| The
Diocese of
Birmingham
is the network
of Church
of England
churches
and chaplaincies
serving the
people of
Birmingham
and its surrounding
towns, suburbs
and villages.
Following
the example
of Jesus
and strengthened
by the Holy
Spirit we
seek to love
God and serve
our neighbour
through our
words, our
worship and
our work.

Facts and figures
Strategic objectives
A
Brief History
of the Diocese
of Birmingham

Facts and
Figures:
the Diocese
- Parishes
and Clergy: The diocese
has 162
parishes,
and 195
churches
and multi-use
worship
centres.
There are
180 full-time
paid clergy
working
in parishes
and 33
clergy
who work
voluntarily
for the
Diocese.
- Sector
Ministers: The diocese
has ministers
working
as chaplains
in education,
industry,
with the
police,
with deaf
people,
and there
are licensed
clergy
employed
by NHS
Trusts
and the
Prison
Service.
- Congregations: Each week
an average
of 19,100
people – including
nearly
3,500 children
and young
people
- worship
in a Church
of England
Church
in the
Diocese
of Birmingham.
There were
2,770 baptisms
in 2004
and 285
Thanksgiving
services
and the
number
of adult
baptisms
seems to
be growing
dramatically.
Each year
there are
around
1,000 marriages
in churches
and around
6,000 funerals
in church
and at
crematoria.
- Senior
Clergy: As
well as
the Bishop
of Birmingham
the diocese
normally
has a Suffragan
Bishop
of Aston;
the Dean
of Birmingham
Cathedral
and two
Archdeacons
(Birmingham
and Aston).
- Cathedral: The
Cathedral
Church
of St Philip
is a small,
eighteenth-century,
Grade I
listed
building
of considerable
art-historical
importance
as it contains
the Pre-Raphaelite
stained-glass
masterpieces
designed
by Burne-Jones
and produced
by William
Morris.
It stands
at the
very heart
of Birmingham
where the
retail,
office
and administrative
quarters
of the
city meet.
Its recently
renovated
churchyard
is an important
city-centre
open space.
Visit Birmingham
Cathedral
Website
http://www.birminghamcathedral.com
- Offices: The Bishop of Birmingham can be contacted at Bishops Croft, Old Church Road, Harborne, Birmingham B17 0BG. Tel: 0121 427 1163. The Suffragan Bishop, Archdeacons, Diocesan Secretary, Diocesan Board of Education, and staff with diocesan-wide roles are all based at 1 Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2BJ. Contact details for all of the above can be found here. The Dean of Birmingham and the Cathedral staff are also based at 1 Colmore Row. Tel: 0121 262 1840. Community Regeneration, Near Neighbours and the Director of Interfaith Relations are based at The Faithful Neighbourhoods Centre, 10 Court Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham B11 4LX. Tel: 0121 675 1156.
- Education: The Diocesan
Board of
Education
works with
51 Church
schools,
including
two secondary
schools,
spread
across
the five
local education
authorities.
The city’s
three universities
have full-
or part-time
chaplains
resourced
by the
Diocese.
- Community
Regeneration: The diocese,
working
in partnership
with other
organizations,
is committed
to play
its part
to improve
the lives
of people
in the
most disadvantaged
neighbourhoods
of the
diocese
and to
create
neighbourhoods
that are
clean,
safe and
generous.
Churches
are encouraged
to play
a role
in local
regeneration
activity
while the
diocese
works to
influence
regional
and local
authority
policy
making.
During
the week
many of
our church
buildings
are open
providing
a base
for community
activities
run by
the church
itself
or other
organizations.
Currently
our churches
manage
57 community
projects
providing
activities
for 38,000
visitors
each week.
More than
900 volunteers,
179 part-time
staff and
172 full
time staff
work for
these church-based
community
projects.
- Finances: Birmingham
congregations
are amongst
the poorest
in the
country
with average
incomes
of only
a little
over £12,000
but they
are also
among the
most generous.
The weekly
average tax-efficient
planned giving
by congregations
was £9.80
in 2003,
a figure
exceeded
in only
four other
dioceses.
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Strategic
Objectives
Birmingham Diocese is going through a process called Transforming Church, and parishes are working with consultants to explore Seven Areas of Transformation that will help develop each church's mission and ministry. The Diocese has set out Ten Diocesan Goals which set out the Bishops' vision to grow healthy churches at the heart of each community.
To find out more please visit the Transforming Church section of the website.
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A
Brief History
of the Diocese
of Birmingham
There
were two
driving forces
behind the
creation
of the Diocese
in 1905.
The first
was the realisation
by successive
Bishops of
Worcester
that their
Diocese (which
included
many of the
parishes
of the City
of Birmingham)
was becoming
unmanageable.
The other
was the wish
of the leaders
of the new
city that
it should
have a Bishop
and a Cathedral
to boost
its status.
Charles
Gore was
active on
behalf of
the Christian
Social Union
and, although
never a socialist
in any strict
sense of
that term,
was profoundly
convinced
that socialist
ideals could
find countenance
in the Gospels
and hoped
the Church
and the labour
movement
would share
his conviction.
On 2nd
March 1905
Dr Gore was
duly enthroned
in the Cathedral
Church (St
Philip's)
of Birmingham.
His hopes
for Birmingham
were reflected
in his first
speech as
Bishop of
Birmingham
at his enthronement:
"What
we are celebrating
is the foundation
of a city
bishopric.
Very much
of what is
best, noblest,
most beautiful,
most intellectual
in the world's
history -
in Greece,
in Italy,
in Germany,
in England,
in America,
is bound
up with the
intense life
of cities,
with men's
love for
their city,
with the
public spirit
of a city.
Indeed, when
Christianity
has to find
its ideal
for the life
of humanity
it finds
it in the
perfect city.
There is
felt by all
classes of
society in
Birmingham
a great pride
in its past.
It has become
a city with
a noble centre
and with
a fine record
of commercial,
philanthropic
and artistic
enterprise.
A sign of
corporate
feeling is
that a Birmingham
man feels
a great pride
in its local
heroes, whether
those born
here or those
who have
made their
name amongst
you and then
have set
their mark
on the great
world outside
of politics,
or art or
religion.
No city
has shown
a better
public spirit
than Birmingham
but there
is a danger
in a city,
like a church,
dwelling
on its past.
There is
a danger
of the due
succession
of men of
public spirit
failing,
a danger
that the
best men,
the men of
richest gifts
and opportunities,
may fail
to feel the
call of public
service as
their fathers
felt it.
There
are ugly
spots and
grave moral
risks in
the civic
life of Birmingham,
as of all
other cities
and like
every society
with a noble
past she
needs fresh
efforts from
all classes
of the community.
As compared
with other
bodies the
Church of
England has
not played
its proper
part in the
past in contributing
to the civic
life of Birmingham.
Our contribution
to the civic
life and
our public
witness for
righteousness
must become
more vigorous".
The Diocese
celebrated
its Centenary
Year in 2005,
led by the
then Bishop
Sentamu who
is now Archbishop
of York.
Activities
included
a ten week
mission event,
a pilgrimage
by the two
Bishops during
Lent, celebrations
for children,
young people,
older people
and the publication
a history
of the Diocese:
Celebrating
A Century
of Christ;
The Diocese
of Birmingham
1905-2005
by Canon
Dr Terry
Slater.
Since
1905 there
have been nine
Bishops of
Birmingham.
The Ninth
Bishop of
Birmingham
is the Rt
Revd David
Urquhart
who was inaugurated
on November
17th 2006
in Birmingham
Cathedral.
Click
here to
visit the
Bishop
of Birmingham
page on
this website.
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