Anglican Diocese of Liverpool

For the Catholic diocese, see Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool.

The diocese of Liverpool is a diocese of the Church of England in North West England. The diocese covers Merseyside north of the River Mersey, south-west Lancashire, western Greater Manchester, and part of northern Cheshire. Liverpool Cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Liverpool, currently John Perumbalath, and the diocesan offices are also located in Liverpool.^[1] The bishop is assisted by one suffragan bishop, the bishop of Warrington.

Diocese of Liverpool Dioecesis Liverpolitana
Coat of arms
Location
Ecclesiastical province	York
Archdeaconries	Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton, St Helens and Warrington
Statistics
Parishes	211
Churches	257
Information
Cathedral	Liverpool Cathedral
Language	English
Current leadership
Bishop	John Perumbalath, Bishop of Liverpool (on leave) The Bishop of Wigan, Interim Bishop of Liverpool
Suffragan	Bev Mason, Bishop of Warrington (on leave) Ruth Worsley, Bishop of Wigan (interim bishop diocesan)
Archdeacons	Pete Spiers, Archdeacon of Knowsley and Sefton Simon Fisher, Archdeacon of St Helens and Warrington Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, Archdeacon of Liverpool
Website
https://liverpoolcofe.org/

What is now the diocese of Liverpool was historically part of the diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, and became part of the newly created diocese of Chester in 1541.^[2] The diocese of Liverpool was established on 9 April 1880.^[3]

Bishops

The diocese's House of Bishops comprises the diocesan Bishop of Liverpool (John Perumbalath is on leave),^[4] the suffragan Bishop of Warrington (Bev Mason is also on leave), and the honorary assistant bishop (since 1999) and pro-vice chancellor emeritus at Liverpool Hope University, Ian Stuart^[5][6] (a former Assistant Bishop of North Queensland.) Alternative episcopal oversight (for parishes in the diocese who reject the ministry of women priests) is provided by the provincial episcopal visitor (PEV) the Bishop of Beverley, Stephen Race. He is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese in order to facilitate his work there.

On 28 February 2025, it was announced that Ruth Worsley was to become Interim Bishop of Liverpool (i.e. diocesan bishop ad interim) for a period of two years starting later in 2025; to facilitate this role, she was translated from Taunton to the vacant suffragan See of Wigan (becoming Bishop of Wigan)^[7] on 4 April 2025.^[8]

There are two retired bishops living in the diocese:^[9]

• Cyril Ashton, a retired former Bishop suffragan of Doncaster, has been a licensed as an honorary assistant bishop since his 2011 retirement to Lancaster, Lancashire (in Blackburn diocese, where he is also licensed.)
• Frank Sargeant, former Bishop at Lambeth lives in Salford, Greater Manchester (and is also licensed in that diocese.)

In May 2016, it was announced that Susan Goff, Suffragan Bishop of Virginia, had been licensed as an honorary assistant bishop (called "Assisting Bishop of Liverpool") in the diocese, as part of the companion link with the American Episcopalian Diocese of Virginia.^[10] In response, the Diocese of Akure, Nigeria, has indicated that they wish to end their part of the companion link.^[11]

Archdeaconries and deaneries

Diocese	Archdeaconries	Rural Deaneries
Diocese of Liverpool	Archdeaconry of Liverpool	Deanery of Liverpool North and Walton
		Deanery of Liverpool South and Childwall
		Deanery of Toxteth and Wavertree
		Deanery of West Derby
	Archdeaconry of St Helens & Warrington	Deanery of St Helens
		Deanery of Warrington
		Deanery of Widnes
		Deanery of Winwick
		Deanery of Wigan
	Archdeaconry of Knowsley & Sefton	Deanery of Huyton
		Deanery of North Meols
		Deanery of Sefton North1
		Deanery of Sefton South2
		Deanery of Ormskirk

¹named Sefton until 2012

²named Bootle until 2017

List of churches

• St John the Evangelist, Abram
• St Anne, Aigburth^[12]
• St John, Ainsdale^[13]
• St Giles (with St Peter), Aintree^[14]
• All Hallows, Allerton^[15]
• St Aidan with All Saints, Speke^[16]
• All Saints, Liverpool^[17]
• All Saints with St Frideswyde, Crosby and Thornton^[18]
• St Michael & All Angels, Altcar^[19]
• St Columba, Anfield^[20]