The Church of England has two provinces – Canterbury and York – and forty-two dioceses. These two provinces reflect the beginnings of the structure of the Church of England, following the missions of St Augustine of Canterbury from AD 597 and St Paulinus of York from AD 627. The diocese is the basic expression of the local church, as parishes, chaplaincies and other communities are gathered around their diocesan bishop. Dioceses have been established and redrawn over the centuries to reflect changing population patterns, and their areas sometimes align with county boundaries.
Archbishop Stephen is Archbishop of York, Primate of England and Metropolitan. As Archbishop, he leads and cares for the diocese of York; as Primate of England he has a national role which he shares with the Archbishop of Canterbury (who is styled Primate of All England), and as Metropolitan he has pastoral care and supervision of the bishops and dioceses of the Northern Province, which consists of the dioceses of Blackburn, Durham, Carlisle, Chester, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Sodor and Man, Southwell and Nottingham, and York. He consecrates new bishops for the Province, chairs the Commission that appoints diocesan bishops, and gathers teams that share various ministries across the Province for support and encouragement.
Archbishop Stephen’s particular initiatives include Faith in the North, a multifaceted programme that seeks to encourage a movement of prayer, storytelling, and church planting inspired by the Northern Saints.
