The ancient pattern, common to the historic Churches of both East and West, is for local congregations to be organised into geographic Dioceses. The first Constitution of the Free Church of England in 1863 therefore made provision for separate dioceses, each under the pastoral oversight of a bishop.
In the early decades the situation was very much one of mission and church planting, and it naturally took some time for fully developed dioceses to be organised.
By the 1880's a Diocesan structure with a regular succession of bishops had been established.
The Northern Diocese comprises all congregations, churches and missions north of the river Trent – in other words, the northern counties of England, the Isle of Man and reaching up into Scotland. There have been parishes in many parts of the North, but historically there has always been a concentration in Lancashire, and that is still true today.
Whilst we currently don't have any congregations in Scotland, we have in the past, particularly in the Glasgow area. Some of these suffered bombing in the Second World War and were never re-opened. The last Scottish congregation closed in the 1970's, but we would be happy to re-establish a presence in Scotland!
In the early decades the situation was very much one of mission and church planting, and it naturally took some time for fully developed dioceses to be organised.
By the 1880's a Diocesan structure with a regular succession of bishops had been established.
The Northern Diocese comprises all congregations, churches and missions north of the river Trent – in other words, the northern counties of England, the Isle of Man and reaching up into Scotland. There have been parishes in many parts of the North, but historically there has always been a concentration in Lancashire, and that is still true today.
Whilst we currently don't have any congregations in Scotland, we have in the past, particularly in the Glasgow area. Some of these suffered bombing in the Second World War and were never re-opened. The last Scottish congregation closed in the 1970's, but we would be happy to re-establish a presence in Scotland!