Preferential Places in the Manchester and Stockport Methodist District during the Early Twenty-first Century

Methodism has always placed concern for the poor at the heart of its identity and purpose, yet its local presence and reach is declining. This article examines recent trends in the location of manses and churches against area variations in socio-economic deprivation in one conurbation. Manses are often found in less-deprived neighbourhoods than the churches for which ministers hold responsibility. As churches contract and close, manses are becoming distanced from the most deprived church catchments. These findings raise questions about stationing and ministers' contribution to a national strategy for evangelism and growth that is focused on engaging marginalized communities.