ABOUT US
Mission Communities
Our mission communities are enabling us to work together in growing, nurturing and serving our communities across the diocese.
Mission communities collaborate both in prayer and in action, working together to:
- Release missional energy, by bringing clergy and laity together in teams to serve their communities.
- Be dynamic, intentional and focused on the goals we have always wanted to achieve – growing our church, helping people grow in their faith and serving our local communities.
- Develop new ways of working, with a focus on developing specific ministries and skills to meet the needs of local people.
- Allow for a variety of expressions of church within a given locality.
- Ensure we have greater diversity in our mission teams which in turn will support innovation across our mission communities.
- Strengthen the support we provide for ordinands and lay ministers.
Working Together
Our Mission Communities are underpinned by a culture of prayer, discernment, theological reflection and expectation. A prayer event is therefore an ideal opportunity to work together as a mission community. This could take the form of:
- a prayer walk between the churches in your community
- a prayer event at each of the churches
- establishing a regular pattern of prayer for the mission community as a whole. Ideally, this event will be organised and promoted by a team from across the parishes in your mission community.
Mission Communities in Action
Bringing together the skills and talents of ordained and lay leaders in mission communities is key to the success of our transformation programme. These stories from our mission communities share how our parishes are working together to get to know one another and establish supportive ways of working.
Wythenshawe churches team up for The Big Feed
Churches in Wythenshawe teamed up to provide free food to those in need as part of The Big Feed Week.
Bereavement Support in Rochdale Mission Community
A bereavement support group was set up at Rochdale Parish Church called Friends Together Bereavement Support.
Shaw, Crompton and Thornham Mission Community work together on a new youth service
In Oldham & Ashton Deanery, the Shaw, Crompton and Thornham Mission Community has started a new youth service where young people from its churches can come together and worship in a way that is accessible to them.
Bolton North East Mission Community gathers for shared vision day
Bolton North and East Mission Community brought members of its parishes together at St Andrew’s Church, Bromley Cross.
Ramsbottom and Tottington Mission Community walk together
Members of churches in the Ramsbottom and Tottington area had been looking for ways to get to know others worshipping within their Mission Community.
Bury Mission Community pilgrimage
‘Beating the Bounds’ is an ancient tradition where parishes walk around their boundaries, praying for, and asking God to bless the people and work. Participants from all the churches in Mission Community Two, Bury, sought to echo this in two ‘pilgrim’ walks, linking all the parishes.
Mission Community Leaders
Each of our 33 mission communities is led by an incumbent-status priest from within the community, who carries out this leadership role alongside their existing responsibilities. They offer guidance and support to both the leadership team and the wider mission community.
A map of each mission community and details of each Mission Community Leader can be found below.
Bolton Deanery
| Mission Community | Mission Community Leader |
| Bolton West | Shared Leadership Team |
| Bolton Central | |
| Bolton North East | Revd Viv Masters |
| Bolton South East | Fr Tony Davies |
Bury and Rossendale Deanery
| Mission Community | Mission Community Leader |
| Radcliffe and Whitefield | Alison Hartley |
| Bury | |
| Ramsbottom and Tottington | |
| Rossendale | |
| Prestwich and Kersal |
Manchester North and East Deanery
| Mission community | Mission Community Leader |
| Irk Valley | |
| North East Manchester | Fr Paul Hutchins |
| Ardwick | Fr Chris Moore |
| 4 | Revd Matthew Calladine |
Manchester South and Stretford Deanery
| Mission Community | Mission Community Leader |
| North Trafford | Revd Luke Maguire |
| South Central | |
| City Central | Revd Andy Salmon |
| Mersey North | |
| Mersey South | Revd Richard Sherratt |
Oldham and Ashton Deanery
| Mission Community | Mission Community Leader |
| Shaw & Crompton & Thornham | Fr Paul Pritchard |
| Chadderton and Royton | Revd Liz Devall |
| Oldham, Balderstone, Chadderton, Failsworth | Revd Nick Andrewes |
| Clarksfield, Heyside, Moorside and Leesfield | |
| Saddleworth | Revd Sachin Awale |
| Ashton-under-Lyne, Mossley and Stalybridge | Denise Owen |
| Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden and Haughton | Revd Amy Elizabeth Sheridan |
Rochdale Deanery
| Mission Community | Mission Community Leader |
| Rochdale Middleton | Revd Jane Hyde |
| Heywood and Rochdale West | Revd Kirsty Screeton |
| Rochdale Central | |
| Rochdale East | Revd Janet Pitman |
Salford and Leigh Deanery
| Mission Community | Mission Community Leader |
| Leigh | Revd Jack Shepherd |
| Worsley | Revd David Cooper |
| West Salford | Revd Robert Jackson |
| Salford |