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SEE OF RAMSBURY CONSULTATION

AUTUMN 2011

THE DIOCESE OF SALISBURY

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Our story

• 705 – Aldhelm first Bishop of the Diocese of Sherborne (Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall)

• 909 – Aethelstan first Bishop of the Diocese of Ramsbury (Wiltshire and Berkshire)

• 1075 – Herman Bishop both of Ramsbury and Sherborne, made Bishop of (Old)Sarum (Wiltshire and Dorset)

• 1220-1258 – New cathedral built at New Sarum

• 1925 – See of Sherborne revived as suffragan of Salisbury• 1974 – See of Ramsbury revived as suffragan of Salisbury

• 2010 – Bishop Stephen Conway (Bishop of Ramsbury from 2006) leaves to become Bishop of Ely

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The Diocese

• 7th largest in England in area (2000 square miles)• 880 000 people• 95% of Dorset• 75% of Wiltshire• Poole• 40% of Bournemouth• Parts of west Hampshire• Hawkchurch (Devon!)

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The Diocese has...

• 3 Bishops – Salisbury, Sherborne, Ramsbury (Ramsbury vacant since Dec 2010)

• 1 Cathedral• 4 Archdeaconries – Sarum, Sherborne, Dorset, Wilts

(Wilts vacant from Dec 2011)• 19 Deaneries• 458 parishes• 203 Church schools• 490 Licensed ministers (of whom 179 are paid clergy,

and 110 are Licensed Lay Ministers)• 576 places of worship (87% Grade 1 or 2* listed)

5 The Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, 78th Bishop of Salisbury

6 The Bishop of Sherborne, The Dean of Salisbury, The Bishop of Salisbury

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The Bishops with the Dean, the Diocesan Secretary and the Archdeacons

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Diocesan Organisation

Bishop of Salisbury

Bishop of Sherborne Bishop of Ramsbury

Archdeaconry of Sherborne

Archdeaconry of Dorset

Archdeaconry of Sarum

Archdeaconry of Wilts

Deanery x 4Lyme BayDorchesterWeymouthSherborne

Deanery x 5Purbeck

Milton & BlandfordWimborne

Blackmore ValePoole

Deanery x 4SalisburyAlderbury

StonehengeChalke

Deanery x 6DevizesBradford

CalneHeytesburyMarlborough

Pewsey

Parish x 116 Parish x 128 Parish x 84 Parish x 124

Diocesan Synod

Deanery Synod

Parochial Church Council

The Dean Diocesan Secretary

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The Diocese is...

• People serving God in their local communities:

• 27 000 weekly churchgoers• 130 000 churchgoers at Christmas and Easter

• Who amongst many other things.....

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Work to bring people together

Support the poor

Provide employment

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Educate 40 000 children

Support our rural communities

Pray with our Armed Forces and others

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Support the Church in Sudan

Engage in positive action

13 And offer worship

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More information:More information:www.salisbury.anglican.orgwww.salisbury.anglican.org

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The Bishop of Salisbury...

• Is assisted in his bishop’s duties (confirmation, ordination, licensing of ministers) by the Bishop of Sherborne, and has been by the Bishop of Ramsbury

• Shares his leadership of the ministers and congregations, his oversight of church buildings, and his inter-action with the wider community with the four Archdeacons

• We are consulting across the communities of the Diocese to help us decide whether we should ask the Church of England to permit us to appoint a replacement Bishop of Ramsbury

• To do that we need to assess the joint working of the bishops and archdeacons

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Please tell us...

• What difference does having a bishop make to you, and to local and national life?

• What difference does having an archdeacon make to you, and to local and national life?

• What would you want them to prioritize?

• How do you think bishops and archdeacons might best work in the Diocese following the dismantling of the Episcopal Area Scheme?

• Should a bishop of Ramsbury be appointed?

• If the Church of England decided in the next 5 years that dioceses ought to pay for their suffragan bishops, would this affect your decision?

• Do you have any other comments?

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Any Questions?