Durham Diocese

What Durham Diocese does

The Diocese of Durham is a statutory constituent diocese of the Church of England, the established church in England, serving the geographic area from the River Tyne to the River Tees across 2,530 square kilometers in North East England. It operates 209 parishes organized into 13 deaneries, 3 archdeaconries (Auckland, Durham, Sunderland), and 150 benefices, with 194 licensed clergy, 42 Readers, 384 churchwardens, and 209 Parochial Church Councils supporting ministry to a population of nearly 1.5 million people. The Diocese also oversees a Joint Education Team with the Diocese of Newcastle covering 57 church schools with approximately 17,000 students and 2,000 teaching staff across 10 Local Authorities.

Revenue is generated through Parish Giving Schemes (including the Parish Giving Scheme, contactless giving, online donations, legacy giving, and easyfundraising), voluntary parish contributions via the Diocesan Board of Finance (the statutory financial body under the Diocesan Boards of Finance Measure 1925), and professional educational services to schools. The Diocese operates a comprehensive safeguarding framework with dedicated officers, a Safeguarding Advisory Panel, and trauma-trained BACP-accredited counselling services for survivors of abuse. Its digital infrastructure comprises a diocesan website (durhamdiocese.org), a Church Edit content platform, A Church Near You parish finder, social media presence across Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, and a Parish Safeguarding Dashboard.

The Diocese is currently executing a four-pillar Diocesan Transformation programme — Growing Mission, Growing Leadership, Growing Churches, and Growing Younger — designed to reverse historic attendance decline (18.9% adult and 29.6% child fall from 2014-2019). The programme achieved a 1% attendance increase in 2024, an early positive signal in a turnaround strategy. Strategic partnerships include Durham Cathedral (Vision 2033), Communities Together Durham, Durham Foodbank, North East Churches Acting Together (NECAT), Lindisfarne College of Theology, the international Diocese of Lesotho (since 1986), and the national Church of England body. Governance is led by Bishop of Durham The Rt Revd Rick Simpson (installed June 2026), Dean The Very Revd Dr Philip Plyming (installed September 2023), and Diocesan Secretary James Morgan (appointed October 2020, formerly 13 years at KPMG Newcastle).

Name

Durham Diocese

Legal name

Diocese of Durham

Website

https://durhamdiocese.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Diocese of Durham is a Church of England diocese serving 209 parishes, 57 schools, and approximately 1.5 million people across 2,530 sq km of North East England, funded by parish giving and donations. It delivers spiritual leadership, pastoral care, education oversight, and safeguarding through a four-pillar Transformation programme reversing historic attendance decline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Religious services
• Parish governance
• Faith education
• Clergy training
• Diocesan administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Parish Giving and Donations: Parishes contribute to diocesan funds through giving schemes including Parish Giving Scheme (PGS), contactless giving, online donations, legacy giving, and easyfundraising. The diocese supports parishes with generosity and giving resources.
2. School Funding Support: The Joint Education Team covers 10 Local Authorities providing professional advice to over 100 schools and colleges within the Diocese of Newcastle and Diocese of Durham. Funding flows through educational services and support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Diocese of Durham is a Church of England religious jurisdiction providing pastoral care, worship services, and sacramental ministries (baptisms, weddings, funerals) to communities across County Durham in North East England. It also delivers institutional support to 150 benefices and 209 Parochial Church Councils (PCCs), including governance, safeguarding, clergy training and formation, and oversight of 57 diocesan schools serving 17,000 students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worship and sacramental services

Quantifiable outcome

• Attendance increasing by 1% in 2024 following transformation programme launch
• +2 more outcomes

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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Communities Together DurhamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports congregations and church leaders to engage with the Diocesan poverty agenda, responding to need through loving service, challenging injustice, welcoming refugees, and providing spaces to prevent isolation.
• Durham CathedralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 'mother' church of the Diocese, seat of the Bishop of Durham, and a focus of pilgrimage. Partners on shared mission and Vision 2033.
• Durham FoodbankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian organisation supported by the Trussell Trust working with many churches across Durham as foodbank sites to address food poverty.
• Durham Lesotho LinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThriving partnership since 1986 with the Diocese of Lesotho, pioneering new and innovative projects in international mission.
• Lindisfarne College of TheologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch of England training college in North East England preparing people for ministries of various kinds across all Christian churches.
• Mission to SeafarersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOffers practical and emotional support, and spiritual guidance to all seafarers regardless of nationality, faith or no faith. Represented at over 200 sea ports.
• North East Churches Acting Together (NECAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Intermediate Ecumenical body of Churches Together in England encouraging cooperation between churches of different denominations to support local communities.
• North East England Climate Coalition (NEECo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-sector initiative bringing the region together to tackle the climate emergency through church engagement.
• Northumbrian Industrial MissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcumenical charity providing local industry with chaplaincy resource, including Anglican chaplains in the Diocese.
• Shepherds DenecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiocesan retreat house serving the Dioceses of Durham and Newcastle, providing space to think, grow, and walk more closely with God.
• St. Antony's PrioryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian spirituality centre in Durham offering retreats and quiet days as well as spiritual accompaniment, training for spiritual directors.
• Church of EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Church of England governance providing safeguarding standards, national safeguarding policy and practice guidance, and transformation programme support.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Diocese of York: Large northern Church of England diocese covering a comparable geographic and demographic footprint in Yorkshire. Operates the same parish/deanery/archdeaconry governance structure with similar school oversight responsibilities.
• Diocese of Leeds: Church of England diocese serving West Yorkshire and the Dales. Comparable in scale, operates the same parish network / Joint Education model and shares many of the same safeguarding and training functions.
• Diocese of Lichfield: Mid-sized Church of England diocese covering the Midlands with comparable parish/school scale. Operates the same Diocesan Synod and Diocesan Board of Finance governance model with shared national safeguarding policy.
• Diocese of Chester: Church of England diocese serving Cheshire and parts of Greater Manchester. Similar in size and parish structure to Durham, with overlapping archdeaconry and deanery governance patterns.
• Diocese of Newcastle: Sister Church of England diocese sharing the Joint Education Team, communications team, and many cross-Durham operational functions. Operates the same Diocesan Synod/Bishop's Council governance model and serves an adjacent region in North East England.
• Diocese of Carlisle: Neighbouring northern Church of England diocese serving Cumbria. Operates the same Diocesan Boards of Finance governance, parish network, and church school model in a region with similar rural/deprivation characteristics.
• Diocese of Liverpool: Church of England diocese serving Merseyside with comparable scale of parishes, schools, and clergy. Shares similar urban-deprivation challenges and operates the same governance structure under the Church of England.
• Diocese of Manchester: Large Church of England diocese in the North West with comparable parish/school scale and similar deprivation profile. Operates the same Diocesan Synod and Bishop's Council governance model.
• Diocese of Blackburn: Church of England diocese covering Lancashire with similar northern-English demographic profile and comparable number of parishes and church schools. Operates the same governance and safeguarding infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Church of England: National parent body of which Durham Diocese is a constituent. Sets national safeguarding policy, transformation programme funding, and General Synod governance that Durham operates within - comparable as the institutional framework governing the Diocese.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dioceseofdurham
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@durhamdiocese9891/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/durhamdiocese
• Instagraminstagram.com/durhamdiocese
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/durham-diocese

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Durham Diocese