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Clergy Hierarchy
Clergy Hierarchy
It is one of the ironies of history that the word ‘hierarachy’ derives from the greek word for ‘priest’, hieros, when Christ Jesus was himself the least status-conscious of spiritual leaders.
It would be a mistake to think of the following job titles as equivalent, for example, to military ranks. It is true that not all clergy have the same responsibility. But all seek to follow in the footsteps of the Lord, who said ‘The greatest among you must become like the youngest and the leader like one who serves.'
| Archbishop |
Presides over and administers a province; there are two in England: Canterbury and York with Canterbury being the senior. The Province of York covers the dioceses of Newcastle, Durham, Carlisle, York, Ripon and Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Southwell, Manchester, Liverpool and Blackburn. |
| Bishop |
Responsible for a single diocese. |
| Suffragan or Area Bishop |
Assistant to the Bishop: in the Lichfield Diocese there are three area bishops: Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury and Stafford. |
| Dean |
Responsible for a Cathedral and assisted by a Chapter of ordained and lay people. |
| Archdeacon |
Responsible for an Archdeaconry under the Bishop with particular responsibility for personnel matters: the Lichfield Diocese comprises the Archdeaconries of Lichfield, Stoke, Salop and Wolverhampton. |
| Canon |
A member of the Cathedral clergy. Also an honorary title for parish priests - usually know as Honorary Canons or, as in Lichfield, Prebendaries. |
| Rural Dean |
Usually a title held by a Vicar or Rector who has responsibility to the Archdeacon for a group of parishes (the Rural Deanery). |
| Rector, Vicar, Chaplain |
A priest in a parish or for an institution, e.g. Prison Chaplain |
| Curate |
Assistant to parish clergy. |
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