The number of dioceses—and bishopsIn 1990, more than a million people attended Church of England churches, there were 11,072 stipendiary clergy, and we had 115 bishops. Vast swathes of rural England will likely be left without any stipendiary clergy presence if we retain the current model. And that matters if, as the research suggests, stipendiary ministry is a vital part of Christian mission. So what are the alternative possibilities for rural ministry? Mission strategyAs I mentioned earlier, there is clear evidence that stipendiary ministry that is intentionally missional is the one key predictive factor in seeing congregations grow.