11 June 2026 – St John the Evangelist, Iffley Road, Oxford

On Thursday 11 June 2026 clergy, lay leaders, and heritage professionals gathered at St John the Evangelist, Oxford, for a consultation day on Major Parish Churches – Place, People, Building. The event was organised jointly by the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture at the University of York, the Church of England's Cathedrals and Church Buildings Department, and the Major Churches Network.The day focused on collaboration, discussion, and the sharing of practical experience between those responsible for churches that combine active worship with significant heritage responsibilities.

The programme began with welcome sessions before moving into presentations from leading organisations working within the church heritage sector. The Third Churches Estates Commissioner, Sir Robert Buckland, was the keynote speaker. In his speech he recognised the significance of Major Churches, their importance in the communities, and that they need support and recognition that they are unique in the service they provide.

The Major Churches Network Chair, Canon Hilary Barber from Halifax Minster, provided an update on the recent development of the network, the 2025 Major Churches Network Conference, and the soon to be launched Major Churches Training programme that will be provided by Canon Adrian Daffern from the Cathedral and Major Church Buildings Team.

One of the other principal speakers was Diana Evans, Head of Places of Worship Strategy at Historic England. Her presentation explored Historic England's developing strategy for places of worship and provided delegates with an update on the Places of Worship Renewal Fund. Throughout the day, delegates also heard from representatives of the University of York's Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture, the Church of England's Cathedrals and Church Buildings Department, the Major Churches Network, and the Historic Religious Buildings Alliance. These sessions highlighted the increasingly close partnership between heritage bodies, the Church and local congregations in supporting Major Parish Churches. 

A recurring theme was the unique position occupied by Major Parish Churches. These buildings are simultaneously centres of Christian worship, historic landmarks, community venues, and significant heritage assets. Speakers emphasised that their long-term sustainability depends upon successfully balancing mission, community engagement, conservation, and financial resilience. Discussion sessions enabled attendees from across the country to share examples of successful practice, common challenges, and opportunities for future collaboration. The day demonstrated the importance of partnership working between national organisations and local churches. Topics included heritage funding, building conservation, community use of church buildings, governance, and ensuring that historic churches remain sustainable centres of worship and public life.

Overall, the day reinforced the growing recognition that Major Parish Churches occupy a distinctive place within the Church of England. By bringing together church leaders, heritage professionals and national organisations, the event provided a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships and contribute to the future development of one of England's most important groups of ecclesiastical buildings.

The inaugural RSCM Major Churches' Music Conference was held at Great St Mary's, the University Church in Cambridge on 13 June 2026; a timely gathering for those involved in sustaining the musical life of Britain's larger churches. 

The conference centred on three practical themes: recruiting choristers and adult singers, fundraising, and vocal health. These are pressing concerns for many churches, particularly those maintaining ambitious choral traditions amid changing patterns of worship, volunteering, and finance. 

A keynote address by Carl Jackson, entitled Why Music in Major Churches Matters, set the tone for a day that combined practical advice with wider reflection on the place of music within the Church. 

As reported in the Church Times, delegates heard evidence that church music may be experiencing something of a renaissance. While challenges remain, not least in recruitment and financial sustainability, the conference highlighted encouraging signs of growth and renewed confidence in some choirs, particularly where investment is being made in young people and community engagement.

Alongside presentations and workshops, delegates had the opportunity to hear the historic 1698 Father Smith organ, take part in discussion groups exploring future collaboration between musicians serving major churches, and conclude the day with Choral Evensong featuring music by Stanford and S. S. Wesley.

The conference marked an important step in creating a forum specifically for musicians working in major churches. 

These two reflections offer a warm and honest glimpse into the Major Churches Network 2025 Conference, Pretty & Gritty, held in Sunderland and Hexham. Written by Rev’d Rachel Shuttleworth and Liz Thornton from St Helens Parish Church, St Helens, they share complementary perspectives from clergy and lay leadership, capturing both the richness and the reality of ministry in major churches. Together, their reflections celebrate the depth of connection, practical wisdom and generous hospitality that made the conference such a formative and encouraging experience.

Sunderland and Hexham was my first experience of a Major Churches Conference, and I very much hope it won’t be my last! As an incumbent of a Major Church the network has been a source of wisdom, understanding and grace over the last few years and the conference merely built on those firm foundations. So often, I find in clergy circles that what I spend my ministry doing and the issues I face are just different from my colleagues. The MCN has been the one place where I know I don’t have to explain myself or be looked at as though I have two heads. Over the three days, it was great to spend time sharing with friends from around the countries about some of the joys and stresses of ministry. The programme was really well balanced, plenty of networking and conversation, worship, workshops and information sharing. I really valued learning from the experience of others, and the topics for discussion in workshops were really practical and pertinent. A real highlight for me was the conference dinner on Thursday evening – delicious food, incredible entertainment, and an atmosphere of humour and friendship that made me feel truly blessed to be there. I am already looking forward to the next conference, thank you so much to all those who worked so hard to bring it all together. Rev’d Rachel Shuttleworth.

“The Major Churches Network have announced their conference Liz, and I think you should come with me. It’s called Pretty & Gritty”. Thus, the decree was issued by Rev Rachel, and, once I’d got over whether I was the pretty or the gritty one of our duo - off to Sunderland we went! I don’t know what I was expecting, I’d been to a MCN regional meeting previously and knew the people were lovely, but 3 days of networking as an introvert… Rachel, that just sounds like hard work! How wrong could I have been? From worshipping together, headline speakers and smaller seminars, to the late-night socialising (optional – and probably not that late for most – this is from the one who wants to be in pyjamas by 9.00pm!) there were so many wonderful highlights. Spending time with people who minister and work in similar settings means everyone just ‘gets it’. Conversations start on a different level; challenges are understood and solutions offered with kindness and wisdom. A highlight was meeting and spending time with colleagues who hold similar roles to mine (Operations and Events Manager). Leading from the “second chair,” especially when you’re not clergy, can sometimes feel a little lonely, as you often don’t have an obvious place within the usual structures. Our conversations were open, honest, and encouraging and I left feeling grateful and empowered. Finally, a mention must be made of everyone in Sunderland and Hexham who looked after us. As someone who organises things for a living, we were catered for amazingly well, with every detail considered and each session offering something useful and inspiring. Everyone I met was so welcoming and generous with their time and insight, and the hospitality we received really was outstanding. For anyone who is thinking about attending a future Major Churches Network conference, I would wholeheartedly recommend it. Roll on 2027! Liz Thornton, Operations & Events Manager.