Community of the Resurrection

What Community of the Resurrection does

The Community of the Resurrection is an Anglican monastic religious community founded in 1892 and based at the House of the Resurrection in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England. Registered as a UK charity (No. 232670) and Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 247772), the community operates with 13 employees and serves multiple constituencies: individuals seeking spiritual retreat and pilgrimage, theological students and ordinands at the College of the Resurrection (operating for over 100 years), readers and supporters purchasing from the Mirfield Bookshop, and donors contributing through gifts and legacies. The community maintains missionary presence in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The organization's core offerings span spiritual, educational, and retail services. Operationally, the community runs a retreat house with bed-and-breakfast accommodation, a theological college integrated with monastic life, a library holding over 60,000 volumes (including the Thomas Merton Society Collection and the Mirfield Collection on loan to the University of York), a bookshop offering 104 products across multiple categories, and live-streamed worship services. The bookshop combines physical retail with e-commerce via Royal Mail shipping. The community curates content from its brothers and publishes theological and devotional materials alongside branded merchandise, devotional items, and music recordings.

Revenue derives from four streams: bookshop sales (transaction-based), retreat and hospitality services (per-stay professional services), donations and legacies (recurring/charitable), and a £5/month Sponsor-a-Shelf library subscription. Pricing is unit-based for books and souvenirs ranging from £0.15 to £21.99, with subscription recurring revenue for the library scheme. The go-to-market is event-driven (retreats, courses, worship) and direct-to-consumer (bookshop), primarily through the website at mirfield.org.uk. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; financial reporting is to the UK Charity Commission.

Name

Community of the Resurrection

Legal name

Community of the Resurrection

Website

https://mirfield.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Community of the Resurrection is an Anglican monastic community founded in 1892 in Mirfield, UK, operating retreats, a theological college, a 60,000-volume library, and an online bookshop serving individuals seeking spiritual formation, ordinands, and readers of theological literature.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious/Monastic Community Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Monastic retreat services
• Theological education
• Religious bookshop
• Anglican community
• Spiritual hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Mirfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Bookshop Sales: Sale of books, devotional items, gifts, home-made crafts and produce through both physical bookshop and online store. The bookshop offers items written or specially chosen by the monks.
2. Retreat and Hospitality Services: The Community welcomes individuals and groups for retreats and pilgrimage. They offer accommodation (Bed & Breakfast), day visits, quiet days, and spiritual guidance.
3. Donations and Legacies: The organization operates as a UK Registered Charity (232670) and accepts donations, legacies, and charitable contributions through Ways of Giving program.
4. Library Fundraising: Sponsor-a-Shelf scheme where supporters contribute £5 per month by standing order to support the CR Library. Sponsors receive photos of their sponsored shelf and updates on contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Community of the Resurrection is an Anglican monastic community offering spiritual retreats, hospitality (Bed & Breakfast, quiet days), and theological education through the College of the Resurrection. It also operates the Mirfield Bookshop, selling religious books, devotional items, music CDs, prayer cards, and CR-branded souvenirs both online and at a physical store within the Retreat House. The Community sustains its work through donations, legacies, and the sale of products and services.

Product overview

The Community of the Resurrection operates primarily as a religious monastic community offering a unified portfolio of spiritual, educational, and retail services. The core offerings include the Mirfield Bookshop (selling books, music CDs, devotional items, and CR-branded souvenirs), Library Services (access to 60,000+ volumes and special collections), Retreat and Hospitality Services, Live Streaming of worship, and the College of the Resurrection for theological education. The bookshop functions as both an online retail operation and physical store within the Retreat House, offering theological books written or curated by CR Brothers, devotional items (statues, crosses, icons), music recordings, and branded merchandise. The products are distributed through the online shop with Royal Mail first class delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retreat and Hospitality Services Residential retreat facilities welcoming individuals and groups for spiritual retreat, pilgrimage, teaching, courses, and participation in worship and meals. Includes Bed & Breakfast accommodation.
• College of the Resurrection Theological college where ordinands and students live alongside the Community, benefiting from the monastic rhythm of life. The college offers academic formation integrated with spiritual development.
• Mirfield Bookshop Online and physical bookshop offering books (many written or chosen by the monks), devotional items, gifts, home-made crafts, and produce. Items are dispatched via Royal Mail first class post.
• Library Services Access to the Community Library with over 60,000+ volumes specializing in liturgy, biblical studies, church history, and theology. Includes special collections: CR Special Collection, The Mirfield Collection (on loan to University of York), and Thomas Merton Society Collection.
• Live Streaming Live streaming of worship services allowing remote participation in the Community's monastic prayer, worship, and ministry.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain and Ireland (TMSGBI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The Thomas Merton Society Collection moved to the Community of the Resurrection Library in 2023. This comprehensive collection of books pertaining to Thomas Merton's life, writings and legacy is one of the largest outside the collection at Louisville, USA, and is the home of the International Thomas Merton Society.
• Turvey AbbeyminorOthers · 1 January 2019Following the closure of St Michael's Priory, Willen in 2019, the Thomas Merton Society collection was temporarily housed at Turvey Abbey before moving to Mirfield in 2023.
• University of York LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mirfield Collection (over 2,000 books from the Community, most printed before 1800) is on permanent loan to the University of York Library. The collection contains many theological works and books from the Wilberforce family including the abolitionist William.
• Borthwick Institute for Archives at York UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Borthwick Institute for Archives at York University holds papers of Walter Frere, Lionel Thornton and others from the Community of the Resurrection, preserving important historical documents.
• Gills JoineryminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGills Joinery was commissioned for window restoration project at the House of the Resurrection - a heritage preservation initiative combining traditional craftsmanship with modern sustainability.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Beuno's Spirituality Centre: A Jesuit spirituality and retreat centre in Wales offering directed retreats, spiritual direction training, and theological formation. Comparable as a UK retreat house with structured programs and an academic/theological formation function.
• Community of the Sisters of the Church: An Anglican religious community for women engaged in education, retreat work, and pastoral ministry. Comparable as an Anglican monastic order with similar retreat, education, and worship ministry activities.
• Society of the Holy Trinity: An Anglican religious community dedicated to retreat work and spiritual direction. Directly comparable retreat-focused ministry and monastic life to the Community of the Resurrection.
• Society of the Sacred Mission (SSM): An Anglican religious community with houses in the UK and South Africa, founded in 1892 like CR, focused on mission, theological education, and community life. Directly comparable in mission scope including the South African footprint.
• Society of St. Francis (SSF): An Anglican Franciscan religious order operating friaries in the UK and abroad with retreat ministry and theological publishing. Closely comparable as an Anglican religious community with retreat houses and a publishing arm.
• Order of the Holy Cross: An Anglican Benedictine monastic order with retreat houses and a publishing program. Mirrors CR's integration of contemplative life, retreats, retreat house hospitality, and a bookshop operation.
• Mirfield Sisters of the Holy Spirit (CSMV): An Anglican religious community based at the same Mirfield site as the Community of the Resurrection, sharing the Mirfield Centre facilities and engaging in retreat and educational work. Closest possible geographic and operational peer.
• Society of St. John the Evangelist (Cowley Fathers): The Society of St. John the Evangelist is an Anglican monastic community for men, with a similarly long history of community life, retreats, and theological engagement. It is the closest direct peer to the Community of the Resurrection in terms of religious order structure and mission profile.

Emerging players

• Bede House / Bede Community: A smaller contemporary Christian community engaged in hospitality, retreat, and spiritual formation. Comparable as a Christian community offering hospitality and spiritual formation programs, though smaller and less monastic in structure.

Broad incumbents

• Order of St. Benedict (Ampleforth Abbey): A larger Catholic Benedictine monastic community running a school and retreat house in North Yorkshire. Comparable in combining monastic life, retreat ministry, and theological education at scale, with similar Yorkshire geographic positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-of-the-resurrection

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Community of the Resurrection