?
A bunch of wealthy men are welcomed in and given seats on the board, a say in what goes on and a sanctification of their perhaps less than worthy business reputations. In exchange the many many priests get unlimited funding for their ambitious empire, and a comfortable cosy future. These were never things Christ promised.
Another way to look at it, is to examine the fruit. Scandals are one thing, and the Pilavachi association appears to be spread throughout the HTB network, but what about the so called Charismatic fruit? Are the healings genuine and the swoonings really truly the Holy Spirit working? It would be good to think so wouldn’t it?
Maybe ask the trail of broken people coming out of the feeder movement, Soul Survivor, what they think.
James said some pretty sharp things too, about churches which favour the rich, did he not? I’ve been thinking about this all night, and keep coming back to the words of Gamaliel to the Sanhedrin. “If this thing is of men, it will fail. If it is of God, be careful, lest we find ourselves fighting God.” So, for now, we wait and see.
Wealthy men being given seats on the board usually tie strings to the donors. Be careful.
As for charismata – I must declare an interest. I’ve been involved in the work of the Holy Spirit for fifty years now. Firstly, Jesus promised that the ‘giving gift’, his spirit, would lead us into all truth. I’ve learned to rely on that promise, and sister Ruach has led me through some very difficult times, hard places and joys which I might never otherwise have had. I rely very heavily on that daily dependance to guide me, to let Christ flow through me – and, believe me, I can tell when I’ve loused up and stopped listening – I become something I’d rather not be. So I turn around and tune in again – pretty quick, if I have any sense!
One of the dangers is misplaced enthusiasm – as Tom Smail once said, too many people want the excitements and ‘power’ for the wrong reasons – personal fulfilment and (unconsciously) self glorification. But that doesn’t invalidate the promise – or the reality of the genuine experience. For me, the spirit comes as the ‘still, small voice’, the gentle calm in the midst of the storm, the gifts of care and compassion, the quiet longing for people to come to Christ and for him to be glorified.
Rightly or wrongly, by the time John Wimber came along, I’d turned off much of the organised movement – it had degenerated into powerhouses, often revolving around particular individuals, imposed experiences and some pretty wacky ideology. Toronto was the finish for me – and I genuinely cannot believe that much of what was involved there was truly kosher, of the spirit. But, at the same time I felt a genuine sadness when I read David Pawson’s attack on Toronto – somewhere at the back of it all was something real, which was being rejected on the altar of respectability.
Unfortunately its an indefinable ‘something’ – Tom Smail’s book ‘The Giving Gift’ really struggled (to me) to convey it. What I have in my heart is very, very real; I can even sense it sometimes when Ruach is working through me in acts of service. She’s never let me go; I’m probably more aware of her now than ever – but not in the HTB model. The spirit interacts with us in very personal, individual ways – we aren’t turned out of a mould like gingerbread men. God relates to each one of us as an individual.
Sadly, any move of God will have a counterpoint dark side – the mess which we will make of it. This is why we need discernment – and with major successes, like HTB, need it more than ever. Remember the temptations Satan threw at Jesus! Above all, keep close, keep open, keep listening – and keep humble.
“For me, the spirit comes as the ‘still, small voice’, the gentle calm in the midst of the storm, the gifts of care and compassion…”
There is a great deal of truth in those words, especially the last five.
Money talks I’m afraid. Actually rather frightening!
Loads of people now embrace a Benedictine or Anabaptist spirituality. Discomfort with the institutional Church pushes many people to leave, or only have limited association to receive the sacraments. The hardline evangelical wing of Anglicanism can be a curious mix. There are celebrity ‘anointed’ leaders and there are their wealthy backers. There can also be a warm welcome for skid-row or jailhouse converts. I have grown really weary of evangelical Anglicanism. There is exploitation, bullying and harassment. The MP case at Soul Survivor calls out a need for a reality check. ‘Children and VA Safeguarding’ dominate the agenda at times, but these are already statutory obligations, not things for evangelical website to crow about. Few within the evangelical wing of our denomination seems awake to what the scale of the MP cover up suggests. Is bullying of everyday (supposedly ‘non-vulnerable’) adults endemic?
If our only experience of Christianity was HTB it would be mind numbing. We are all unique and I am sure God would expect us to find the small calm voice within in an extensive learning through theology, the early church, the saints and their visionary inspiration not forgetting experiences of worship in the reverence of other traditions.
I find this article is disclosing a very worrying trend in the church.
My experience of HTB (several churches) has convinced me that it is a narcissist factory – with all the lies, manipulations and focus on control (rather than love) that goes with that personality type. There are many more Mike Pilavachis out there who just haven’t been caught out yet.
Thank you for a lot of good analysis and warnings which are super important. Having said that, liberal views now so prevalent in the Church of England both run counter to God’s word and risk the health of the believing community at large. One witness to this is the collapse of the broad church. Unbelief is unbelief!
Even just one decent look at the reason Christ went to the cross is surely enough to clarify this.
But God is love and he is just, he also tells the end from the beginning. Our Father is outside time, no other is like the Godhead.
Therefore if we are indifferent to God’s commands we are ultimately choosing Hell rather than that of our Father’s personal desire for relationship with us, a terrifying error.
I suggest that HTB are at least trying and trying hard to be obedient to God’s command to make disciples, not least through the Alpha course and evangelism in general. Was it not the gospel that was taken across the world by believers and was it not the same good news that drove believers to build the very many places of worship in our country that now fall empty and useless.
Please let’s base our observations firmly on God’s word and be guided by the Holy Spirit who fulfilled our Lord Jesus’ promise to be in us following the ascension of Christ who is presently at the side of our Loving, Just Father.
May this hopefully unbiased observation be useful. And yes I am a born again believing Christian in Greater London, if you wish to label me. Equally, this is my observation it is unaided by any clergy or other believers.
I find this interesting and disturbing, particularly as my diocese is actively creating minster communities currently, due to massive cashflow problems – money indeed does talk.
Ever since I watched the BBC 3 part documentary at the start of this year about TB Joshua and the abuses taking place within his church in Lagos, I have been tracking issues with the charismatic evangelical movement and abuses of power and trust. This article is just another in a series which is concerning me, alongside the MP scandal and the revelations from Matt and Beth Redman, and lead me to wonder where we are headed if we continue to follow the money, charisma and power.
I can recommend an excellent book by Matthew McNaught, entitled ‘Immanuel’, which tracks the charismatic church his family was a part of in Winchester, how various members became involved with TB Joshua and SCOAN, and the ultimate closure of the church. I’ve also read ‘Post Charismatic’ by Rob McAlpine, which explores the power abuses in different types of charismatic movements (eg covering and authority) and how churches can move on from here. Some of the things I read here about HTB are themes which I have encountered in my reading and documentary watching this year.
It’s a difficult balance, and for those of us who experience our faith through quiet contemplation, the spirituality of centuries of liturgy and the comfort of the sacraments, we feel sometimes that our church is disappearing. There is still a place in the modern world for quiet devotion, for the silence in which to observe the still small voice of calm. We have to be careful not to allow the need to move the church along and to keep it financially sustainable to steamroller over every tradition and value which has already survived for centuries.
I find evangelical Christianity too loud, and often unsuited to some of our ancient buildings. I know I’m not alone, and I am thankful for the article and the contributions I read here.
Sarah: Might I suggest that you add Divine Renovation (DR) to your list of groups to track. DR is a world wide Roman Catholic ministry that was founded in Canada by Fr. James Mallon. It has adopted Alpha as it’s ‘business’ model to get butts in pews. This is a much higher priority than pastoral care.
It’s not quite at the mega church level yet, with the rock concert atmosphere and hip young highly paid ministry leaders who attend international conferences, but it certainly aspires to that. All part of the ‘mission’, that parishioners are being asked to support by digging ever deeper into their pockets.
Is it just me who isn’t impressed or inspired by corporate church?
Thank you – I have looked them up……and there are some red flags for sure.
How do I find out if a church is a part of their network? Will they just have something on the website- and should I assume if the church website isn’t slick, they’re probably not a DR church?
I have a sinking feeling about a church not very far from me, which seems to have sucked in a couple of families at the school where I teach, one of whose teenage children I had to have a very tough conversation with about a year ago over approaching people in the street and trying to convert them…….this feels like the kind of thing this megachurch, evangelical approach get the vulnerable to do (I was asked by our pastoral team to speak with said kid, as they felt that I, as a fellow Christian, might be able to get the child and their family to understand that we were worried about their safety and that we had a duty as a school to safeguard this – a tough conversation, like I said)……
What all these problems which have come to light have in common is a lack of accountability because the person in charge is on a direct mission from God, therefore can’t be questioned……there always has to be someone who can take the boss to account if needed. And if that system’s missing, trouble won’t be far away.
And the vulnerable suffer.
Sigh.
I also am unimpressed by corporate anything – Mc church, Mc school……….it’s not right. Why are we so obsessed by the branding?
Thank you!
Sarah: This is perhaps not the best venue for a detailed discussion on DR. Send me email at: paulvincent99@protonmail.com if you wish to discuss further. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have.
Stephen Parsons attends the annual conference of the International Cultic studies Association https://www.icsahome.com/home I believe
I was slow to understand the value of “branding”, but it has a powerful effect on almost anything if the brand is strong. Of course the converse is true.
People will actually move to an area if they know there’s an HTB church plant there, because they already know and trust the formula. So you even get demographic shift.
At one time I joined a company which, 2 months later, took over another. It was badged as a merger I.e. “we pool our mutual efforts for the common good”, but actually we swept into their locally larger premises, tore down partitions and cosy corners, ripped off the wood chip, and dropped their name a year later.
As an impartial observer I was able to see the effect on people, having no preconceptions either, except about the woodchip which I didn’t think would be missed.
Their people (now forced to be our people) were largely devastated. Some, mainly the younger ones saw perhaps a better future, but, and dare I say it: I believe this was deliberate, many left. These were established managers with many years experience, obviously a little set in their ways and a little comfortable in their cubbyholes. They were expensed. Go with the open plan (no afternoon kips) programme, or you know where the door is. Ironically many who left, then had to join a third company, with all the potential upheaval this might bring.
Some businesses grow organically, that is they sell more by being better and offering people good service. But much of the business world grows by takeover. Fewer larger firms can charge more, the choice for customers is reduced and the supplier company gains more control. It means they decide what you buy rather than you, at its logical conclusion. Another word for this is oligopolistic power.
Arguably the Church is doing this. I don’t like it either.