Report on the Major Parish Churches Consultation Place, People, Building

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.

National Churches Survey, 2025

The National Churches Survey carried out by the National Churches Trust has now been presented and was launched in the V&A in October.

Summary of the Report

Full Report

MCN Administrator post vacancy

The Major Churches’ Network is looking for an enthusiastic and organised person to bring capacity to the Trustee Board, efficiency in operational process, communication with current members and engagement with prospective members.

The ideal candidate is someone already based within a Major Parish Church (MPC), or a consultant who has knowledge and/or experience of working within an MPC. 

Key Tasks

Using Mailchimp (or similar) to

o   manage the membership database

o   liaise with and support regional convenors

o   send out meeting invitations and reminders to members for regional group meetings

o   create and send out newsletters

Using Squarespace to

o   maintain and update the website

Using MS365 to

o   act as secretary to the CIO, supporting the Chair compiling agendas, taking minutes and distributing papers

o   undertake admin tasks such as sending out invoices and distributing questions from members to other members.

o   assist in the organising and delivery of the Biennial conference.

Work with trustees to build and maintain relationships with third party, complimentary organisations like CAFA and MODEM to add value and resource to the Network.

Key Skills Required

·         Good ability with Mailchimp, Squarespace and MS365

·         Minute taking

·         Relationship building

Knowledge

·         A good understanding of MPCs and the Church of England

·         Experience of working in a church context, ideally an MPC

·         Experience of engaging well with a range of stakeholders 

·         Experience of working with and supporting committees or boards

·         Experience of accounting/bookkeeping desirable 

Personal Attributes

·         Strong organisational skills

·         Strong written and verbal communication skills

·         Ability to communicate well with a variety of people, including senior Church figures and expert professionals

·         Tact, discretion and a positive attitude to changing priorities and tasks

·         Ability to work well with minimum supervision and meet deadlines    

Terms & Conditions

·         You will not be directly employed by the MCN, but contracted either as sole trader or through a member church of the MCN.

·         This is a £5k package, where we expect 250 hours of work to be undertaken in a 12 month period.

·         To maintain strong and regular lines of communication with Trustees and members, whilst acknowledging that workload will fluctuate, there will need to be a balance between regularity and flexibility

·         No laptop or phone will be provided with this role.

·         Occasional travel (mainly to London) will be required, expenses will be paid for this.

·         Your work will be overseen by the Chair of Trustees.

·         This is a rolling 12 month contract. Notice to break the contract for either party will be 3 months.  

To Apply

·         please send your C.V and covering letter addressed to ‘The Chair of Trustees’ by email to info@majorchurches.org.

·         Closing date will be 5pm on 1st June 2025

·         Interviews will take place via Zoom (or similar) w/c 9th June 2025

·         For information or questions about the role, please email info@majorchurches.org

The “Exeter Hub” in Bristol!

On Tuesday 10 June, Joseph Davies – EIG’s Church Support Officer for the Southern Dioceses – will address a gathering at the magnificent church of St Mary, Redcliffe.                                                            

Meeting from 11.30am, the presentation will take us until about 1pm – when there will be an opportunity to find lunch together, nearby.

Joseph will present some of Ecclesiastical’s latest advice, prepared for Major Churches, on Emergency Planning. 

He writes: “An adverse event such as a fire, flood, storm or loss of IT can occur with minimal warning but affect greatly the mission and planned activities of a church. Those churches that plan for such eventualities, identifying potential threats to the services and activities they offer, and the actions required should an adverse event occur, are much better placed to be able to resume normal activities at the earliest opportunity.”

The presentation will offer practical suggestions to help identify and understand the key threats, to develop an emergency plan to assist in the immediate aftermath of an adverse event, and to review practice and update your plan on a periodical basis.

Of potential interest to incumbents, churchwardens, operations managers and vergers, the meeting is open to any Major Churches who may find it helpful.

For further information, and to register attendance, contact the regional coordinator, Revd Mark Wood: rectorwilton@gmail.com

It is also hoped to offer remote attendance, for anyone interested but  unable to get to Bristol. Please register your interest, via the same email address, and we will facilitate this if possible.

Conference 2025

MCN Conference 2025 will be held in Sunderland and Hexham and bookings are now open.

Click here to book

Programme Outline (subject to change!)

Please check back here for updates

Conference Title :
Pretty & Gritty : Major Church Ministry in Context

Conference Chaplain :
Very Rev Dr Frances Ward

Frankie is a theologian, researcher and writer, preacher, speaker and teacher. From 2010–2017 she was the Dean of St Edmundsbury in Suffolk, and before that a Residentiary Canon at Bradford Cathedral, engaged in inter-faith work with Muslim women.

Her 2019 book Full of Character: A Christian Approach to Education for the Digital Age (Jessica Kingsley Publications 2019) explores the education needed in a world of increasing automation for young people to flourish in their humanity, drawing on Christian theology. James Woodward writes that it’s ‘a gem of a book’: “The text will stimulate you into thinking differently about the nature of character and what shapes or mis-shapes it. It will invite you into a wider horizon of understanding about human flourishing and deserves to be engaged with seriously so that we can mine our hearts and minds in exploring a theology of education that commits itself to changed practice.” Holy Attention: Preaching in Today’s Church, co-edited with Richard Sudworth was published by SCM Press (2019).

(With thanks to Benefice of Workington website for this summary)

Wednesday 24 September
4.00pm : Tea & Registration : Sunderland Minster
5.00pm : Evening Prayer : Sunderland Minster
6.00pm : Dinner
8.00pm : Lord Mayor’s Reception : Lord Mayor’s Parlour : City Hall
The Lord Mayor, Cllr Ethesham Haque, Sunderland's first Lord Mayor of Asian descent, will be hosting us, and Sharon Appelby, CEO of Sunderland BID (Business Improvement District) will be sharing a few words about Sunderland's vision for the future.

Thursday 25 September
7.30am : Breakfast : Holiday Inn
8.30am : Morning Prayer : Sunderland Minster
9.00am : The Sunderland Story : Sunderland Minster : Canon Clare MacLaren, Provost
10.30am : Travel to Hexham
12.00noon : Sandwich lunch in Great Hall, Hexham Abbey
1.00pm : The Hexham Story : Great Hall, Hexham Abbey : Rev David Glover, Rector.
3.00pm : Workshops will be run twice allowing delegates to choose two of:
* Governance resilience
* Business development and commerciality
* Dialogue between civic voice and parish voice
* Common ground and sacred space (heritage / pilgrimage / spirituality)
* Guided tour of the abbey
5.00pm : Evening Prayer
5.30pm : Return to Sunderland
7.30pm : Conference Dinner : The Engine Room

Friday 26 September
7.30am : Breakfast and check out
8.30am : Morning Prayer : Sunderland Minster
9.00am : Major Churches Network AGM : Sunderland Minster
9.30am : “Martyn’s Law” : David Knight, Head of Church Buildings.
10.30am : Carbon Net Zero : panel discussion : Sunderland Minster
12.15pm : Closing Eucharist : Sunderland Minster
1.00pm : Take-out lunch provided to eat on your journey home or with others in the minster.

Cost
Early bird price of £295 until end of June
Full price of £325 from July

Booking
Click here to book

God came to St Petroc’s

Paul Holley writes:

Our venue and events manager, Roland, is an ardent Liverpool FC supporter. He was over the moon when one of our local concert promoters asked if we would host a talk by Robbie Fowler. It was a tight budget for the promoter, with a hefty fee for a wealthy footballer, so Roland needed a good strapline for the event. Fans at Anfield had great respect for their hero and their chants about him proclaimed him as ‘god’. Thus Roland came up with the promotional slogan ‘God is coming to St. Petroc’s’.  Thanks Roland! If it’s a quiet media week I shall get it in the neck. We stuck to a less striking message. But the event was still a great success.

Our concert lineup has grown these past couple of years. We have a variety of promoters and regular audiences of around 250 – 350. Adding celebrities to this array of events makes good sense. Nigel Owens, the Rugby referee and radio presenter, will be with us next year. Our gross revenue from these events in 2024 is expected to be double what it was in 2023 and we are considering promoting our own events to add further in 2025. This approach is not without financial or organisational risks, but we are learning to manage them. We now have a full public license for the church and hope to develop our hospitality offer.  We have a reordering scheme in the pipeline to create new facilities to support our cultural role in Mid-Cornwall. Irrespective of all this, we still confidently proclaim Sunday by Sunday that God is firmly present at St Petroc’s.

If you are not yet a member of the Major Churches Network … click here to join

MCN Conference 2025 will be held from 24 to 26 September

Following our Oxford based conference in 2023, planning is now underway for our next conference which will take us to Sunderland and Hexham. The dates for the conference are Wednesday 24 September to Friday 26 September. We will be based in Sunderland and visit Hexham.

More details in due course but for now:
a] please put the date in your diary
b] let us know what kind of things you’d like covered

Not yet a member of the Major Churches Network … click here to join

News from Cathedral and Church Buildings team

Adrian Daffern writes:

1. Day Conference for MPCs and Net Zero

We are organising a day dedicated to the particular challenges faced by MPCs as they seek to meet the CofE's NetZero goals for 2030. There will be expert contributors on technology and funding, and the opportunity for sharing best practice. The proposed date is May 8th; please keep clear in your diaries.

2. Day conference for MPC Administrators/COOs

All kinds of lay administrator, be they employed COOs, volunteers, churchwardens or parish secretaries, are invited to come and hear two keynote presentations from long-standing administrators, and to hear news, insights, plans and good ideas. The date will be released at the beginning of 2025.

3. Heritage at Risk Register 

Historic England published their latest HaR last month. 63 Major Parish Churches are listed: 3 are newly added, with 12 deemed to be at immediate risk  Adrian has written to the DAC Secretaries and Archdeacons of the latter two groups asking them to make contact with the parishes concerned and to offer support.

 If you are one of them, please do speak to your DAC, and your architect, as soon as possible. But do not despair - this designation makes new funding available, and is taken especially seriously by NLHF. More details on HE website.

4. Pastoral/preaching visits 

Adrian continues to visit MPCs on a diocesan/ regional basis several times a year, and has a handful of preaching slots left for 2025. Do please contact Adrian if you would like him to visit. After his most recent visit last month, the parish priest wrote “Thank you once again for your encouraging words this morning. I can assure you that they lifted the spirits of our congregation and church officers. Our designation as a major church has been valuable and your visit today has encouraged us afresh”.

5. Net Zero 

Beginning with the last meeting, MPCs are now a standing item on the agenda of the CBC’s Net Zero Carbon and Building Services Committee, and Adrian has become a committee member. It is evident that MPCs will need particular support if the Church of England’s Net Zero goals are to be met, and Adrian is working with colleagues to explore possibilities. Seven MPCs were designated as Demonstrator Churches in the first round; seventeen (from thirteen dioceses) were nominated in the second round.

Contact Adrian Daffern directly about any of these opportunities

Not yet a member of the Major Churches Network … click here to join

Start up tech firm offers assistance to Major Churches

Howling Digital Solutions, owned and run by Matthew Howling, seeks to help churches save time on admin so they can focus on things that really matter.

Matthew has experience as a Choral Scholar and PCC member at St Mary Redcliffe and knows how much effort goes into keeping everything running smoothly.

Howling Digital Solutions creates simple, easy-to-use digital tools to make life a bit easier.

If you're looking to spend less time on paperwork and more time serving your community, I'd love to help!

For more information, visit Howling Digital Solutions

Not yet a member of the Major Churches Network … click here to join

Congratulations to Swansea (soon to be) Minster

Next year will be a time of transformation for St Mary’s Church in Swansea’s city centre, as it becomes Wales’ first minster. The move will not only recognise the church’s role in the life of the diocese but also its importance to Swansea, both as a city landmark and the home to its civic services. The transformation is being made possible by a £2.8m grant from the Church in Wales’ Growth Fund, which it has described as a “once-in-a generation opportunity to resource confident and consistent evangelism throughout Wales”. The money will also enable St Mary’s to create jobs and expand its worship, ensuring it retains its place at the heart of the city.

Vicar Canon Justin Davies, said: “We are delighted and excited that the Church in Wales has announced significant investment in St Mary’s Church which sits in the heart of the second city of Wales. We believe it is one that is innovative, that is scalable and achievable, but equally one that’s very challenging to us, one that will enable us to make more followers of Jesus in the future.”

St Mary’s will be officially declared a minster early next year, but that is just the beginning of its transformation. “The money is essentially in two elements,” Justin said. “There’s one amount of money, relatively small, with which will be doing some building work within St Mary’s to give us a safe office space to work in, to give us room for children, youth and families work and to create a separate worship space so we can have more than one act of worship taking place. At the same time there’s also some work to be done on our kitchen facilities to enable us to invite more people in, to use the refreshment facilities that we have here in a more professional manner. The vast bulk of the money that we have is going to be used on the employment of more people - the employment of an additional priest, the employment of a cafe manager, a youth and family worker, and someone to go out into the community and work in our community right here in the heart of Swansea. There’ll also be somebody to take out the great tradition that we have of music within this building and go into our schools and colleges to encourage them in developing their music which they will then bring it back to us here into St Mary’s.”

It is an exciting time for the centre of Swansea, with an increasing number of residents, a bustling marketplace and the development of a new civic centre which is due to open next year.

“We’ll be doing a lot of work in the community, in the growing community,” he said. “So this is really a very people-based bid, which is all about making, finding, growing, enabling people to find their true heart and their true faith as somebody who lives and breathes the life of Jesus Christ.”

St Mary’s, which was rebuilt in the 1950s after being burned to the ground during the Nazis’ three-day blitz of the city in World War II, will be designated a minster church in February next year. Minster is a title given to a large or important church, especially a collegiate or cathedral church, and reflects the importance of St Mary’s to the city.

“It’s a recognition of the significance of this building in the heart of the second city of Wales,” Justin said. “We are the fourth largest building in the province and we have an important civic role that we already play in the city, and the word minster enables us to enhance that and develop it. It recognizes the special significance of the building in the city and to this part of the diocese, a place for people to gather together, and that’s going to be an important part of what we will do.”

The Archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev’d Andrew John, said: “The Church Growth Fund represents a transformative step forward in our mission to reach communities across Wales with the love and hope of the Gospel. This significant investment will enable churches to grow, innovate and become vibrant centres of faith. I am excited to witness the gospel in action and the positive impact we will make in our communities because of our significant investment in evangelism.”

Simon Lloyd, the Chief Executive of the Representative Body of the Church in Wales, said: “The Representative Body is delighted to make these Growth Fund grants. All four grants provide additional resources over several years to allow local churches to engage and serve their local communities. I look forward to hearing stories of growth and lives impacted by the love of God and the good news of the Gospel.”

Work on the transformation will begin soon, ready for February’s minster service.

“Our doors will be open seven days per week for prayer, peaceful space, presence and proclamation of the good news that the Gospel of Christ Jesus holds for all,” Justin said. “Our transformation work will start in earnest before the end of 2024 and gather pace during the first half of 2025.”

Not yet a member of the Major Churches Network … click here to join