Our Vision
The Diocese through this decade is working on Regeneration. We dream of each of our ministry units being populated with new generations of believers. We pray for each of our churches to have a spread of generations in its congregations.
Our focus is on making disciples, strengthening families and building communities.
Come and join us!
Our Story
In 1850 Christchurch and the Canterbury plains and foothills were settled with migrants from Great Britain, many of whom were members of the Church of England. Anglican churches were founded. Anglican missioners shared the Good News with local Māori.
In 1856 the Diocese of Christchurch was established, Christchurch was declared a city by Queen Victoria, and Bishop Henry Harper arrived as our first bishop.
Nearly 170 years later we are onto our ninth bishop. The Diocese incorporates all of Canterbury, Westland and the Chatham Islands, divided into 54 parishes and one Cathedral ministry unit in the centre of Christchurch.
Safeguarding and Complaint Process
Safeguarding is about prevention of harm and early intervention to minimise the opportunity for the child, young person or vulnerable adult to be harmed.
If you wish to make a complaint about an office bearer in the Anglican Church (for example, a priest, deacon, bishop, licenced lay minister, trustee, etc) we encourage you to put it in writing and send it directly to the independent Registrar, either by email or post.
What is faith?
Is Christianity true?
What happens when I die?
Finding faith in a busy world.
Coming soon: We talk to 5 people with fresh stories of finding faith & community.
News and Announcements
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Read more: The Archbishops’ Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire
The Archbishops’ Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire
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Read more: The Archbishops’ 2024 Christmas Message
The Archbishops’ 2024 Christmas Message
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Read more: Upcoming Events (Christmas & Holiday Services)
Upcoming Events (Christmas & Holiday Services)
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Read more: 2024 Christmas Message from Bishop Peter Carrell
2024 Christmas Message from Bishop Peter Carrell
Anglican e-Life
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Read more: Anglican e-Life | 12 March 2025
Anglican e-Life | 12 March 2025
Dear Friends,
Last Wednesdayevening, it was a joy to be in the Transitional Cathedral to share in the annual Anglican-Catholic Ecumenical Ash Wednesday service, with Bishop Michael Gielen preaching. A very big thank you to Dean Ben Truman and Fr Simon Eccleton who, along with their respective cathedral staffs and choirs, prepared for and led the service. With the worldwide Catholic church, we continue to pray for the good health of Pope Francis.
Let us also pray for a cessation of violence in Syria, to Alawite-led rebellion, where responses by forces aligned with the new government, are resulting in the deaths of innocent Christians.
It was a privilege to be at Trinity Church, Darfield with the Reverend Alexa Evenden on Sunday morning for their 9.30am service and to share in fellowship after the service with the local congregation and later with local clergy and their spouses. For those readers who do not know, Trinity church is a remarkable, probably unique ecumenical building: it is jointly owned by the Malvern Co-operating (Presbyterian-Methodist) Parish and the Malvern Anglican Parish. There is a service in the church every Sunday morning, with each parish alternating responsibility for provision of services. Arrangements work seamlessly with much goodwill in co-operation and have endured faithfully since 1979.
This Saturday, in Auckland, Captain Monika Clark, National Director, Church Army NZ, will be formally farewelled from her national leadership role. We give thanks to God for Monika’s work in this role and pray for the Church Army as it seeks a new National Director. Many readers here know that Monika lives in Christchurch – we will continue to benefit from Monika’s work in evangelism and evangelism training since she will continue to work for the Church Army in a part-time role based here.
One of the things I am often saying as I move around the Diocese is that we are doing well in many ways: Regeneration of our Diocese is taking place as new generations of active members are being welcomed into our services and other aspects of church life. We have also seen a small uptick in annual attendance. There is great resilience in our smaller congregations. Yet, I quickly move onto to say, it is also the case that we are battling a significant high tide wave of secularisation which has been sweeping many people out of expression of Christian faith in active church participation. Thus I was very interested to read in this morning’s Press an article, which underlines my concern about what we are battling against. The heading for this article – on census figures for Christchurch city – is “Religion takes a back seat as secularism pulls ahead”. While I am glad the article includes constructive comments from one of our clergy, the Reverend John McLister, Vicar of Lyttelton and Port Chaplain, I don’t think the article fully represents the strength of active church life in Christchurch as it is experienced across all churches – noting, for instance, the wonderful turn out of 5000+ Christians for the Open Heaven prayer and praise event two weeks ago. Nevertheless, we Christians cannot brush the statistics away. We are in a spiritual battle as we seek what God wants: the growth of the body of Christ on earth.
Encouragingly, there are signs of revival in the Christian faith in the secularised world. The Other Cheek, a Sydney-based Christian blog, reproduces a report by Richard N. Ostling, on a new book by renowned New York Times columnist, Ross Douthat, tilted Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious. In the course of this report, which sees this book as a 21st century version of C. S. Lewis’ famous Mere Christianity, we read about significant Christian conversions of influential writers/broadcasters. I note this comment in Ostling’s report: “… prominent British-American historian Niall Ferguson, currently a fellow at Harvard and Stanford universities. He told Greg Sheridan of The Australian that lifelong atheism dissolved when he considered that all attempts to base a successful society on atheism have proven “catastrophic”.” This is a sharp reminder that as Kiwis move away from identifying themselves as Christian, there is a very large question of what that means for the society we are becoming as the tide of secularisation sweeps all before it. We have a Gospel to proclaim and proclaim it we must, for the sake of human life itself, not only for the next world, but also for this one.
This coming Sunday, 9 March is Lent 2. The Gospel reading is Luke 13:31-35. In Luke’s gospel, everything after Luke 9:51, including this passage with its lament for Jerusalem, is shaped by Jesus’ intention to enter Jerusalem and there fulfil God’s plan for our salvation through his suffering for us. Jesus is not deterred by information that Herod the Fox wants to kill him. If he is to be killed it must be in Jerusalem. Our Lenten journey takes us with Jesus to the cross. We will not suffer physical death here in Aotearoa New Zealand for our faith, but elsewhere in the world, horrifically in this past week in Syria, Christians are being killed for being Christian. But what should die within ourselves, if we are to be completely filled with the divine life of Christ?
Arohanui,
+Peter.
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Read more: Anglican e-Life | 5 March 2025
Anglican e-Life | 5 March 2025
Dear Friends,
Last Wednesday evening I was privileged to take part in Open Heaven, an amazing service of prayer and praise, in the Wolfbrook Arena, attended by over 5,000 enthusiastic, joyful Christians from many if not most churches in Christchurch and beyond. “Open Heaven” is a great name for this now annual event: it felt like we were in heaven – the heaven of great worship, envisaged, for instance, in Revelation 4 and 5.
Today is Ash Wednesday and I am glad to be sharing in three school services (St. Margaret’s College, Christ’s College, St. Mark’s School, Opawa) and then, this evening, at 5.30pm in the Transitional Cathedral for the annual Anglican-Catholic Ecumenical service, with Bishop Michael Gielen preaching.
As we begin Lent in 2025, I am delighted that over 700 copies of Theology House’s Lenten studies book have gone out the doors of the Anglican Centre to many parts of our Diocese and beyond to parishes in other dioceses. There is something about Lent which brings the word “intentional” to my mind: if we are serious about following Jesus, then what extra intention might we offer Jesus in this season of journeying with Jesus to the cross? Bible study in groups is one possibility. Fasting from something (Chocolate? Alcohol? Social media?) in order to focus on Jesus is another possibility. Increasing our prayer times, giving to God from our resources and service projects for our communities are also possibilities. All such intentions are offerings from our thankful hearts: Jesus intentionally went to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) to die on the cross for our sakes (Mark 10:45), that we might live for him (2 Corinthians 5:15).
The Reverend Chris Parry-Jennings died yesterday, after long illness. His funeral is at 2pm, Tuesday 11 March, 2025, in St. Christopher’s, Avonhead. Please pray for Helen and their family as they mourn the loss of Chris and as they prepare for the service on Tuesday. Chris was ordained deacon and priest in England and served in several parishes there before coming to this Diocese in 1967, where he served in the parishes of Shirley, Lincoln, Lower Riccarton, Heathcote-Mt. Pleasant, Upper Riccarton and Akaroa-Banks Peninsula. Chris also had roles in chaplaincy to Lincoln University and for SPCK-NZ. In my experience of Chris, he was a gracious, enthusiastic and hard-working minister of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and much loved by his parishioners.
In this year, 2025, when I encourage us to continue our emphasis on Prayer from 2024, there is much to pray for: for peace and justice in our world; for economic good sense among the major trading nations; for Christian faithfulness to the teaching of Jesus Christ and for Christian devotion to Jesus as the one Lord and Saviour of our world; and – always – for the Regeneration of our Diocese in this decade.
It was a privilege to be at St. John’s, Highfield, Timaru with the Reverend Lucy Flatt on Sunday morning for their 8.30am and 10.30am services. It was very good to meet new people in the congregations and to see excellent progress on a new roof for their hall complex. Later that day Teresa and I were at St. Margaret’s College, Christchurch, with Principal Diana Patchett and middle and senior school students for their first Eucharist Service for 2025.
Bishop Anthony Poggo, the Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion, has been visiting Anglican provinces in the Oceania region in recent weeks, including a visit to Aotearoa New Zealand. Although Christchurch has not been included in his itinerary, it was excellent yesterday to join a Zoom meeting with him and other bishops from Tikanga Pākehā. Please pray for +Anthony as he and Church of England leaders makes arrangements for the Crown Nomination Commission which will select the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
For a local episcopal prayer need, I ask for your prayers for Bishop-elect of Dunedin, the Reverend Anne van Gend as she prepares for her ordination as a bishop and installation as the next Bishop of Dunedin on Saturday, 29 March.
In relation to Patrick Chrisp’s appointment, announced two weeks ago, to serve in the Parish of Hornby, Templeton and West Melton, if any reader knows of a house/flat to rent (with at least two bedrooms) in the Hornby or adjoining suburbs’ area, please contact Veronica Cross, my EA, at bishopsea@anglicanlife.org.nz .
I commend “A Short Course in Christian Living” to you, facilitated by the Diocese of Christchurch’s Cursillo Community. Running from 6pm Friday 21 March to 4pm Sunday 23 March 2025 at Cracroft, 151 Cashmere Road, Cashmere, Christchurch, this weekend offers refreshment in the basics of the Christian faith and Christian discipleship. Further details are noted elsewhere in e-Life.
This coming Sunday, 9 March is Lent 1. The Gospel reading is Luke 4:1-13. Jesus is tested through temptations to ditch the will of God in favour of the will of the Evil One. Those temptations are often also our temptations: to settle for material comfort rather than seek God’s spiritual food; to acquire human power at the expense of devotion to God; to assume God’s power is at our disposal.
Arohanui,
+Peter.Read the full publication
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Read more: Anglican e-Life | 26 February 2025
Anglican e-Life | 26 February 2025
Dear Friends,
It was a privilege to be at St. Nicholas’, Barrington Street in the Parish of South Christchurch on Sunday and to confirm Pita, Lorraine, and Stephen. A special joy is seeing the growth and development – the regeneration – of the congregation there under the leadership of the Reverends Jeff and Jo Cotton.
On Tuesday, the Reverend Jolyon White and I made an oral submission to the Select Committee on the Treaty Principles bill. In this submission we highlighted a key point in a written submission made with the approval of Standing Committee: “Our primary objection to the Principles of the Treaty Bill is that it was written by one party to a treaty without agreement from the other party to that treaty.” This objection flows out of our experience of being a Three Tikanga Anglican church in these islands. Māori, Pakeha, and Polynesia talk with each other first before any one party to our constitution presumes to advance a change to our foundational documents.
In our wider world much is being said about the cataclysmic changes occurring in international politics, most disturbingly and visibly illustrated in the past day or so by the USA siding with Russia and North Korea in a UN motion about Ukraine. I share one thing with you which I read – something apt for today but said a very long time ago by the ancient Greek historian Thucydides in his History of the Peloponnesian War, 5.89: the powerful act and the weak give way. Or, paraphrasing: the powerful do what they like and the rest of us get bullied.
The times may be a-changing, but the rhythm of our church calendar continues. Next week Lent begins with Ash Wednesday services. I remind you that if nothing is available to you locally, then you are warmly welcomed to the Transitional Cathedral at 5.30pm for the annual Anglican-Catholic Ecumenical service, with Bishop Michael Gielen preaching.
In relation to Patrick Chrisp’s appointment, announced last week, to serve in the Parish of Hornby, Templeton and West Melton, if any reader knows of a house/flat to rent (with at least two bedrooms) in the Hornby or adjoining suburbs’ area, please contact Veronica Cross, my EA, at bishopsea@anglicanlife.org.nz .
I commend “A Short Course in Christian Living” to you, facilitated by the Diocese of Christchurch’s Cursillo Community. Running from 6pm on Friday, 21 March to 4pm Sunday, 23 March 2025 at Cracroft, 151 Cashmere Road, Cashmere, Christchurch, this weekend offers refreshment in the basics of the Christian faith and Christian discipleship. Further details are noted elsewhere in e-Life.
Cole Yeoman, on behalf of Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine, writes, “a group of us have been working on ways to mobilise our faith community behind the call for humanitarian visas/reunification for those in Gaza with family in NZ, as we approach day 50 of the Gaza ‘ceasefire’ deal and the anticipated withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt (God willing) allowing exit. Following our friends at Palestinian Christians in Australia, we’ve created an open letter for Christian leaders, organisations, churches and denominational bodies to endorse. ‘Christians United for Refuge Aotearoa‘ gives a short, clear call to get the widest spread of faith leaders endorsing it as possible. We know that combined churches have a strong voice, particularly with this current government, so we’re hoping this might renew momentum for the call at this critical moment.” I have signed this letter, noting that in the terror of recent violence in Gaza, one of the least things we could do via the agency of our government is offer refuge to at least a small group of Palestinians. The intention of the letter is that it can be delivered to Parliament on Ash Wednesday.
Sadly, and very annoyingly, there is a burglary ring targeting lawn mowers: in recent days lawn mowers have been stolen from locked sheds in at least two of our parishes (in Christchurch city). Please be vigilant, secure, and seek advice from the Church Property Trustees.
This coming Sunday, 2 March is Ordinary 8 – the last Sunday before Lent. The Gospel reading is Luke 6:39-49. Challenge and encouragement abound in this last part of the Sermon on the Plain. What speaks to you most plainly?
Arohanui,
+Peter.
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Read more: Anglican e-Life | 19 February 2025
Anglican e-Life | 19 February 2025
Dear Friends,
I am very pleased to announce that:
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the Reverend Les Memory will be 0.5 FTE Associate Priest in the Parish of Avonhead for the remainder of this year, supporting the Reverend Dr John Fox who remains as Priest-in-Charge of Avonhead but only at 0.5 FTE because John has now resumed his 0.5 FTE role as Senior Ecumenical Chaplain at the University of Canterbury.
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the Reverend Patrick Chrisp, currently on mission work in Liberia, will return to the Diocese soon to take up the role of Interim Priest of Hornby, Templeton and West Melton for 12 months.
In relation to Patrick Chrisp’s appointment, if any reader knows of a house/flat to rent (with at least two bedrooms) in the Hornby or adjoining suburbs’ area, please contact Veronica Cross, my EA, at bishopsea@anglicanlife.org.nz .
I am very grateful that in 2025 a number of clergy and lay appointees will be sharing the task of theological education, mission and ministry training and development in our Diocese – generously supported in respect of educational funding by the St. John’s College Trust Board, along with a Diocesan contribution through our annual budget. Our ministry among the generation loosely described as the “Under 40s” continues with the Reverend Sammy Mould, Paul Hegglun, and Azaria Brooker; work with the Household of Deacons continues under the guidance of Archdeacon Nicky Lee. Theology House’s work is sustained by its Director, Gareth Bezett and his staff team, Sarah Larritt and Sarah Dunning. Gareth Bezett will continue his work advising people on study leave, scholarship and theological education advice. Within the sphere of ministry and missional education and support our Diocesan Director of Ordination, the Reverend Jenny Wilkens has increased responsibilities which include leadership of Post Ordination Training, and in this training, she is assisted by Archdeacon Nick Mountfort, the Reverend Chris Orczy and Gareth Bezett.
In 2025, specific portfolios of responsibility are Rural Ministry Development Archdeacon Indrea Alexander; Discipleship Development, the Reverend Sampson Knight; Missional coaching for clergy, the Reverend Carolyn Robertson; and Mission Impact Reviews (MIRs), the Reverend Mark Chamberlain, supported in administration by Archdeacon Nicky Lee. Indrea, Sampson and Carolyn will undertake their work in conjunction with their parish responsibilities.
One of the most important areas of education in the church today is for Safe Ministry. Nathan Muirhead will lead this work in the Diocese and a significant part of our training this year will be led by the Reverend Jemma Allen from the Diocese of Auckland (on a contractual basis).
A final reminder in this pre Lenten period: studying the Bible at any time of the year is a very good thing and I commend study groups being formed in our ministry units for the six weeks of Lent (beginning 5 March 2025). Theology House’s Lenten study for 2025 is available to order now. In the Spirit of Lent follows the lectionary’s Gospel readings for the six weeks of Lent. (Ash Wednesday is 5 March 2025.) Read more.
It was very rewarding to be part of the 175th celebrations for Christ’s College at the weekend. Later this year, the weekend of 28 – 30 November, College House (also part of the Anglican vision for education in Christchurch) will celebrate its 175 years of educational life. Finally, on the theme of “175”, I was pleased to see in the news yesterday that the Mayor of Christchurch, Phil Mauger, has intervened to override a staff recommendation not to celebrate 175 years of the founding of Christchurch as a European settlement. It is a good thing that we deepen engagement with Māori history of our region and that we acknowledge that many ills have flowed from founding a colony here (and from colonisation across Aotearoa New Zealand). But to pretend that we might not have had a significant moment in the history of this region on 16 December 1850 when the First Four Ships sailed into our harbour serves no purpose in the development of our modern identity as inhabitants of this land.
A word to leaders in our co-operating parishes: you should be aware by now of an important UCANZ Forum in Auckland at King’s Birthday weekend, later this year. I am planning to be there and look forward to conversation in the forum about our experiences of co-operation between denominations – in our case, with Presbyterians, in parishes such as Hinds, Mackenzie, Pukaki and Amuri. (The recently formed co-operating parish for Akaroa-Banks Peninsula falls outside the ambit of UCANZ).
I am saddened on a number of counts that members of the Destiny Church were part of a protest in a library in Auckland at the weekend. One count is that such news does nothing to enhance the standing of churches generally in the minds of non-Christians in our country. Another count is that the form of protest seems to have had remarkably little, or even no care for children present at the occasion being protested about. A third count is that, whatever our views on any given issue are, we are a liberal democracy which values freedom of expression. Where people choose to express that freedom in a responsible way (such as an event in a library), any protest (which is also a freedom being expressed) should be carried out in a responsible manner). I cannot see how Destiny Church has acted in a manner befitting the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This coming Sunday, 16 February is Ordinary 7. The Gospel reading is Luke 6:27-38. This passage is just as searching a passage for us to engage with as last week’s passage.To love our enemies is a terrific challenge. But it is a distinctive feature of being Christian that we are called to love even our enemies, to forgive one another and thus to live differently in a world in which wars are fought for gain, revenge is enacted as response to unjust treatment and so on. There is much more to be said and I hope our preachers this Sunday can develop ways in which we can faithfully respond to the radical nature of Jesus’ call to his disciples in this passage.
Arohanui,
+Peter.
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Our Purpose
To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
To respond to human need by loving service
To pursue peace and reconciliation
Protect the integrity of creation, sustain and renew the life of the earth