THE number of Methodist churches in the Island could be cut from 16 to seven, if one option suggested by a Church report finds favour with members.

The report is a consultative document, Shaped for Mission, which has been prepared by the Jersey Circuit Leadership Team.

Its theme is ‘the way ahead’ for the Jersey Circuit.Although no hard and fast options are detailed, the report makes reference to the number of Methodist Church buildings in the Island and the advantages of combining resources for a ‘post-modern’ society and modern forms of worship.In an introduction to the document, the Superintendent Minister for Jersey, the Rev Ian White, stresses that the report is ‘not about meltdown’, but ‘about a mission and a way forward for now and the foreseeable future’.The report states: ‘We need a new reformation to renew and refresh our Church.’ It says that there are far too many Methodist Church buildings, and not enough people to serve them, and ‘the biggest challenge to today’s Church is a changing culture’.