St Mary’s members are invited to take part in a consultation on proposals to revitalise deaneries in the Diocese and there is an open invitation to hear a presentation at the next deanery synod in Sandiway on 22 September.
You can find all the information about what the Diocese is proposing here:
Deanery Revitalisation | Chester Diocese
These proposals are intended to:
- Release and encourage mission and ministry, not to constrain or curtail it.
- Give more missional purpose and focus to Deaneries to enable them to encourage, shape and develop individual and collaborative mission in their local context
- Provide the framework in which we can
o share the load of mission and ministry with others, and
o encourage and inspire each other with stories, learning and wisdom drawn from what God is doing amongst us.
The Diocese wants congregations to engage with the consultation pack and help refine proposals so they are fit for purpose in our specific context.
Taking part in the consultation
Contributions to the consultation can be made as follows:
- Online: using this Deanery Revitalisation Consultation Form
- By Email/Post: using this Deanery Revitalisation Downloadable Survey
o Either: complete electronically and email to strategy@chester.anglican.org
o Or: print out, fill in, and send to:
Strategy Team – Deanery Revitalisation Consultation
Church House, 5500 Daresbury Park, Warrington, WA4 4GE.
Finding out more
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions section on the Diocesan website.
They are also holding three Zoom meetings where you can hear more and ask questions.
Thu 10 Sep – 10am Wed 16 Sep – 2pm
Diocesan Synod meets on 26 Sep 2026 and will discuss these proposals. The deadline for questions is 18 Sep 2026. These should be sent to your Deanery representatives (e.g. Jerry Marshall), so they can be collated and submitted by your local Diocesan Synod representatives.
Join us as we pray for this process
Throughout the consultation period we will be meeting online once a week (at varying times and days of the week) to pray. You can find information about how to register to receive the links to join these meetings here.
Getting in touch
If you have any immediate queries or concerns, do get in touch with the Strategy team.
The best email to respond to is strategy@chester.anglican.org as this is monitored regardless of various annual leave commitments.
if you’ve not already signed up to the e-bulletin (a weekly update of information and good news stories from around the diocese) head to this link to find out more: E-Bulletin | Chester Diocese
Meanwhile, church members are invited to a Middlewich Deanery Synod meeting on Tuesday 22nd September at 7:30pm (drinks etc from 7:00pm). The strategy team will be presenting. The meeting is at St John’s Church Hall, 51 Norley Road, Sandiway CW8 2JX.
Useful documents:
Middlewich_Deanery_Briefing_Deanery_Revitalisation Consultation Documents – Published (v2)
