Who We Are
As Anglicans, celebration is at the heart of who we are. We celebrate the presence of God with us and honour the diversity of all life in prayer, praise and action. Our worship across the Diocese is a tapestry of Anglican faith expressions, rich in liturgy, music and movement. We mark the liturgical seasons and festivals with vibrancy. We celebrate new beginnings in baptism, confirmation, marriage and ordination. We honour the lives and witness of our sisters and brothers at the end of their earthly lives. We give thanks for the grace of God moving in and through ordained and lay ministries as we enter into relationships to bridge gaps with love and compassion. We honour and recognize significant volunteer ministries in the biennial investiture of lay people into the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster. For justice and societal change, we raise our hands in unity as we come alongside the wider community in marches for Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation, rallies for racial and climate justice, and joyous parades such as Pride. In our celebrating, we raise up hope.
Where We Serve
Incorporated April 18, 1893 (An Act to incorporate the Anglican Synod of the Diocese of New Westminster {Statutes of British Columbia 1893, Chapter 45 with amendments to 1961 {1900, 1915, 1961} 18th April 1893) the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster is situated on the ancestral traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples. The diocesan boundaries cover the territory of more than forty First Nations, comprising the area known as the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, the Sunshine Coast, and the Fraser Valley. Currently the diocese consists of 63 parishes and three additional worshipping communities. The Right Reverend John R. Stephens was elected October 3, 2020 and installed as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster, February 28, 2021, succeeding Archbishop Melissa Skelton who retired March 1, 2021. See here for a map of the diocese.
The cathedral church of the diocese (home to the bishop’s throne called a cathedra) is Christ Church Cathedral located at the corners of West Georgia and Burrard streets in downtown Vancouver since 1889. Christ’s Church replaced Holy Trinity Cathedral, New Westminster in that role in 1929.
There are approximately 11,500 members on the parish roles of the 66 (62 parishes, 4 church plants) worshipping communities and the average Sunday attendance at worship services is approximately 4,000.
The Diocese of New Westminster is one of six dioceses which form the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon. The current Metropolitan (senior bishop) is Archbishop Lynne McNaughton of the diocese of Kootenay. The Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon is one of four provinces which include a total of thirty dioceses which comprise the Anglican Church of Canada.
The Anglican Church of Canada is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and is also in "full communion" with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
The Diocese of New Westminster's Mission Priorities
Our God is a relational God. We seek to foster, build and strengthen our relationships with one another in all we do in diocesan, parish and community circles.
Through the action of the Holy Spirit, our God creates the Church as Christ’s continuing presence in and for the world. We seek to focus diocesan energy and resources on parish development: assisting parishes in focusing on and building their excellence around their core purpose of gathering, transforming and sending; encouraging parishes to express the best of their Anglican identity; and assisting parishes in creatively engaging the real challenges and opportunities before them.
Our God seeks justice for the oppressed. We seek to assist diocesan leaders and parishes in learning about the culture and history of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, in engaging with Indigenous peoples in their neighbourhood and regions, and in advancing the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Our God delights in the diversity of humanity and yearns for all humanity to be one. We seek to increase the diversity of the leadership in our diocese and to strengthen the ability of our parishes to engage the diversity of the people in our parishes, in our neighbourhoods and in our region. We seek the transformation of our minds, our hearts and our practice as we increase our diversity and seek the oneness that God invites us to embrace.
Our God entrusts us with the stewardship of our lives and our communities. We seek to work on the overall sustainability of our diocese and of our parishes by attending to the fit between all the elements of diocesan or parish life (finances, property, priorities, processes, organizational structures, organizational culture, external relationships, etc.) We seek to nurture a diocesan culture that is more transparent, collaborative, consultative, courageous and in which people have greater choice.