close

A Church Near You
To find out your nearest church or which parish you live in just search using your postcode.

If you represent a parish you should register onA Church Near You to maintain your own church details.

Churches Near You

Notes for Editors

Print
PDF

The Diocese of Oxford has:

 

  • More parishes and churches than any other diocese in the C of E
  • A population of 2,123,000
  • 302 benefices
  • 626 parishes
  • 813 churches, of which more than 650 are listed buildings
  • More than 55,000 people on church electoral rolls
  • 285 male stipendiary clergy in parishes
  • 30 male curates-in-training in parishes
  • 84 female stipendiary clergy in parishes
  • 247 licensed non-stipendiary and ordained local ministers
  • Around 283 Licensed lay Ministers
  • Around 40 Youth Ministers
  • A large number of retired clergy
  • 48,000 children attending church schools.

 More about the Diocese of Oxford.

The Church of England – a beginner’s guide
TheChurch of England is the established Church. This means, in England, residents have a right to turn to the Church for help. The Supreme Governor of the Church of England is the Queen, who makes senior church appointments on the advice of the Prime Minister.

ADioceseis the district under the authority of a diocesan bishop. There are 44 dioceses in the Church of England. The Diocese of Oxford (more or less) covers the three counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

ADiocesan Bishop is the title given to the highest Order in the Anglican Christian Ministry and oversees a diocese.

AnArchbishopalso has his own diocese, but is also the chief of the clergy in a whole Province. In the Church of England there are two Archbishops: Canterbury and York. The Oxford Diocese is in the Province of Canterbury.

ASuffragan Bishop is a bishop in a diocese who is junior to the Diocesan Bishop and acts as his deputy. In Oxford Diocese (and some others) we have Area Bishops, rather than suffragans, because the diocese has been divided into Areas.

TheBishop of Oxford has authority throughout the Diocese, and primary responsibility for the deaneries of Oxford and Cowley. The Bishop of Dorchester has authority for the rest of the archdeaconry of Oxford; the Bishop of Reading has authority for the archdeaconry of Berkshire; and the Bishop of Buckingham for the archdeaconry of Buckingham.

Assistant Bishops are usually retired and do not have quite the same status as a Suffragan Bishop. They help out within a diocese on a short-term contract or informal arrangement.

AnArchdeacon is a senior priest appointed by the bishop. They carry out legal and administrative functions on behalf of the bishop in areas called archdeaconries.

ADeanis the head of a corporate body called a Chapter, which is responsible for a cathedral. Each cathedral has a Dean who lives in a house called a Deanery. The situation in Oxford Diocese is unique, in that our Cathedral is also the College Chapel of Christ Church, Oxford.

Aparishis a territorial unit served by a local church. A benefice is a parish or group of parishes. Multi-parish benefices served by a single priest are particularly common in rural areas. A deanery is a group of adjoining parishes/benefices grouped together for administrative purposes. The Diocese of Oxford has 29 deaneries.

See alsowww.cofe.anglican.org.

1