Our diocese is made up of worshippers in the 129 Church of England parishes across south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. They are led by our bishop, and include clergy, Licensed Lay Ministers, retired clergy, chaplains, paid staff and thousand of volunteers who work in our parishes. It also includes thousands of pupils at the 38 Church of England schools across the diocese.

Our diocese is divided into seven deaneries, each of which co-ordinates the mission and ministry of parishes in their area. You can read more about the elements that make up our diocese via the menus on this page.

Our vision in this diocese is to be a Church with Jesus Christ at the heart of everything we do, a Church in which we seek God’s Kingdom, and where all are enabled to experience a life-transforming encounter with Jesus Christ. Read more about it here.

The Diocese of Portsmouth works like a network or family of parishes. Those parishes help each other through prayer, finances and mutual support. It’s our system of parish share that ensures we have a presence in every community and can offer ministry and mission to all who come to us. The video at the top of the page helps to explain how it works.