The Benefice of Newport Pagnell
With Lathbury and Moulsoe
St Peter & St Paul Newport Pagnell
St Luke Newport Pagnell
All Saints Lathbury
St Mary Moulsoe
1
Introduction
The Parish of Newport Pagnell lies within the Buckingham Archdeaconry of the
Diocese of Oxford and is in the Newport Deanery. The parish church of St Peter &
St Paul, a Grade 1 listed building, dominates Newport Pagnell town centre, while
the smaller church of St Luke’s is located on the western fringe close to the M1
motorway. The Electoral Roll total is 177. The benefice also includes the villages of
Moulsoe and Lathbury, each with its own church and a combined Electoral Roll of
25.
The parish web site is to be found at www.npparish.org.uk.
A map of the area can be found here or see below:
Newport Pagnell is a small town in north Buckinghamshire about 5 miles north-east
of Milton Keynes adjacent to junction 14 of the M1. The town has grown from a
population of some 5,500 in the 1960s to roughly 17,000 today. With
Milton Keynes, it forms part of the expansion growth area in the south-east and
midlands and so its population is planned to increase with new dwellings already in
the planning stage.
It is a distinct community, separated from Milton Keynes by the M1 motorway, and
its modern estates are typified by young, heavily mortgaged families with both
parents working. The 2011 census records only 5% of the town’s population
2
coming from Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Since 2008 the Town Council and Newport Pagnell Partnerships have been
engaged in a process of town regeneration which has brought a range of
improvements in the town centre and parks. The town has many tourist attractions
including a Heritage Trail, Historical Society Museum, walks along the Rivers Ouse
and Ouzel and the 1810 Iron Bridge.
There are also a number of events regularly organised during the year including a
monthly Farmer’s Market, Carnival weekend (Mid July), Christmas Lights
with Street Market and Fair in late November. More recently the Newport Muster –
a series of walks encouraging people to explore the town and its surroundings.has also become an annual event.
There are four combined primary schools and a secondary school, all of which are
highly regarded and the town has extensive provision of Nursery schools. At the
other end of the age spectrum, the town also contains a number of residential
homes for the elderly.
The villages of Moulsoe and Lathbury are small rural communities each with its
own distinct character. Neither has a school, shop or other amenities although
Moulsoe does have a modern village hall and a ‘gastro-pub’ style restaurant.
The patrons of the living of Lathbury are the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church,
Oxford. Christ Church is in the happy position of being able to support the
incumbents of its ninety livings through the revenues of the Dr South Trust, which
is able to assist with grants for study, administration and holidays, as well as
offering a biennial conference and loans for the purchase of a car.
3
Our Town & Villages
The Parish Church from the High St
Newport Pagnell High St
The 1810 Iron Bridge
The Annual Town Carnival
Harvest time in Moulsoe
Church Lane in Lathbury
4
The Mission of the Church
Mission Statement: “Our desire is to strengthen the church for mission and service by
encouraging faithful Christian communities which share in the love of God and want to
share His love with others.”
In 2009, using the ‘Healthy Churches Handbook’ process, we identified our
priorities as a worshipping community. Four areas were identified as priorities for
improvement. These were:
1. Praying: in public worship, in private and corporate prayer, being a church
seeking God’s presence and discerning His purposes for his people, church
and community
2. Communicating: ensuring that people within and without the present
church community are aware of our life and activities: seeking opportunities
to proclaim the Good news of Jesus Christ.
3. Welcoming: an inclusive church where strangers are received as friends:
no-one is excluded, ignored or forgotten and everyone feels cared for and at
home.
4. Nurturing: enabling people at every stage of the Christian life – children,
young people and adults; seekers, beginners and the committed – to have
opportunities to discover faith, to grow in faith and deepen Christian
discipleship.
We have devoted much prayer, time and effort into these areas and have been
delighted with some key successes:
 A team of Welcomers now ensures visitors and newcomers receive the right
level of attention
 Several ‘Discovery’ Groups have been set up where around 50 church
members now meet regularly for bible study, prayer and fellowship
 Prayer circles have been established where every member of the
congregation and their families are prayed for regularly and a Prayer Cross
in St Peter and St Paul church receives prayer requests from those outside
the church family as well as regular attenders
 A Parish Administrator has been appointed and our parish office is now in
place which acts as a hub for information about all aspects of Church life
 Some new people have come to Christ
We are ensuring we continue to evaluate these activities to ensure they continue to
meet the needs of those we seek to serve
We have also experimented with a number of initiatives and learnt much from this,
for example:

Several ‘Fresh Expressions’ have also been tried on an occasional basis eg
Cafe Church, Messy-style church etc
5


A series of 4 Healing seminars were held in 2012 attended by all
denominations in the town.
Adult Confirmation and Baptism groups began using the START course
among other material.
As a result of our focus on these priorities:
 some new people have come to Christ
 we now have a strong team of experienced lay leaders who run these
activities and provide invaluable help to the Ministry team.
 the faith of many regular attendees has grown through more quality Prayer
and Bible Study. Previously, few attended regular weekly fellowship (our
Discovery Groups) so this nurturing aspect has been a great success.
 People outside the church request prayers through the Prayer Cross.
 Our regular giving has improved which is gratifying in the current financial
situation.
 There is also more willingness to accept small children in Church services
with their accompanying noises.
 Weekly collections are made for the local Foodbank
6
Some of our Church Activities
Bishop Alan & Brownies at the Jubilee Service
The Churches Together Holiday Club
Afternoon Tea party
The Summer Fete
Bellringers Open Event
Easter at St Luke’s
7
Moving Forward
Having strengthened the lives of those within the church we now recognise the
need to move on to look more at ‘Making a Difference’ in our local community,
especially to younger members, but not forgetting other needs in the town.
We have identified three areas for future mission:



Providing a meeting place for those with early onset of Dementia and
becoming a more dementia-friendly church
Working more closely with our schools – we have over 3,000 children and
young people attending schools in the town (Ousedale, a secondary school
is nearly 2,000 strong)
Providing a place where young people can meet outside school hours as
there is little such provision in the town for the 1500 or so teenagers in
Newport Pagnell
Work is already in progress on the first of these but the other two present us with a
major challenge. Many members of the congregation are already active as
volunteers in many places in the community and so simply finding the capacity as
well as the skills and abilities to also work with children and young people is an
issue for us. We tried to rectify this by appointing a House for Duty priest to work
specifically in this area but without success and we wish to re-visit these two
priorities once a new Rector is in place.
Person Specification
In enabling us to respond to our mission and ministry opportunities and challenges,
we believe the following gifts, skills and attributes will be required in our next
Rector:
A strong desire to see the Gospel proclaimed through word and sacrament and in
the life and witness of the church in the community
An ability to reach out to the unchurched and to communicate the truth of the
gospel.
To be sufficiently grounded in faith to be comfortable dealing with a range of
spirituality
The enthusiasm, ambition and experience to lead and work with the ministry team
and lay leaders in shaping and realizing our vision for the future
The ability to balance numerous, and sometimes conflicting, demands and
pressures in ministering to our three different parishes.
A flexibility to cope with a variety of approaches to worship, balancing the desire for
the traditional with the need for developing progressive and inclusive forms of
8
church to support our Mission plans.
A leader who is equally comfortable working as a member of a team
Committed to working with colleagues in the Deanery and ecumenically within
Newport Pagnell, willing to assume a leadership role when called upon.
An effective communicator, comfortable in both formal and informal settings, able
to relate to both young and old
Experience of a variety of parish settings, and be sensitive and supportive to the
particular needs of urban and rural communities.
Our support for you:
A ministry team both ordained and lay and the congregations to work with as
colleagues.
Job Description
Many of the duties are implicit in the term ‘Rector’. Included below, therefore, are
those items which apply particularly to this post:
1.
To be responsible for ministry in four different churches of the Benefice,
valuing each of them and being sensitive and supportive to their different
needs.
2.
Working with our Ministry team, both lay and ordained, to lead and support
our congregations in progressing their differing Missions within their local
communities.
3.
To train, guide and nurture the existing lay leaders and encourage further
lay involvement in the work of the parishes.
4.
To work with others in:
o developing deeper relationships with children and young people
in our communities, with particular focus on our schools.
o discerning an appropriate response to the needs of young people
of the town and exploring opportunities for them to engage with
the Christian faith
5.
To work with the other Ministers in the town and Churches Together in
Newport Pagnell in forwarding our mission to the community.
6.
To work with other organizations in the town eg Town Council and Town
Partnership to promote the role of the church within the community
9
7.
To work with Deanery colleagues strengthening ties between the benefices
and engaging the parish in the wider life of the Deanery.
The Worshipping Community
Pattern of Worship
The Sunday services at both churches in Newport Pagnell follow a regular pattern
of sung Eucharists with a choral Evensong also offered in the Parish Church. NonEucharistic Sunday afternoon baptism services have recently been introduced and
are very popular. Services at St Luke’s follow a regular pattern of more informal
sung Eucharist with Family Services held four times a year.
The Parish Church is also used for civic services and school concerts. Services
are generally taken by the clergy with LLMs (Readers) taking occasional evening
services and assisting in preaching. A team of lay people also assist in taking out
home communions. Refreshments are provided after the 9.30 service at St Peter
& St Paul's and before the 11.00am at St Luke's.
Church Services
St Peter & St Paul’s:
Sundays
8.00am Common Worship Order One (BCP 1st Sunday)
9.30am Common Worship Order One (sung)
6.00pm BCP Choral Evensong
Regular non-Eucharistic Baptism services are also held at 3pm in addition to those
within the 0930 service.
Wednesday, 9.30am Eucharist
Mon. – Fri., 5.00pm Evening Prayer
St Luke’s
Sundays 11.00am Common Worship Order One
Quarterly non-Eucharistic Informal Family and Parade Services
Occasional offices (approximate annual numbers)
Baptisms 35
Weddings 20
Funerals 50 – 60 including some held at Milton Keynes Crematorium
10
Ministers
In addition to the Rector, the Reverend Glynis Bell and the Reverend Karen
Browne are non-stipendiary Associate Priests, and there are three Licensed Lay
Ministers (LLMs): Mervyn Evans, Colin Taylor and Geoff Morris. One of our
congregation, Karen Goff, is in training as a Licensed Lay Minister.
Lay Involvement
Lay people participate in the pastoral care team, the baptism preparation team,
home Communions, first Communion preparation, all-age worship, Sunday School
and Mothers’ Union. Lay people also lead the recently formed Discovery Groups
and Prayer Circles. Many of our members also volunteer in a number of community
activities such as the local centre for the elderly and High Street charity shops.
The PCC are committed to helping our church evolve to remain relevant to the
needs and aspirations of the population whilst proclaiming the gospel message. In
short the Rector will find a strong body of willing support within the parish to help in
addressing the challenges ahead.
Music
Music has always played an important part in the church services. Both churches
have competent organists and enthusiastic choirs, who sing not only at regular
services but also at weddings and other church-related events.
Finance and Stewardship
The financial statement for the year ending December 31st 2013 is attached. The
Stewardship Committee work hard to ensure that the parish share is met each
year. Two fetes are held each year raising around an additional £4000.
The Parish Church West Window is now in need of repair and fundraising for this
will need to involve the wider community. We will try and use this also as an
opportunity to make ourselves better known in the town.
We now set aside 5% of our income for Outside Giving.
Churches Together in Newport Pagnell (CTNP)
We are fortunate in having strong ecumenical links with all the denominations in
Newport Pagnell and all the ministers of the town meet weekly for prayer and
reflection. This strength is shown in our outreach to the town: children’s activities
such as our annual Holiday club attended by well over 100 children and the
‘Hallowe’en alternative’ for all the family; the Emergency help Scheme which
provides transport to medical appointments for those who need it; our annual
combined outdoor Easter and Christmas Services: Lent lunches which raise money
for Christian Aid and many more.
11
CTNP is currently reviewing its work in the town to become even more Missionfocused.
The Buildings
Houses
Newport Pagnell Rectory is a modern 4-bedroom
house, owned by the diocese and located at 81
High Street, in the centre of the town about 5
minutes’ walk from the parish church. The parish
also owns a separate 4-bedroom house in a quiet
residential street, also about 5 minutes’ walk from
the parish church, which could be used to
accommodate a curate or other stipendiary clergy.
It is currently rented out.
Our Churches
St Peter & St Paul’s
When Fulk Pagnell and his wife Beatrix gave Newport Pagnell Parish Church to the
monks at St. Mary's Priory at Tickford in 1100, there was probably a wooden
structure on the present site, but it was soon replaced by a stone cruciform building
with a central tower.
About 1350, the church was rebuilt in its present form, with north and south aisles
and porches but without a tower. The chancel was rebuilt during the early sixteenth
century, and the present west tower was built in 1542-8. During a restoration in
12
1827, the south aisle was rebuilt and crockets and battlements were added to the
tower and the roof, respectively. New vestries were built onto the north-east corner
in 1905, and there was extensive restoration of the tower in 1972-3 and of the
exterior stonework and roof in 1989-93. A £100,000 programme of work was
undertaken in 2008 to improve access and facilities in the building. The North
Porch floor has been lowered to improve access and new doors fitted. The space
under the tower houses a small kitchen and toilet as well as a spiral staircase
leading to a ringing platform for the eight bells.
St Luke's
St Luke’s church was built about 110 years ago to provide a presence in the then
newly developing west side of the town. The building is situated approximately one
mile from the Parish Church along the main
Wolverton Road in the centre of a residential
area. The congregation numbers around
twenty-five at the 11.00am service. The
building is used during the day by Northern
Pastures pre-school group and in the
evenings by several Girlguiding and other
community groups. Thanks to the generosity
of the congregation, the building now boasts
new windows, toilets and kitchen.
The Parish of Moulsoe
The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commonly known as St
Mary’s, in Moulsoe, lies some four miles from Newport Pagnell and just a mile from
Junction 14 of the M1. The village comprises about 90 houses and has a
population of around 240. It is essentially linear, has no shop or school and only
one restaurant/pub.
Although many of the village residents work outside the village, either in Milton
Keynes, Newport Pagnell or even in London and beyond thanks to the village’s
good commuting location, it is in essence a farming-based community with four
farms in and around the village. The farmers are all employed by or tenants of Lord
Carrington, who is also the Patron of St Mary’s.
St Mary’s offers two services each month: one service of Holy Communion and
one Family Service, normally led by an LLM. Regular attendance is between six
and about 10.
The farming year is important to our worship pattern and we have developed this
focus over recent years, with a Plough Sunday service in January, Rogation in May
and of course Harvest in October being key features of this. As is perhaps to be
13
expected in a community of this nature, the major Festivals of Easter, Harvest and
Christmas and services such as that on Remembrance Sunday attract
congregations of between 30 and 80. We also hold a well-attended Patronal
Service with a musical focus in mid-August (Assumption 15th August).
We like to think of the church as a key part of the community, whether for regular
churchgoers or for those who only attend on special occasions. Refreshments after
services, as well as events such as the Lent Supper, Harvest Supper and further
fundraising events (mostly held in the village’s Millennium Hall), represent efforts to
reinforce the role of the church as a social hub for the community.
While the church’s lack of facilities – no running water or toilets – precludes use of
the church for many other purposes, the presence of a very well equipped village
hall (Moulsoe Millennium Hall) means that, while on the plus side church events
can be held there, there is on the other hand limited appetite in the wider village to
help raise funds to provide better facilities at the church, as the Hall is currently
already underused.
The church is dependent upon a small number of dedicated volunteers who donate
money, time and considerable effort – often “unsung” - to keeping the church
going. Without them the future would be bleak.
Vision
We would like to continue to develop the church as an important part of the
community, opening our arms through services and events to all, whether they are
regular churchgoers or not. Our “special” services have increased in number as
part of this effort (Easter egg hunt on Easter Day, Christingle service, as well as
the above). We would be especially keen to develop the role of the church in the
lives of the many young families in the village but struggle to attract youngsters
other than small children with their parents to the church. Some sort of low-key
“outreach” programme to convey the validity of the church in today’s society would
seem necessary.
St Mary's Church
Parts of the church are reputed to date back to the 12th century but the interior is
largely Victorian, having been restored at various phases during this period by
William Burges (chancel) and George Gilbert Scott (nave) at the behest of its
patron, Lord Carrington.
14
The church would have begun
with a chancel and nave in the
twelfth century, to which north
and south aisles were added in
the thirteenth. During the
fourteenth century, the aisles
were rebuilt and the west tower
and south porch were added.
The clerestory dates from the
seventeenth
century.
Of
particular interest are medieval
brass figures of a knight and
his lady in the north aisle, a
fourteenth-century octagonal
font stem, and fragments of a
fifteenth-century screen incorporated into the modern chancel screen. Many of the
pews in the nave date from the seventeenth century, as do an oak poor-box, some
coffin-stools, and a bier dated 1651.
Moulsoe parish church is the burial place of the Carrington family, with monuments
in both the church and the churchyard. The church became very dilapidated in the
1980s and was extensively restored in the mid-1990s, thanks to the commitment
and generosity of villagers. The clock on the tower was restored and fitted with an
electric mechanism in 2004 so now both shows the correct time and chimes (7
a.m. until 9 p.m.). Following the theft of a large amount of lead from the nave and
south aisle roofs in the summer of 2007 a fundraising programme and donation
from Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust (WREN funding) made it possible
for the nave roof to be repaired, although the south aisle roof remains with its
“temporary” steel roof. The interior was repainted in 2011. The terracotta-tiled
chancel roof now urgently needs repairing and it is envisaged that this will be done
in the early part of 2015. Some funding from BHCT and the Allchurches Trust
(Ecclesiastical Insurance) has been obtained.
A generous private donation in 2012 made it possible to start work on restoring the
church’s pipe organ, which had been out of use for many years. The organ can
now be played, although work is still ongoing to complete the restoration.
The Parish of Lathbury
Lathbury is a small parish situated within a mile from the parish church in Newport
Pagnell. The total population of the parish is about 150 persons with approximately
130 living within the village envelope. The population is very stable and people
tend to stay in the village for many years. Most people work outside the village
within the MK area, although, increasingly, there are more people working from
home. The village has a residential home for the elderly and apart from the church
the only other public building is the Village Hut. There is no shop or pub.
15
The villagers very much value the church and have shown great commitment to its
preservation, having raised over £60,000 in the last two decades towards its
restoration. The church, presently, offers one service a month. The current
arrangement allows a mixture of festival services (harvest, carols, Easter etc) and
communion services. The regular Sunday worship is attended by about 14 people
on average, but the festival services can attract 50 or more. In the past the church
has been able to support a Sunday school. The church plays an important part in
many aspects of village life, imaginative ideas from the clergy are welcomed. For
example the village recently mounted an excellent exhibition to commemorate its
involvement in the First World War, inviting relatives of previous residents who took
part in the war to a commemorative service in the church, which was filled with
villagers and visitors.
People in the village respect the position of the church within the social structure of
the village and wish to see it well maintained and available for weddings, baptisms
and funerals.
Because Lathbury is such a small community the challenge is to make the church
appeal across the population and to include people of different religious
persuasions.
Vision
Following the tragic and unexpected deaths of both our Church Wardens All Saints
Church has been without a Church Warden. However there is a strong and
experienced PCC with a clear understanding of the needs of the Lathbury
community and the importance of All Saints to the village. The PCC will continue to
operate, notwithstanding the Church Warden question remaining unresolved. The
PCC is committed to retaining the identity of All Saints as a rural church serving the
needs of Lathbury and acting as a focal point for the village. In the longer term, it is
hoped to enhance the involvement of the church in village life through better
utilisation of the church premises for various activities although this is likely to
require improvement of amenities and substantial funding.
All Saints Church
The parish church at Lathbury is a Grade 1 listed building and may lie on Saxon
foundations. The early twelfth century nave is the oldest part of the present church.
The south aisle was added before 1200 and rebuilt before 1300. The west tower
dates from the early thirteenth century, and the north aisle was added and the
twelfth-century chancel was rebuilt about
a century later.
The clerestory and embattled parapets
were added during the fifteenth century,
and the south porch dates from the
nineteenth century. Of particular interest
are a twelfth century carved tympanum
16
near the pulpit, carvings of the same period on the capitals of pillars, the faded
remains of medieval wall paintings above the chancel arcades and arch, and
several sixteenth century black letter texts.
Extensive restoration of the church during the 1990s and the bequest of a new
stained glass window by Nuttgens demonstrate a continuing commitment to the
maintenance and enhancement of the building. The church fabric is generally in
good condition, but like all buildings of its age, repairs are always on the agenda.
All Saints Church stands in a pleasant, well maintained, rural churchyard.
Newport Deanery
As the northern most deanery in the Archdeaconry of Buckinghamshire, Newport
Deanery has 19 of its churches located in villages and the remaining 3 in the towns
of Newport Pagnell and Olney. Whilst part of the Oxford Diocese, the deanery is
adjacent to both St Albans and Peterborough Dioceses and its population of
28,000 draws its support from any of three major towns that surround it; Milton
Keynes on the West, Northampton on the North and Bedford on the South East. All
three of these have plans for significant further residential developments as do
Newport Pagnell and Olney. The western side of the deanery, particularly the town
of Newport Pagnell, is rapidly changing as its boundaries increasingly merge with
those of Milton Keynes, whilst retaining much of its unique and historical
differences including its own mayor. Olney, on the northern side of the deanery and
around 12 miles from all three major towns still retains its historical distinctiveness.
Newport Deanery is legally formed as Group Ministry and whilst having diverse
traditions has worked hard at developing a practice of working together. As a
deanery we look to support one another with practical provisions:
sharing/organising holiday cover, pastoral support and together we seek to
respond to our mission here in the deanery.
As part of that working together, the deanery is beginning to consider how it will
resource its mission in an effective way, addressing the evolving development,
expansion and changes. It is likely there will be at least some pastoral
reorganisation and whilst these considerations are in their infancy, it is hoped that
new Rector of Newport will play a significant role. One of the potential proposals is
that Newport Pagnell becomes a missional hub in the southern area of the
deanery, alongside Olney in the northern area.
Across the deanery's group ministry our 6 stipendiary priests provide oversight of
our 22 churches (as shown below), with additional support from retired clergy, 9
licensed lay ministers and several authorised preachers. In response to the
continuing need to develop and support ministry, local initiatives have included
successful vocations events and more recently a series of preaching courses.
As a deanery we share ideas and resources, especially in mission. This wider aim
has been developed and supported through a series of deanery events. We were
assisted early in this approach by a part-time deanery development facilitator, a
role that no longer exists, but provided the foundations on which the deanery
continues to work to support and encourage each other in our local mission
context. Several after school clubs were created in our villages as a result of this
work and we are increasingly sharing training and other events, including training
17
in preaching and prayer. Knowledge sharing is also fundamental and has been a
great aid with various fundraising for events and fabric. This cooperative approach
is essential and enables focused relevant mission to our local communities.
Following these events and discussions, several successful ventures have arisen.
These have included: Spirit Level - the after school club in Lavendon, cafe church
in Sherington, Messy Church in Newport Pagnell, after school clubs in Newton
Blossomville and Stoke Goldington, Memory club in Olney. Each venture creating a
new dimension whilst further enriching the resources, skills and knowledge
amongst our deanery and its communities and continues to inform the ongoing
development of our Deanery Mission Action Plan.
The challenges within our deanery remain those of balancing areas that are
investing and maintaining dynamically growing communities alongside those which
are struggling to sustain their shrinking communities. This is also reflected in the
balancing of financial contributions to the Parish Share.
Hanslope and Castlethorpe
(2 churches) (ER 226) (Cared for by the Bishop
of Ebbsfleet) One stipendiary priest
LAMP Group (Haversham with Little Linford, Tyringham with Filgrave,
Emberton)(4 churches) (ER164)
One stipendiary priest (Rector is also Area Dean)
Lavendon Group (Lavendon with Cold Brayfield, Newton Blossomville, Clifton
Reynes (4 churches) (ER 70) with GATE Group (Stoke Goldington, Weston
Underwood, Ravenstone, Gayhurst) (4 churches) (ER 69) One stipendiary priest,
recruiting for one House for Duty priest.
Newport Pagnell (Newport Pagnell, Lathbury, Moulsoe) (4 churches) (ER 202)
One stipendiary priest, two associate priests, recruiting a House for Duty priest
Olney (one church) (ER194)
One stipendiary priest and one self-supporting curate
(Rector is also Assistant Area Dean and training incumbent for a self-supporting
curate)
SCAN PARISH (Sherington, North Crawley, Chicheley, Astwood) (3 churches)
(ER 78)
One stipendiary priest and one associate minister
(Rector is also training incumbent for deanery stipendiary curate)
The Diocese of Oxford
The Diocese of Oxford serves the mission of the Church in Buckinghamshire,
Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The Diocese comprises more than 600 parishes, with
over 800 churches, serving a diverse population of more than 2 million people
located in all types of settings.
18
In October 2014, the Rt Revd John Pritchard retired after serving 7 years as our
Diocesan Bishop. The Bishop of Dorchester, Rt Revd Colin Fletcher, is our acting
Diocesan. Bishop John’s ministry was very influential in focusing the whole
Diocese on the centrality of mission to the life of the church and we anticipate that
this focus will continue under our new Bishop when they are announced sometime
in the summer of 2015.
Due to the size and complexity of the Diocese, we have three Area Bishops who
exercise considerable strategic & pastoral oversight for their Archdeaconries. The
Bishop of Buckingham is the Rt Rev’d Alan Wilson who has been the Area Bishop
since 2004.
“Living Faith” directs our Diocesan vision and values. Living Faith places holistic
mission and spirituality at the heart of daily life. It contains five key values which
inform our strategic directions:
 sustaining the sacred centre
 creating vibrant Christian communities
 making disciples;
 making a difference in the world;;
 shaping confident collaborative leaders.
These values are built on the principles of not neglecting the past but building on it;
not so much about strategy but culture; not top down but liberating the local; not
targets but directions; not about structures but about relationships; not one size fits
all but flexibility and not about complexity but elegance.
Over each of the past 5 years, we have focused on one of these ‘values’ across
the whole life of the Diocese. In 2014 the emphasis was on Shaping Confident
Collaborative Leadership. This has included a highly successful and significant
clergy conference in March attended by over 360 priests and also a conference for
LLMs (Readers) in June. The ‘finale’ was in September with our ‘Grand Day Out’
as people from all across the Diocese gathered in Oxford. It also provided a
wonderful opportunity to say farewell to Bishop John and to celebrate his ministry
here.
Full information on Living Faith for the future can be found at
http://www.oxford.anglican.org/mission-ministry/projects/living-faith/
We are currently exploring and consulting on how Living Faith needs to be taken
forward into the future. It is expected that all clergy appointed into the
Archdeaconry of Buckingham will want to commit themselves to this Diocesan
vision and its strategic directions.
19