But getting the balance right between accessibility and safety is tricky. The answer lies, some believe, in having the clergy living near, but not at, their churches. Many new churches do not have residences on site. The separation helps delineate the boundaries between the private and public lives of clergy. Andrew Oddy rejects the notion that living off site meant clergy were hiding from the community.
People still know where to find their clergy.
They just aren't as vulnerable now. But while more clergy are moving, not everyone is comfortable about the change. Uniting Church minister Wes Campbell spent 10 years living in the manse next to his church in North Melbourne before moving to St John's in Essendon, where a decision had already been made to build a residence several blocks away. Dr Campbell admitted to mixed feelings about living away from his church. It was both a relief and a deprivation, he said.