The Greater Church as ‘Sacred Space, Common Ground’: A Narrative Case Study Within a Rural Diocese

Abstract

The profile of ‘Greater Churches’ in the Church of England is rising, as attested by the expanding interest in the network to which many of these abbeys, minsters and significant parish churches belong. Yet, save for the report of the Church of England Church Growth Research Project (Strand 3a of which compared cathedral-like greater churches with cathedrals), empirical work on Greater Churches as a particular class is sparse. This article responds to that lacuna in the literature, presenting a narrative case study conducted within the framework of symbolic congregation studies pioneered by Hopewell. It explores the values expressed by a Greater Church working under the banner ‘sacred space, common ground’, a metaphor which has shed light hitherto on the ministry and mission of cathedrals. Through analysis of (i) the narrative of a pioneering Christmas Tree Festival in the church and (ii) the congregation’s own narrative (stimulated by a time-line exercise at a subsequent parish conference), the symbolism and potential consonance of sacred space and common ground are discussed.

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