The Cathedral as a Hub:

At Christ Church Cathedral we are discovering that the Spirit’s imagination often stretches wider than our own. Increasingly, we are called not only to serve as a parish church in downtown Vancouver, but also as a resource hub for ministry that extends far beyond our own walls.

This is what we have come to call the hub and spoke model of ministry. In this model, the Cathedral is the “hub”—a place with resources, leadership, and formation to offer—while “spoke” communities are parishes, congregations, and partner organizations who connect into that hub in a mutual way. Each spoke is unique, with its own strengths, gifts, and challenges, but together we form a shared network of ministry.

What this looks like in practice

• Holy Cross, Vancouver: The Rev. Clare Morgan serves half-time as priest-in-charge at Holy Cross and half-time as Cathedral Nave Missioner. The Cathedral provides preaching, presiding, and vacation coverage (Dean Chris is covering this Sunday, and the Rev. Areeta Bridgemohan on August 31). Holy Cross parishioners are also invited to join Cathedral formation events and special services.
• St. Mary’s, Sapperton: Once a month, the Rev. Kevin de la Mare serves as deacon among this vibrant Filipino congregation, ensuring they have the sacramental and pastoral leadership that would otherwise be missing.
• Whitehorse, Yukon: In collaboration with Christ Church Cathedral Whitehorse and Trinity Lutheran, the Cathedral has offered preaching, teaching, training, and formation. Cathedral clergy, including Dean Chris, Rev. Clare, Rev. Areeta, and Father Kevin Hunt, have travelled north to walk alongside these communities. We also have the privilege of seeing Whitehorse parishioners when they travel south for medical care, deepening our ties of mutual care.
• The Sovereign Order of the Knights of St John: The Cathedral also supports the ministry of this historic order of chivalry. Dean Chris serves as one of the Prelates of the Order and participates on the Almoner and Membership committees, helping guide its charitable and spiritual commitments.
• The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own): As Regimental Padre, Dean Chris provides pastoral care, spiritual guidance, and community-building support to serving members, veterans, and their families. This ministry reflects the Cathedral’s wider call to be present in the civic and military life of our city.

Why it matters

This isn’t simply “helping out smaller parishes” or “lending a hand.” It is a mutual ministry model rooted in the conviction that the Body of Christ is stronger when we share our resources and learn from one another. As Eric Law and the Kaleidoscope Institute remind us, mutuality means we do not approach ministry from a posture of scarcity but from one of abundance—where gifts circulate, and no one part of the body is without what it needs.

Bishop Graham Cray, reflecting on the Missional Church movement, once wrote that the church flourishes when it learns to “cross boundaries for the sake of the Kingdom.” The hub and spoke model allows us to cross boundaries of geography, culture, and capacity. Alan Roxburgh has noted that the future of the church will not lie in solitary congregations but in networks of mutual support, imagination, and missional energy.

Building for the Kingdom of God

This model is different. It requires flexibility, creativity, and trust. But we are discovering that it is also fruitful. When the Cathedral supports Holy Cross, St. Mary’s, Whitehorse, the Knights of St John, or the British Columbia Regiment, we are not just “filling gaps”—we are building up the Kingdom of God together. The Spirit is teaching us that ministry is not confined by parish boundaries but flows where it is most needed.

As we continue to explore this hub and spoke model, our hope is that the Cathedral’s role as a resource hub will allow the whole Diocese—and indeed, the whole city and beyond—to flourish, one spoke at a time, until the wheel of God’s mission turns with renewed energy and life.