Runcorn Revs

By Fr George Roach, Vicar of St Michael and All Angels

If there’s one thing I’d love you to take away from what I say today, it’s this: our churchmanship and theological views do not need to be barriers to mission and ministry.

Let me tell you about something called The Runcorn Revs. I know—it sounds like an ‘80s rock band! But it’s actually a group of clergy who work together for the growth of God’s Kingdom across Runcorn, putting collaboration before division and keeping Jesus Christ at the centre.

To explain why this matters so much to me, I need to tell you a little bit of my own story from St Michael and All Angels, Runcorn. When I arrived in September 2023, I walked into a church that had long seen itself as the “Cathedral of Runcorn.” It’s a beautiful building, well-kept, and much loved. The people were proud of it—and rightly so—but that pride had, over time, in my personal opinion, turned inward. The focus seemed to have become in maintaining the internal machinery of church life rather than reaching the community beyond our doors.

And the doors were literally closed—far too often! And I found myself asking over and over, “Why are the doors locked again?” The church had become protective of itself, struggling in many ways to engage outwardly. But as I saw it, that inwardness was feeding our decline.

So, when I arrived, I was clear that change was coming. I told the PCC that renewal would mean transformation—in our worship, mission, and ministry. And I invited them to come on the journey with me, and to their credit, they did.

One of my first, and most controversial decisions was to stop taking weddings, funerals, and baptisms that rightly belonged to other parishes. St Michael’s had taken these on for years because, well, “we were seen as the cathedral” and we needed the money. But as I said to the PCC, there’s no point in us becoming Runcorn’s next mega-church if all the other churches are dying around us.

That decision caused a bit of kick back as apparently, “he’s only been here two minutes and now he’s costing us money!” But it was the right call. Sending occasional offices back to the local parishes began to rebuild relationships and strengthened our shared witness across the town. Out of that growing sense of partnership came stronger links with the growing Runcorn Revs—a group of clergy committed to praying, working, laughing, and learning together for the sake of our whole community.

For me, though I identify as an Anglo-Catholic—and yes, to many I’m still Father George—I firmly believe no one tradition or spirituality holds the monopoly on truth. Churchmanship is just a label; Jesus Christ is the point, and whether we wear vestments or jeans, pray in silence or sing with guitars, Christ must remain central.

That’s shaped what we do at St Michael’s today. When people asked me to re start a weekly 8.30 a.m. Book of Common Prayer service and then create a Café Church, I’ll admit I was out of my depth! But we did it. Now, one Sunday morning you’ll find me in stole, preaching scarf, and surplice; the next, I’m in a T-shirt with coffee in hand.

The mix has brought new life, drawing in people from all backgrounds and none of this would have been possible without the support of the Runcorn Revs.

These are the colleagues I meet with every Monday. We pray together, share our challenges, drink far too much coffee, and occasionally even rescue Karens escaped chickens. We moan, laugh, and above all, we pray for one another. We love each other enough to be honest, to help, and to show up when someone needs a hand.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a charismatic, an evangelical, a traditionalist, or a liberal—if you’re part of Runcorn Revs, you’re part of the family.

When one of us asks for help, someone always steps in—if not a clergy colleague, then someone from one of our congregations.

We’re also working together on wider discipleship projects, especially among young people. At St Michael’s we’ve seen real growth in our youth work, and it’s been powerful for them to meet clergy from different traditions, to ask questions, and to wrestle honestly with faith. Our young people need space to explore and not just be told what to believe—and through this collaboration, they’re finding exactly that.

For me personally, the Runcorn Revs have been a lifeline. As a new vicar, I don’t think I’d have flourished without their support. And St Michael’s, too, has been transformed by looking more outward to what God is doing in the whole town.

So I’ll end where I began: our differences need not divide us. If we can keep Jesus Christ at the centre, everything else—labels, traditions, theologies—finds its right place. My prayer is that more corners of our diocese will discover the same collaborative spirit, the same joy, and the same growth that we’ve seen here in Runcorn.

Let’s keep Jesus Christ central. That’s what it’s all about.