“One of the realities of being a leader of a church is that at times it’s really lonely and it’s really hard work,” reflects Rev Rachel Shuttleworth. Working in a Larger Single Parish (LSP) has changed that for Rachel and for many of us serving in Liverpool Diocese’s LSPs. When we look back at what ministry used to feel like, we remember the sense of carrying far too much alone.
So what is different now? Larger Single Parishes typically comprise 6 – 12 individual churches that share a PCC and work within a culture and structure of collaboration. Church Officers function as subcommittees of the PCC, and clergy meet weekly as a Clergy Leadership Team. Each church has its own Mission Plan focused on its local community, while also contributing to the overarching Mission Plan of the Larger Single Parish.
Resilience and renewed energy from Clergy Leadership Teams
As Rev Aaron Dunne in Church St Helens explains, “We meet together every week and although it’s a commitment there’s so much you get out of that – camaraderie, sharing ideas, support, and just really realising you’re not on your own.”
That rhythm deepens our relationships and strengthens our resilience. As Rev Lynne Powell says, “If ever I’ve got any queries about buildings or worship or anything else, I know I can go to somebody on the team… I don’t think I could do this without them.” And it’s not just the practical help – it’s the depth of relationship that means we support one another. As Rev Kirsty Fazakerley puts it, “We’re not in competition… we’re happy when something good happens in another church… and when something’s not going well we have each other’s back.”
Sometimes simply having a shared priority gives one of us the energy and confidence to act. As Rachel says, “Setting school planting as a shared priority gave me the kick to have the conversation… they bit my hand off… and we quickly had twelve children and fifteen adults… it’s such a joy.”
Sharing the load and doing what we do best
Another transformative part of life in a Larger Single Parish has been portfolio working. Instead of each of us trying to be experts in everything (and sometimes failing quietly), portfolios allow us to lean into our strengths, with clergy and lay leaders serving across all our churches. One of us may be passionate about youth and children’s work, another about eco church, another about schools, worship, or pastoral care. We no longer have to carry everything. We get to do what we each do best – and the whole parish flourishes.
Rev Helen Edwards, Team Rector at Christ Our Hope Liverpool, explains, “We have portfolios for different things. So, there may just be one person in a church who’s really interested, for instance, in Eco church, but connect them up with somebody else, and you begin to get more of a sense of momentum.”
Rev Kate Johnson, curate in Christ Our Hope Liverpool, illustrates, “I’m involved in the children and youth and families portfolio. Because we have that specific focus, we encourage prayer, we meet once a half term. We’ve done collaborative things across the parish, including a youth residential which included three different churches.” This took twenty young people on the residential from three churches – something none could have done alone.
Church Officers working together
Collaboration isn’t only for clergy. Our Larger Single Parishes have teams of Wardens, Parish Safeguarding Officers, and Finance Officers who are no longer isolated. There’s been a huge upskilling of individual Officers, as they’ve shared learning and grown together. Rachel has watched her own Church Officers come alive: “They feel revitalised… excited about their role… supported.” Rev Will Gibbons notes, “my experience has been it’s been easier to recruit people to vacancies when they know that they’re working alongside others who can help them to develop, to learn.”
A commitment to mutual flourishing
Our culture of collaboration is underpinned by a shared passion for introducing people to Jesus. As expressed by Will, “We want that in all of our churches, we don’t just want one big church that will drain the resource of all the other churches around it. We want that in every patch of this parish.” And by Claire, “We want incarnational growth and ministry in each place that represents the cultures of the people that live there.”
This structure and culture of collaboration is summed up Rev Becca Cottrell, “Working in a wider team, for me, is a huge positive. Not only does it mean there is a far broader bank of experience and support to draw from, but we are able to do our jobs as parish priests better as a result”.
If we could say one thing to other clergy considering a move, it would be this:
You don’t have to do this alone. There is a way of ministering that is sustainable, joyful, creative, and deeply missional. As Rachel reminds us: “We don’t have to do it on our own. I don’t think Jesus wants us to do it on our own.”
You can find out more about Larger Single Parishes here.
