The Diocese of Peterborough

What The Diocese of Peterborough does

The Diocese of Peterborough is a charitable religious organization of the Church of England, founded in 1541, that provides spiritual, pastoral, educational, and administrative services across Northamptonshire, northern Peterborough, and Rutland. It serves a resident population of just under one million through a network of 348 parishes and 379 churches, organized into two archdeaconries and twelve deaneries. The Diocese supports a worshipping community of over 20,000 people (with around 12,000 attending Sunday services), approximately 200 licensed clergy, a similar number of lay ministers, and 103 Church of England schools and academies (3 secondary and 100 primary) reaching almost 20,000 pupils aged 4-18. It is governed by the Diocesan Bishop (currently the Right Reverend Debbie Sellin, 39th Bishop, installed March 2024), two archdeacons, a Diocesan Synod, and a Bishop's Council, with operational leadership from Diocesan Secretary/CEO Russ Beese.

The Diocese operates from two offices - The Palace in Peterborough (headquarters) and Bouverie Court in Northampton (Mission and Ministry Centre) - alongside Peterborough Cathedral as its mother church and Launde Abbey as a shared retreat house with the Diocese of Leicester. Its service portfolio includes pastoral and life-event ministry (baptisms, weddings, funerals, confirmations), clergy formation and vocation (Ministry Experience Scheme for 18-30 year olds, ordination pipeline), parish support (mission and growth, generous giving, stewardship, environmental programs including Net Zero Carbon by 2030), historic buildings stewardship (Diocesan Advisory Committee), and a substantial education function via the Church Schools Team providing SIAMS inspections, RE advisory, collective worship support, and school governance.

The Diocese functions as a non-profit, with revenue primarily generated through voluntary Parish Share contributions from parishes, the Parish Giving Scheme (Direct Debit donations), the Parish Buying collective purchasing scheme, voluntary donations to the Bishop's Charity, and grants (e.g., Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust). Distribution occurs through parish-level clergy in 348 parishes, dedicated specialist teams (Mission, Education, Safeguarding, Generous Giving, Environment, Children & Youth), Diocesan Synod governance channels, and digital touchpoints including CrossKeys newsletter, Cycle of Prayer, a Find a Church/School locator, a Clergy Vacancies Portal, and active social channels on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Name

The Diocese of Peterborough

Legal name

The Diocese of Peterborough

Website

https://peterborough-diocese.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Diocese of Peterborough is a 1541-founded Church of England diocese serving Northamptonshire, Peterborough, and Rutland through 348 parishes, 379 churches, ~200 clergy, and 103 schools, delivering pastoral, educational, and administrative services to a worshipping community of over 20,000.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Organisation Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

Keywords

• Anglican diocese services
• Parish ministry support
• Church school governance
• Clergy formation training
• Ecclesiastical administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Peterborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Parish Share Contributions: Parish contributions support clergy and lay ministers, schools and chaplaincies, safeguarding, and the care of church buildings. Parishes contribute to the common fund enabling ministry to flourish across the whole diocese.
2. Parish Giving Scheme: The Parish Giving Scheme manages Direct Debit donations for churches to fund their mission and ministry. Also includes Cornerstone online generosity tool.
3. Donations and Offerings: Voluntary donations from worshippers and the wider community supporting diocesan mission and charitable activities including the Bishop's Charity.
4. Parish Buying Scheme: Collective purchasing scheme allowing parishes to buy together and save together on common supplies and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Diocese of Peterborough is an Anglican ecclesiastical organization that provides spiritual oversight, pastoral ministry, and administrative support to 348 parishes and 379 churches across Northamptonshire, northern Peterborough, and Rutland. It supports approximately 200 licensed clergy and lay ministers, oversees 103 Church of England schools, offers formation and vocation programmes, and delivers parish support services covering mission, generous giving, safeguarding, environmental initiatives, and historic church buildings.

Product overview

The Diocese of Peterborough operates as a traditional ecclesiastical organization within the Church of England, providing religious and administrative services to 348 parishes and 379 churches across Northamptonshire, Peterborough, and Rutland. Rather than a unified technology product, the Diocese offers a collection of interconnected services including the Find a Church and Find a Church School locator tools (powered by OpenStreetMap), digital publications (Cycle of Prayer, CrossKeys newsletter, Magazine Resource), a Clergy Vacancies Portal, the Ministry Experience Scheme for young adults, the Flourish school-church partnership program, and various parish support services covering mission, generous giving, environmental initiatives, and church schools administration. The Diocese is led by Bishop Debbie Sellin (39th Bishop of Peterborough) and serves approximately 20,000 worshippers with over 100 church schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Peterborough Cathedral: Mother church of the Diocese of Peterborough

Products and services

• Find a Church (ACNY) A church locator tool allowing users to search for churches by location or postcode, featuring an interactive map powered by OpenStreetMap. For the general public and worshippers seeking a local parish.
• Find a Church School A directory tool for finding Church of England schools within the Diocese boundaries. For parents seeking faith-based education for their children.
• Clergy Vacancies Portal A listing service for clergy roles including full-time stipendiary, part-time stipendiary, house for duty, children/youth/families, other parish roles, and diocesan positions. For clergy seeking appointments and parishes recruiting.
• Ministry Experience Scheme A voluntary internship year offering ministry experience, theological development, practical training, and mentoring for young adults exploring calling, with a weekly allowance of £156 for those aged 18-30. For young adults considering ordained or lay ministry.
• Flourish A national pilot program developing worshipping communities in schools, partnering church and school communities for intergenerational faith development. For church schools and their wider parish communities.
• Mission Team Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,000 people in worshipping community
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Anglican Church of Korea / Diocese of SeoulflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011International diocesan link with the Anglican Church of Korea. A declaration of intent was signed in June 2011 at Peterborough Cathedral by Bishop Donald and Bishop Paul (Primate of the Anglican Church of Korea and Bishop of Seoul). The link includes annual exchange visits, parish links, and cultural exchange between bishops, priests and laity. Since 2016 the link has widened to include dioceses of Busan and Daejeon.
• Peterborough CathedralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeterborough Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese. The Dean of Peterborough chairs the governing body of the Cathedral (Chapter) and is part of the Bishop's Management Group.
• Launde AbbeycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Diocese shares its retreat house with the Diocese of Leicester. Launde Abbey provides a space for retreat and reflection for clergy and laypeople.
• Peterborough Diocese Education Trust (PDET)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPDET is a multi-academy trust formed by the Peterborough Diocese Board of Education as a natural home for church schools in the Peterborough Diocese that wish to become an academy and part of a MAT.
• Light Project PeterboroughflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLight Project Peterborough (LPP) is the Bishop's Charity for 2026, supported by the Diocese as a focus for charitable giving and community engagement.
• Mothers' UnionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMothers' Union in the Diocese of Peterborough includes the northern part of Peterborough, the whole of Northamptonshire and Rutland. The Mothers' Union has had a link with the Korean church prior to the wider diocesan link.
• Northamptonshire Historic Churches TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Trust offers grants to churches of all denominations in Northamptonshire to support the maintenance and preservation of historic church buildings.
• Peterborough Diocesan Guild of Church BellringersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization supporting church bellringing traditions across the diocese.
• Peterborough Anglican CursillominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCursillo is a movement established within Anglican dioceses to support Christian faith and behaviours, providing weekend experiences and ongoing group support.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Diocese of Salisbury: Church of England diocese with a particularly large heritage church estate, comparable to Peterborough's 379 listed buildings. Honorary Assistant Bishop Ed Condry was previously Area Bishop of Ramsbury in Salisbury.
• Diocese of Norwich: Church of England diocese covering Norfolk with one of the highest parish-to-clergy ratios in the CofE, making it a strong structural comparable. Honorary Assistant Bishop Jonathan Meryick was previously Suffragan Bishop of Lynn in Norwich.
• Diocese of Lincoln: Neighboring East Midlands Church of England diocese with a comparable number of parishes across a largely rural territory. Chris Dalliston previously served as Vicar in Lincolnshire, making it a natural peer for structural and demographic comparison.
• Diocese of Ely: Neighboring Church of England diocese covering Cambridgeshire with similar rural-urban parish mix and Fenland geography. Bishop Debbie Sellin's Missioner Becky Dyball previously served as Rector in Ely Diocese, evidencing direct personnel crossover.
• Diocese of Leicester: Adjacent Church of England diocese that co-shares Launde Abbey retreat house with Peterborough. Directly comparable in size, structure, governance under CofE canons, and mix of urban (Leicester) and rural deaneries, making it the closest operational peer.
• Diocese of Oxford: Church of England diocese of comparable size with strong church school footprint and university-town demographics. Honorary Assistant Bishop Andrew Proud was previously Area Bishop of Reading in the Diocese of Oxford.
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton: Catholic diocese covering broadly overlapping territory (Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire), serving as the principal inter-denominational peer for population-scale ministry comparison within the same geography.
• The Methodist Church in Britain: National Protestant denomination organised via regional districts, comparable in mission, congregational governance, and reliance on volunteer clergy and lay preachers. Useful cross-denominational peer for stewardship and formation program comparison.
• Diocese of Coventry: Mid-sized Church of England diocese in the West Midlands with comparable urban-rural parish balance and active education programme. Honorary Assistant Bishop John Stroyan was previously Bishop of Warwick in the Diocese of Coventry.

Broad incumbents

• Diocese of York: Large northern Church of England diocese operating at greater scale than Peterborough, providing a reference point for a more extensive provincial-level governance model across multiple suffragan bishops. Useful benchmark for upper-scale operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Peterborodio
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/peterboroughdiocese
• Facebookfacebook.com/peterboroughdiocese
• Instagraminstagram.com/peterboroughdiocese
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diocese-of-peterborough

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Diocese of Peterborough