This issue may receive further attention, in evangelical circles, over the next few months as the result of the Anglican Evangelical Assemblies' decision to examine the training and use of Readers including the role of theological colleges in the training of Readers.

4.6 Incumbents.

Whilst the survey showed that the majority of respondents wanted the relationship between the Reader and their incumbent to be on a sound basis, there was evidence of poor relationships which were often influenced by the personalities concerned.

There were a small number of comments in both the survey and the e-mail discussion on the role of the Reader as a go-between for the incumbent and the congregation, which is not mentioned in any of the regulations. The e-mail discussion also revealed that some Readers have negative attitudes towards the clergy. The most negative reflected a post-modern stance, which suggested that the clergy had constructed their own authority structure, which they sought to maintain even though it was not relevant to the contemporary church. A further view was that Readers who remained in their home parish were able to present the views of the particular community in a manner that the priest who was imported from outside could not.