{"id":4240,"date":"2019-06-05T12:52:54","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T11:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lancasterpriory.org\/?p=4240"},"modified":"2019-06-05T12:52:54","modified_gmt":"2019-06-05T11:52:54","slug":"the-major-churches-network-is-launched-in-lancaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/?p=4240","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Major Churches Network\u201d is launched in Lancaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recent meeting of the Greater Churches Network took place in Lancaster Priory, hosted by the
\nChair of the Network, The Revd Canon Chris Newlands, Vicar of Lancaster. The decision was taken
\nto rename the group as the Major Churches Network, and to adopt a new constitution. This was a
\nsignificant move and, though several questions were raised in the discussion, the vote by the
\nmembers of the Network was unanimous in favour of the change. The Greater Churches Network
\nwas therefore formally closed, and the new \u201cMajor Churches Network\u201d was formed, and its
\nInaugural General Meeting took place.<\/p>\n

The Greater Churches Network had been formed in 1991 as a support group for clergy and laity
\nwho had responsibility for churches with a \u201ccathedral-like\u201d building and ministry, but without the
\nresources available to cathedrals in the Church of England. This informal network had no formal
\nrelationship with the Church of England, but its informal nature meant that the members could
\ncome together to share best practice and bring in experts to advise on matters of importance to
\ntheir ministry and mission. Regional meetings have also been set up to allow members to meet
\ntogether for mutual support and encouragement.<\/p>\n

More recently an important study has been commissioned into \u201cMajor Parish Churches\u201d under the
\nauspices of the Church Buildings Council, the official body with overall responsibility for the Church
\nof England parish churches and chapels, together with Historic England and the National Lottery
\nHeritage Fund. This resulted in the appointment of a \u201cCathedrals and Major Churches Officer\u201d
\nwithin the CBC, and the identification of around 300 churches in England which met certain agreed
\ncriteria. These define a \u201cMajor Parish Church\u201d as having exceptional significance, being physically
\nvery large (over 1000m2 footprint), listed as Grade I, II* (or exceptionally II), open to visitors daily,
\nhaving a role or roles beyond those of a typical parish church, and making a considerable civic,
\ncultural, and economic contribution to their community.<\/p>\n

Churches in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland that meet the criteria of a Major Church are
\nwelcome to become Associate Members of the MCN, and attend the annual conferences, which
\nwill have many elements which will be relevant to their ministry and mission, even though they do
\nnot fall under the auspices of the Church of England.<\/p>\n

The new constitution was formally adopted at the General Meeting, and officers were elected, and
\na number of new members were welcomed into the Major Churches Network (MCN). All churches
\nwho are recognised as Major Churches by the CBC are eligible to join the MCN, on payment of an
\nannual subscription, if they feel that membership would be of benefit to them.
\nThe Network will meet annually, the next meeting in 2020 being a Day Conference in London
\nhosted by the Church Buildings Council, and the next residential Conference in 2021.<\/p>\n

For further information, please contact: The Revd Canon Chris Newlands (Chair)<\/p>\n

Photos of the Conference delegates in Lancaster Priory on the final day:<\/h4>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent meeting of the Greater Churches Network took place in Lancaster Priory, hosted by the Chair of the Network, The Revd Canon Chris Newlands, Vicar of Lancaster. The decision was taken to rename the group as the Major Churches Network, and to adopt a new constitution. This was a significant move and, though several […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4240\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radium-basement.com\/priory2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}