4.8 Activity.

The statistics relating to Reader activity need to be treated with caution because of the distinction between the number of Reader available for ministry and the frequency that the Readers function.

The activity statistics for the diocese of Winchester show that in 1997 the average Reader carried out approximately five licensed activities in church each month (sixty-four, per average Reader per annum). However this figure would need to be reduced to find the average number of Sundays when Readers functioned because up to three of the underlying activities could occur at the same service and the Reader can minister at more than one service each Sunday. Nevertheless the Winchester Reader activity volumes demonstrate that Readers make an important contribution to the ministerial resources of the church. The remaining activity figures provide the activities for the average Reader each quarter.