The Gower Ministry Area
In a formal review of the Church in Wales, carried out in 2012, it was recommended that, to avoid the problem of single parishes working alone becoming vulnerable, and to make use of the potential for greater cooperation between churches, parishes should form groupings into Ministry Areas.
The Gower Ministry Area, although operating on a less formal basis for a number of years, was not formally licensed until 31 May 2023.This brought about significant changes. In particular, Benefice / Parish boundaries within the Ministry Area have been removed and a single Ministry Area Council has been established which will set the strategic direction of the Ministry Area.
The removal of legal boundaries within a Ministry Area will mean that the right to marriage, baptism and burial will extend to the Ministry Area.
There are twenty churches in the Ministry Area ranging from Rhossili in the far West to Tycoch in the East of the area. Almost all of the churches are of historic interest with some having elements that date back to the sixth century, in addition to earlier links with the arrival of Christianity to this part of Wales. More details are given elsewhere in this website.
The Gower peninsula juts out some 19 miles westward into the Bristol Chanel just west of the city of Swansea. It is a rich and varied environment with dramatic limestone cliffs and sandy beaches to the South and West, and areas of salt marsh to the North along the estuary of the river Loughor. In 1956, the Gower Peninsula was the first area of the United Kingdom to gain the formal designation of An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Gower Ministry Area 