A NORTH Herefordshire vicar says parish churches are "feeling the pinch" and asks if the church can survive.

The Reverend Jeff Middlemiss, a member of the Leominster Team Ministry, says he has a "growing concern" about the future of the Church of England in tiny rural parishes.

Writing in the team magazine The Link, which he edits, Mr Middlemiss says he is concerned about viability.

"Some of our local churches are really feeling the pinch - in particular the small number of worshippers and active participants - and the all-pervading pressures of fund-raising," he writes.

"Some churches are openly beginning to ask 'Can we continue for more than just a few years?'"

A national survey about the decline of the church made "depressing" reading but "gloomy predictions" should spur church members to use a window of opportunity to change.

"The church simply cannot continue as it is," says Mr Middlemiss.

Change may mean fewer paid clergy and fewer church buildings. There were no "magical solutions" but if churchgoers "get to grips" with problems now they would be better placed to cope with future challenges, he concludes.