The CoE currently employs over 9000 clergy, imagine the profound spiritual impact on our society if a significant proportion (say 5000) were able to commit one day a week to paid employment outside the church.

Across every occupational sphere: office temps, fast food restaurants, cleaners, in schools, factories....imagine the blessing and encouragement they would be and the opportunities for ministry that would arise. Actions seen by many in the the workplace could speak so much louder than words spoken to the faithful on a weekend.

  What's the potential? Phenomenal. The re-evangelisation of the UK could be achieved in little more than 2 decades of steady, faithful advancement.

  I've done some simple, conservative calculations that model the impact of the following factors:

  - how many new Christians these 5000 "workplace missionaries" could win (eg 2 every year )

- the financial support available for additional clergy based on new Christian donations (eg £2 per week per new member)

- the number of new Christians brought in by these new converts (eg 2 every year)

  With the above assumptions in brackets, the model calculates 66m Christians by 2068.

  Alternatively, assuming the clergy were each to "bring in" 6 new Christians a year, this model suggests that the 66m target could be reached by 2040.

  If the clergy brought in 10 a piece each year, then this goal would be reached by 2033.  

Increase the giving and congregational efforts and the date leaps forward.

  So, the conclusion is, contrary to numerous media reports, that the numbers actually tell a radically different story.

  It is well within the church's grasp in this generation if we combine a bit of graft with grace.

  The prophetic is a wonderful thing, so is the arithmetic :)