The Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication (CCX) supports leaders, church teams and dioceses across London, England and beyond as they multiply disciples, churches and networks.
CCX ANNOUNCEMENT
27/05/2025
CCX is delighted to share the news that Ric Thorpe has been elected to the role of Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia. We are excited for his future ministry and all that lies ahead.
We are grateful for Ric’s ministry as Bishop of Islington over the last ten years which has enabled the Church of England to embrace church planting and church revitalisation more intentionally.
He has been instrumental in establishing the work of CCX, setting foundations for church multiplication across the UK and beyond.
Ric will continue to lead CCX until late October. H Miller has taken on the role of Executive Director of CCX. He brings 34 years of church planting experience to the role, having worked with Ric and CCX as chief of staff for over 10 years.
CCX continues to help the Church reach new people in new and renewed ways. Through consulting, convening, training and research, we support leaders as they plant and grow worshipping communities with confidence and clarity.
Over the past decade, CCX has delivered high-quality training and built strong partnerships across dioceses, denominations and networks. As demand has grown in tandem with financial challenges, we have pivoted to a new operating model, under the existing charity.
We are shifting from direct delivery to a lean, agile train-the-trainer model. This change will multiply CCX’s reach by equipping local leaders to deliver our content in their own contexts. Our mission — to Plant, Grow, Pioneer and serve on Estates — remains at the heart of this shift. There is a new chapter ahead for Myriad, as our lay-led planting initiative will become an independent charity — multiplying its impact while continuing to collaborate with CCX.
Why Now?
Multiplying mission, using financial resources to greatest reach and impact
Our new approach enables wider reach, longer-term impact, which is financially more sustainable.
Local leadership, greater flexibility
Training leaders where they are — using CCX tools — empowering mission that is contextual, Spirit-led and rooted in place.
From specialists to a network
Our central team becomes a cross-functional hub, equipping a growing network of practitioners to lead contextual training nationwide. In embracing this shift and to navigate the charity financial landscape, the CCX Board has made the difficult decision to make a significant number of the CCX staff team redundant.
This pivot is a bold, necessary move — not to scale back, but to multiply mission in a time that demands creativity, stewardship and faith.
H Miller, CCX Executive Director, is available to answer questions on this announcement: h.miller@ccx.org.uk
Our story
CCX was established in 2015 by Bishop Ric Thorpe, who was appointed as the Bishop of Islington to lead the Diocese of London’s goal of creating 100 new worshipping communities across the capital and to offer support for church planting. This wider work included permission from the Bishop of London to serve any diocese in the Church of England when invited by the local diocesan bishop.
Due in part to the success of the Diocese of London’s Capital Vision 2020, the scope of CCX has grown rapidly, supporting diocesan leadership teams and church leaders throughout England and beyond as they look to plant and grow churches and develop their strategies for church planting. You can review a more detailed history of CCX here.
In 2018 the House of Bishops issued a statement which outlined warm support for ‘planting new churches as a way of sharing in the apostolic mission by bringing more people in England to faith in Christ and participation in the life of the Church’. In 2019, General Synod passed a motion encouraging every parish and diocese to be part of this movement, forming new disciples and new congregations to reach the unreached in their community and the creation of ten thousand new Christian communities. Alongside this, CCX launched Myriad – which inspires and serves everyday people to form new church communities.
Fundamental to the national work of CCX is the involvement with and delivery of the Diocese of London’s Creative Growth ambition. London has been a seedbed for the creation of resources, training, and innovative models of planting and growth that are shared nationally and internationally.
With the scale of work expanding nationally, CCX became an independent charity to provide flexibility to respond to changing needs. Led by the Bishop of Islington, a member of the London College of Bishops, The Gregory Centre is committed to serve the 2030 diocesan vision.
