STRATEGIC PLAN 2014 - 2024 SUMMARY

A safe place to do risky things in Christ’s service

INTRODUCTION

In the words of the poet John Betjeman, Liverpool Cathedral is ‘one of the great buildings of

the world’. It was built ‘by the people of Liverpool, for the people of Liverpool, to the glory

of God’. It is an iconic part of the city’s skyline and plays a prominent role in the life of the

people of Merseyside and beyond.

The breadth of its reach is both a wonderful opportunity and a great responsibility. The aim of

this Strategic Plan is to ensure that the Cathedral Chapter makes the most of its opportunities,

and discharges in full its responsibilities.

The plan looks forward to 19th July 2024, when we will celebrate the centenary of the

consecration (and the 120th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone).

It seeks to ensure that on that date, by God’s grace, the Cathedral will be fit for purpose for

the next one hundred years. Chapter aims to ensure that the building is passed to future

generations in good condition, and that this vibrant centre of worship and mission for the

Diocese of Liverpool is equipped to serve coming generations well in Christ’s name.

To deliver this, Chapter has organised its work around ‘four foundations’ and ‘six mission

activities’ (see diagram opposite) and has set itself two ambitious goals for the coming

decade: to double the number of those attending worship with us each week (by making

new disciples of Christ Jesus) and to raise £24 million pounds (‘24 for 2024’, to fund both

urgent repairs and new initiatives).

We will be launching our fundraising campaign on 19th July 2014 (the 90th anniversary of our

consecration) - we will have exactly a decade to meet our goals.

24MILLION

MISSION STATEMENT

1

Heightening Worship

(Canon Precentor + Lay Chapter member)

4 Deepening Discipleship

(Canon for Discipleship + Lay Chapter member)

2 Multiplying

Congregations

(Canon for Mission & Evangelism + Lay Chapter

member)

6 Widening Enterprise

(Director of Enterprise + Lay Chapter

member)

5 Extending Wellbeing

(Clergy canon post + Lay Chapter

member)

3 Promoting Fairness

(Canon Chancellor + Lay Chapter

member)

These six priorities for the mission of the Cathedral are interwoven.

So this illustration assumes a high degree of collegiality, flexibility and collaborative working.

These six mission activities are built on ‘Four Foundations’:

care of personnel, communication, fabric and finance

Risky Thinking

Dean

Four Foundations

Director of Operations

GOALS

In this Strategic Plan there are two primary goals, which will be overriding priorities for Chapter.

The ‘Mission Activities’ goal is to double the average weekly attendance at worship by January 2024, by reaching out in Christ’s name to people who at present do not regularly worship anywhere.

The ‘Four Foundations’ goal is to raise £24 million for 2024, to transform potential into action, to put the building into excellent condition, as far as possible to protect the Cathedral across all four foundations and equip the Cathedral across all mission activities.

24 FOR 2024

New initiatives £5.5m

We have identified six major new initiatives to develop the mission of the Cathedral for the 21st century, to be accommodated in two pieces of new build:

• The St Aidan’s Centre - a place of leading-edge pioneer mission, to accommodate:

› St Mellitus NW: a partnership serving the Church of England in the North West, training students for various ministries including ordinations

› The Joshua Project for Pioneer Ministry: a partnership serving the Church of England by building on local good practice

• The Consecration Centenary Centre - a place of critical thinking and engagement, to accommodate:

› The Francis Neilson Project for Choral Outreach - to take our musical expertise into the wider community

› The Abraham Project for inclusive education - to promote dialogue, peace and reconciliation between faiths

› The Liverpool Cathedral Project for Wellbeing - to support and attend to the interests of the last, the lost and the least

In addition, we intend to develop The St James’ Mount Enterprise project as a place of recreation and inspiration.

24 FOR 2024

The Organ Appeal £1.5m

Liverpool Cathedral organ is the largest in the UK. It was built as the largest musical instrument ever conceived and contains over 10,000 pipes. We need £500,000 to complete the appeal and a further £1m to create an endowment out of which to fund future routine maintenance.

Capital repair projects £10m

We have £10 million of urgent repairs to the roof (nearly 1,000 square metres), the tower (over 100m high) and the beautiful and historic windows (some are over 100ft tall).

Capital endowment £7m

We aim to create this endowment to ensure that future generations can maintain and repair this wonderful, huge, complex but captivating building.

We aim to foster a culture of excellence across all Cathedral activities. This will require us to experiment, knowing that experiments can fail as well as succeed. Excellence is not code for elitism, conservatism or risk aversion. It is grounded consistently in a strong culture of learning, reflection and support. The great mistake will not be to try and then to fail; the great mistake will be not to try.

Liverpool Cathedral is an icon for the region, and I wholeheartedly commend the ambition of its Strategic Plan. It is vital to ensure that, as we approach its centenary we bequeath to future generations a building worthy of its history.

Dame Lorna Muirhead, Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside

Liverpool now rightly takes for granted a close collaboration between its two Cathedrals, which are ‘better together’. The Metropolitan Cathedral is pleased to support the Strategic Plan of its Anglican neighbour at the other end of Hope Street.

Canon Anthony O’Brien, Dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral

Liverpool Cathedral plays a vital role in the cultural and educational life of our city. It is the centrepiece for so many significant events in the lives of our many communities. Liverpool John Moores University enjoys a vigorous partnership with the Cathedral and we are pleased to endorse this Strategic Plan.

Professor Nigel P. Weatherill, Vice Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University

‘I know from personal experience the extraordinary history and current impact, the huge challenges and massive future potential of Liverpool Cathedral, as well as the strength of affection people have for it, within the church and far beyond. This Strategic Plan reflects the ambition of those who pioneered the building of the Cathedral over a hundred years ago, and the scale of opportunity in Christ’s service which its second century will bring. I am delighted to endorse it.’

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury