Introduction to the

1

1. Where are we? Context

History Coventry Diocese sits in the centre of (the precise location of which is variously identified as being Meriden or Lillington). In ancient times, it was split between the ‘Arden’ in the north, and the ‘Feldon’ in the south, consisting of woods and open fields respectively. In the later was rich farming and sheep-rearing country, and while Coventry grew rapidly in the 14th Century to become one of the four largest cities in England, noted for its trademark ‘true blue’ cloth. Some of the earliest parliaments were held in the city, commemorated in the stained glass of St Mary’s hall. From medieval splendour, the city later declined as the cloth industry collapsed in the early 16th century. Coventry and Warwickshire became places of cottage industries and agriculture, portrayed in the work of -born author – whose great novel Middlemarch (1872) is set in a fictionalised Coventry in the early 1830s. The industrial revolution dominated nearby but did not affect Coventry

2 until its second stage in the late 19th and early 20th Century. New technologies were developed in the city, beginning with sewing machines, then , then and, by the 1920s, aircraft. The rapid rise of Coventry as an industrial centre reversed the ancient Arden/Feldon split. Large parts of rural Warwickshire were wooded from the early 1800s onwards, while the forests of the north of the were cleared and built on. Coal mines opened in from the late 1850s, and one, Daw Mill, closed as late as 2013. From a boom city in the 1960s, Coventry suffered economic collapse in the 1980s, but regeneration followed in the 2000s as the city turned from manufacturing to service industries. North Warwickshire echoed these trends, while South Warwickshire remained relatively unaffected. Research in 2010 suggested that the national ‘North-South divide’ is real, and runs through the centre of the diocese, distinguishing North Warwickshire and Coventry from South Warwickshire.1 This poses both challenges and opportunities for Christian ministry in the diocese, with parishes in the post-industrial north serving a different context from those in the relatively affluent south.

1 See http://www.dannydorling.org/wp- content/files/dannydorling_publication_id2881.pdf.

3

Population & Housing The Diocese covers all of Coventry City, most of the county of Warwickshire, and a small part of MBC. In the 2011 census the population was around 890,000, of whom 554,000 lived in Warwickshire, 330,000 in Coventry).

Coventry was the fastest growing city outside & SE in 2015, figures based on 2% annual population growth, mostly by migration from outside the UK, making it the 12th largest city in UK, and the 9th in England. 27% of Coventry’s citizens were born outside the UK (up from 15.5% in 2005), and 8% of Warwickshire citizens. The national average was 13.4%.

75,000 new homes are planned to be built in the area by 2030, which will add 180,000 people to the existing population. 714 hectares of new employment land are expected to come into use by 2030 (the equivalent of about 650 arenas).

4

5

Ethnicity In terms of ethnicity, Warwickshire and Coventry present a contrast. In Warwickshire, overall, 88% of the population classified themselves as ‘’ in 2011 (from 93% in 2001); 12% non- ‘white British’; and 5% Asian/Asian British (of the latter category, North Warwickshire was 4%, and 17%). Amongst schoolchildren, 85% were classified ‘white British’ in 2015, 5% Asian/Asian British, 4% of mixed ethnicity, and 4% ‘’.

In Coventry, overall, 67% were ‘white British’ in 2013; 15% Asian/Asian British; 6% Black/Black British (two-thirds identified as ‘Black African’); and 2% of mixed ethnicity. Amongst schoolchildren in Coventry, 56% were classified as ‘white British’; 6% of mixed ethnicity; 19% Asian/Asian British; 8% Black/Black British, 6% Black African. Almost a third (31%) of Coventry schoolchildren speak a non-English language as their first language, and at least 39 first languages are spoken in Coventry schools; the most popular are: Panjabi (5%), Urdu (3.5%) Polish (3%), Bengali (1.5%), Somali (1%), Tamil (1%) and Gujurati (1%).

Occupations In Coventry and Warwickshire in 2015, 431,000 people were employed, representing 76% of 16-64 year olds. The breakdown of these occupations is:  43% managers, professional occupations (35% Coventry) 22% admin and skilled (22%)  14% Personal services (19%)  20% operatives & elementary (25%) The unemployment rate overall was 3%, but 7% in Coventry.

6

Advanced manufacturing and engineering employs 34,000 people in Coventry and Warwickshire, and these workers make up 10% of full-time employment. This sector includes leading brands such as Jaguar Land (JLR) and Aston Martin. Coventry has become a global hub in developing low carbon technologies and driverless vehicles.

The area is also a centre for ‘gaming technology’, and there are 30 companies in this field in the Leamington- area alone (which has been nicknamed ‘Silicon Spa’). Professional and Business Services, especially Banking, are strongly represented in the area.

In recent decades there has been significant growth in the number of higher education students in the area, many of whom live in the Leamington/Warwick area as well as in Coventry, where the universities of Warwick (rated 8th in the 2017 Complete University Guide) and Coventry (50th in CUG, but 15th in The Guardian) are based. The two universities have around 50,000 students.

7

Tourism The area also has significant tourism, with medieval castles at Warwick and , national motor museums at , and the in Coventry which is the home ground for Wasps Rugby – Coventry City FC are currently not playing there due to contractual disputes. The Arena hosted some Olympic events in 2012 and is a regular venue for music events. Stratford is a major international tourist hub and receives more than 5m worldwide visitors per year.

Coventry eagerly anticipates being UK City of Culture 2021, in which the will play a major part and much investment has been attracted in preparation.

8

Religion In the 2011 census, 54% of the population of Coventry identified as Christian, down from 65% in 2001; the baseline for the UK as a whole was 59%. 23% claimed ‘no religion’, up from 15% in 2001; UK overall, 25%. The Muslim population was 7.5%; from 4% 2001; UK, 4.5%. were 5%, a very slight increase from 2001, and represented the other major faith group, at 3.5%, up from 2.6% in 2001. At least 11 other religions were identified in the census returns, including 359 Pagans.

Warwickshire was much less diverse in religious terms, with 65% identifying as Christian, 24% with no religion, and 2% Sikh, 1% Muslim, and 1% Hindu.

9

2. Who are we? Church

Origins Coventry was linked with as a medieval diocese which, unusually, had two . The Coventry one was destroyed at the Reformation. The archdeaconry of Coventry was part of Coventry and Lichfield diocese, which eventually became just Lichfield; the archdeaconry of Warwick was part of the diocese of Worcester, and in 1836 Coventry was also transferred to Worcester.

In 1918, in view of the growth in population, Coventry separated from Worcester to become a new diocese in its own right, part of the Church of England’s belated reaction to the Industrial Revolution.

In 2018 the diocese celebrated the centenary of its re- foundation.

10

Coventry Diocese Today The diocese today consists of 11 deaneries, 122 benefices and 199 parishes. There are 167 licensed clergy , and of these 48 (29%) are self-supporting and 119 (71%) stipendiary.

There are 240 churches (defined as congregations which meet in their own Church of England building), and 199 (83%) of these meet in listed buildings, of which 131 (55%) have Grade I or Grade II* status.

In the 2011 census, 512,000 people identified as Christians, and the Electoral Roll count across the diocese is 15,200. At Christmas 2015, 41,300 people attended churches in the diocese, and the average all age attendance across the diocese in 2015 was 15,000 people weekly, and 12,500 people on Sundays. The average children’s attendance was 2,100 weekly, and 1800 on Sundays.

11

3. Why are we? Purpose

The mission purpose of the Diocese of Coventry is “worshipping God, making new disciples, transforming communities”.

With an emphasis on reconciliation, Christopher has described the working out of this statement across the diocese as seeing: “The reconciling love of God in Jesus Christ manifested in Christian Communities that worship God, make new disciples and transform the communities around them.”

To achieve this and associated church growth, the diocese has already agreed a strategy which focuses on the development of the 8 Essential Qualities (8EQ’s), identified by Natural Church Development (NCD) principles, across all aspects of church and diocesan life. NCD have identified that where all of the 8EQ’s are strong in churches and worshipping communities, they will become healthier, flourish, and grow.

However, the diocese is a complex entity which reaches out to all the people of Warwickshire and Coventry in its Mission Purpose through a number of bodies and organisations, not just churches. Whole Diocese is therefore an integrated strategy for the diocese which, while recognising the individual distinctiveness of each member of the diocesan

12 family, has identified a number of priorities which will form the focus for the allocation of diocesan resources including, people, money and prayer.

The Bishop’s Council has endorsed these six strategic priorities:  Making the gospel known throughout the Diocese so people become followers of Christ.  Strengthening the health of churches and organisations across the diocese in the 8 Essential Qualities identified by NCD.  Enabling the wellbeing, development and flourishing of clergy and lay people across the Whole Diocese  Equipping the whole diocese for the work of reconciliation.  Promoting life-long Christian learning and education across the Whole Diocese.  Delivering positive community transformation.

The Whole Diocese includes:  Churches  Schools  Cathedral  Chaplaincies working together to worship God, make new disciples and transform communities.

13

The Diocese of and Diocesan Offices 1 Hilltop Coventry CV1 5AB

14