Want to join an adventure?
We are looking for curates to join our Diocese in 2026; a diocese of diversity, vibrancy and community.
If you are a Church of England Ordinand, and have been released by your diocese, we would love you to consider whether ministry in the Diocese of Liverpool could be for you.
If, after reading the information on this page, you are interested in exploring whether a curacy in the Diocese of Liverpool might be where God is calling you, please contact the Learning & Development Manager, Rev. Lizzy Ferguson to arrange a conversation.
Liverpool diocese is a rich and varied environment for ministry. Challenging, but incredibly rewarding. Any discernment process for you involves prayerful consideration of a range of information, so as well as some details about our IME2 training, it is helpful to know our own vision of what God is calling the Church and its ministers to be and to do in the service of Christ. Below there is further information to give you a flavour of what you may find in the Diocese of Liverpool. It will not tell you everything, so please don’t hesitate to be in touch with any questions. We also encourage you to visit us and see for yourself what Liverpool has to offer!
The Diocese of Liverpool
The Diocese of Liverpool has a population of 1.9 million (the tenth largest in the Church of England). However, it is geographically very compact – the fourth smallest at 389 square miles. It is divided into three Archdeaconries (Liverpool; Knowsley & Sefton; St Helens & Warrington), currently served by three archdeacons, each with an associate archdeacon to support them.
The diocese is predominantly urban in character. Approximately one-third of the population of the diocese live in the city of Liverpool itself, a city which has seen much regeneration and investment in recent years. There are also a number of larger towns, each with their own identity: post-industrial St Helens, Wigan and Widnes; the market town of Ormskirk; Coastal Southport and the new town of Skelmersdale; as well as part of Warrington.
The diocese is home to significant cultural tourist and shopping venues. Among other sporting venues there are two Premier League Football Clubs and four Rugby League clubs within the diocese, with those two sports particularly significant in the identities of many in the region.
The diocese is a vibrant and interesting place to live and work. However, the diocese contains areas of significant deprivation. According to the Government’s Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) many areas of the diocese are heavily disadvantaged, and we have 23 of the 100 most socially and economically deprived parishes in the country.
Our Mission
In the Diocese of Liverpool, we are asking God for a bigger church so that we can make a bigger difference: with more people knowing Jesus and more justice in the world.
When we refreshed our diocesan vision early in 2021 we named four missional priorities for our ongoing work:
- Introducing People to Jesus – by public witness, evangelism, invitation, church planting
- Deepening Discipleship – with the Diocesan Rule of Life as our measure
- Developing Christian Leaders – for the ministry of the Church both lay and ordained
- Working for Justice – through social action which serves our neighbour
Younger and more diverse
We have worked hard to make our licensed and authorised leaders younger and more diverse, tracking the numbers of UK Minority Ethnic and Global Majority Heritage (UKME-GMH) people coming through the various discernment processes, as well as the age and gender of the different cohorts. The numbers of younger and female clergy have been encouraging; the UKME-GMH numbers are building, albeit from a low base. We are aware of the need to do more in the area of diversity, including age, gender, class and disability, as well as ethnicity. We recently expanded the role of Dean of Women’s Ministry with a wider brief as Dean of Diversity.
Curacy in Liverpool Diocese
The Diocese of Liverpool commits to support and resource you in your ministry and formation during this second stage of training as best we can, through a pattern and structure of curacy that ensures you are prepared for ministry in the whole Church of England, whilst developing your own specific gifts and talents.
Purpose Statement:
A curacy in the Diocese of Liverpool forms incarnational and missional ministers for growing blended economy churches; with the capacity to serve the community.
A Bigger Church to make a Bigger Difference.
More people knowing Jesus; more justice in the world.
Values Statement:
Curacy in the Diocese of Liverpool develops ordained leaders to:
- Be excellent priest-practitioners in a variety of creative contexts
- Act as competent agents of sustained change
- Provide vision, oversight and accountability for mission and ministry
- Understand and exercise collaborative ministry for mission, building and releasing teams
- Grow missionary-minded, vocationally-enabled disciples who disciple others in every community
Our Model of Curacy
Building on a heritage of significant investment in curacy as a key resource for developing leaders of the future Church, we are continuing to shape a model for curacy to enable the best opportunities for formation and development. We have developed a simplified approach to engage with formational criteria which allow curacy to be a rigorous, supportive and transparent period of development and discernment.
In the Diocese of Liverpool, curacy is a formative journey of growth, leadership, and shared mission. Our programme of Initial Ministerial Education 2 is evolving. We have a curacy model where curates have a key relationship with both their Training Incumbent and the Curacy Manager, with regular training outside the parish, as well as intentional space for peer reflection and support.
We are intentional in placing curates within contexts that offer a rich variety of ministry experiences, with a trained and experienced supervisor, who offers guidance, encouragement, and the space to grow. We believe this kind of formation prepares curates not just for their next role, but for a lifelong, flourishing ministry. We can offer curacies in a full range of contexts – inner city, outer estate, suburban, post-industrial towns and rural, and a full mix of church traditions and theologies, and would consider your needs and preferences when arranging a curacy.
Curacies are discerned by a ‘Curacy Panel’ – a conversation between the Diocese and potential curate, to explore together any personal and ministerial development needs for curacy, to ensure offered curacies are the best context for the individual.
Core Components of a Curacy in Liverpool Diocese
Relationships
There will be three key relationships for learning for and from ministry and mission:
- Context Supervisors and Practitioners
- Peer Reflection and Accountability
- Learning Manager for Curacy
Places
There will be three key places of learning for and from ministry and mission:
- Context (usually a parish base, but includes placements)
- Gathered Curate Training (a mixture of ‘hard skills’ and character development training)
- Peer Hubs (smaller groups of 3-4 curates, who meet together to reflect, support and encourage)
Creative Potential
All curacies in Liverpool are a “Blended Economy” training post, requiring evidential continued learning of both the renewal of the inherited church and overseeing pioneering fresh expressions of church. It is recognised that an individual’s ministerial call may fit and change along a spectrum of blended economy.
Next steps:
If you are interested in exploring whether a curacy in the Diocese of Liverpool might be where God is calling you, please contact the Learning and Development Manager, Rev Lizzy Ferguson to arrange a conversation.
