Oxford Diocese

What Oxford Diocese does

Woughton Ecumenical Partnership (WEP) is a registered charity (Charity Commission for England and Wales, no. 1172298) operating five churches across the Woughton Parish in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK. Founded in 1975 as the first Ecumenical Parish in Milton Keynes, it combines Church of England, Methodist, United Reformed Church, and Baptist traditions, with links to the Roman Catholic congregation. The partnership serves a parish population of approximately 28,000 residents across Coffee Hall, Fishermead, Simpson, Woolstone, and Woughton-on-the-Green, organized under a single constitution adopted on 18 October 2016.

WEP's core offerings span traditional worship services, life-event ceremonies (weddings with fees between £550 and £804, baptisms, funerals), and an expanding portfolio of community programs including the ABC adults-babies-children group (£3 per child), the Admiral Nurses Dementia Drop-In, Community Larder food distribution, and two community cafes (TrapeVine at Christ the Vine and Community Cafe at Trinity Fishermead). The technology footprint is modest: a church website with online Zoom-based service participation and weekly Zoom-based Bible study (Study Vine house group). Historic buildings dating to the 13th century, including a font over 1,000 years old at Holy Trinity Woolstone and 1743 bells at St Mary's, form significant intangible assets.

Revenue is generated through voluntary donations and tithes (primary stream), wedding and ceremony fees, room hire to community groups, and small user charges for community programs. The organization operates with 21 employees, is governed by trustees and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bishop of Buckingham, the Parochial Church Council, and the WEP Trustees, and has no parent company. Distribution is primarily through five physical worship centers, supplemented by Zoom streaming and Facebook pages for individual churches. No financial figures are disclosed in the input data, though 2023 and 2025 Annual Report and Accounts PDFs are referenced.

Name

Oxford Diocese

Legal name

Woughton Ecumenical Partnership

Website

https://woughton.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Woughton Ecumenical Partnership is a registered charity operating five ecumenical churches in the Milton Keynes area, serving a parish population of approximately 28,000 residents with worship services, life-event ceremonies, and community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Pastoral care
• Ecumenical worship
• Life ceremonies
• Community ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton Keynes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Tithes: Voluntary donations from congregation members and the wider community supporting church operations and charitable activities
2. Wedding Services: Fees for wedding ceremonies ranging from £550 to £804 depending on requirements, including organist, bell ringers, video permissions, and flower arrangements
3. Baptism and Naming Services: No charge for Baptism services; £45 fee for Thanksgiving Naming Blessing services when organ and organist required
4. Room Hire: Church facilities available for hire to community groups

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The entity operates a network of five ecumenical (Anglican-Methodist) churches in Milton Keynes delivering weekly worship services, life-event ceremonies (weddings, christenings, funerals), pastoral care, and community outreach programs. It also makes church halls and spaces available for private event hire to the public.

Product overview

Oxford Diocese's Woughton Ecumenical Partnership operates as a network of five churches in the Milton Keynes area, offering traditional religious services including weekly worship, baptisms, weddings, and funerals. The organization provides community programs such as the ABC children's group, dementia support through Admiral Nurses, food access via Community Larder, and social cafes. Founded in 1975 as an ecumenical parish combining Church of England, Methodist, United Reformed Church, and Baptist traditions, the partnership serves diverse areas including Coffee Hall, Fishermead, Simpson, Woolstones, and Woughton-on-the-Green.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Christ the Vine Community Church: Church located in Jonathans, Coffee Hall serving Leadenhall, Beanhill, and Netherfield areas
• St Mary's Woughton
• St Thomas' Simpson
• Trinity Fishermead
• Holy Trinity, Woolstone

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoughton Ecumenical Partnership has adopted the Methodist Safeguarding Policy and operates under the national Methodist Church Safeguarding Policy framework. The partnership includes members from the Methodist Church denomination.
• Bucks Historic Churches TrustminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSt Thomas' church participates in the annual Ride + Stride fundraising event for Bucks Historic Churches Trust (charity no. 206471).
• MK Salvation ArmyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint carol concert with MK Salvation Army band featuring bring-and-share supper, with collection for Salvation Army (charity no. 214779) and St Thomas' funds.
• Milton Keynes Admiral Nurse ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdmiral Nurses Drop-In Centre operating first and third Wednesdays at church premises, providing support for families facing dementia. Contact through Milton Keynes Clinical Lead Admiral Nurse.
• Willen HospiceminorOthersCommunity donations raised for Willen Hospice. Holy Trinity Woolstone donated £100 from carol concert proceeds.
• North Bucks Branch of Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell RingersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBell ringers practice and activities affiliated with the North Bucks Branch of the Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers.
• Prison Fellowship - Angel TreeminorOthersCoffee morning proceeds donated to Angel Tree program (part of Prison Fellowship, charity no. 1102254).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Church Urban Fund: Church of England charity funding community outreach projects in disadvantaged areas - WEP's Community Larder, ABC children's group, and community cafes operate in similar territory. Represents a peer grant-making body and operational model for faith-based community services in areas like Woughton.
• Alzheimer's Society: Major UK dementia support charity providing services overlapping with WEP's Admiral Nurses Drop-In Centre. Comparable in operating dementia support services and similar in reliance on volunteer-staffed local delivery models.
• Trussell Trust: UK food bank network operating community food distribution - directly comparable to WEP's Community Larder at Trinity Fishermead. Represents the specialist secular provider that complements or competes with church-based food relief efforts.
• National Churches Trust: UK charity that funds heritage church building repairs and maintenance. Directly relevant ecosystem partner for WEP's five historic church buildings facing the same heritage maintenance challenge.

Direct peers

• Churches Together in Britain and Ireland: National ecumenical body that supports Local Ecumenical Partnerships (LEPs) across the UK. The most direct peer organization to WEP, providing the framework, resources, and advocacy for the multi-denominational model that WEP pioneered locally.

Broad incumbents

• Baptist Union of Great Britain: Fourth denominational partner in WEP, with autonomous Baptist churches operating in similar community and worship patterns across the UK. Comparable small-church operating model with similar funding streams from donations and ceremony fees.
• Diocese of Oxford: Anglican diocese covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire where Woughton Ecumenical Partnership is situated. WEP operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bishop of Oxford's area, making this the regional governance incumbent for the same congregation base.
• Church of England: Established state church and the largest denomination in WEP's ecumenical partnership. Operates 16,000+ parishes across England with similar worship, weddings, baptisms, funerals, and community outreach - the broader incumbent against which local ecumenical partnerships must position.
• The Methodist Church in Britain: National Methodist Church; WEP has adopted the Methodist Safeguarding Policy and incorporates Methodist members. Methodist circuits operate similar multi-church parish models across the UK, making this a direct denominational incumbent for one of WEP's four constituent traditions.
• United Reformed Church: One of the four denominations forming WEP's ecumenical partnership. Operates similar local churches with worship and community ministry across England, providing a denominational counterpart for one of WEP's constituent traditions and similar small-church operating economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HolyTrinityChurch.Woolstone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oxford-diocese

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 →

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