The Church Commissioners is looking to appoint a new Third Church Estates Commissioner to succeed the Revd Canon Dr Flora Winfield, who has been announced as the new Bishop of Selby and will leave the Church Commissioners to take up this new appointment in October 2024.
Changes to national Church governance mean that this is likely to be the final appointment to the role of Third Commissioner, and it is anticipated that the role will be for a fixed period of up to three years , by which time the primary responsibilities of the Third Commissioners will have been transitioned to a new national Church governance body (Church of England National Services, or CENS, expected during 2027). The Third Commissioner will play a key role in ensuring these functions are handed over smoothly to the new body.
As well as being a member of the Board of the Church Commissioners and discharging the associated Trustee responsibilities, the Third Church Estates Commissioner will be part of a team of senior elected or appointed members, officers and staff who have a shared responsibility at national level for supporting and enabling the mission and ministry of the Church of England. As a senior figure in the national church, the Third Commissioner leads by example, setting the tone for trustees and staff. They will play a key role in supporting and developing the culture, including the National Church Institutions’ (NCIs) values of Excellence, Collaboration, Integrity, Compassion and Respect, and the work on Belonging & Inclusion which seeks for everyone in the NCIs to feel that they belong, are valued for who they are and what they contribute.
The Third Commissioner will be joining the Church Commissioners alongside Alan Smith as First Church Estates Commissioner and with Marsha de Cordova as the newly appointed Second Church Estates Commissioner. We look forward to the partnership of the First, Second and Third Commissioners, together with the Commissioners’ Deputy Chair (the Bishop of Salisbury), and the energy and ideas this will bring to the life and mission of the Church.
During this season the Third Commissioner will provide visible leadership and strong support to staff teams delivering on:
- Leading the transition to new national Church governance arrangements, ie overseeing the transfer of the Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committee functions, Bishoprics & Cathedrals Committee functions, and the Net Zero Programme Board to new governance structures (as part Church of England National Services, or CENS), seeking to ensure a robust and careful transition such that the functions are set-up to continue to be performed as well in the future as they have hitherto and that the associated staff are cared for during and after this period of transition. It is anticipated that the Third Commissioner will be one of the initial Trustees of CENS, albeit only for a transition period
- Support the legislative processes and related transformation programme around the introduction of a new Mission and Pastoral Measure which is the legal framework which enables the church to support the provision of local worship, mission and ministry and to adapt that provision as circumstances change over time Relevant General Synod and other documents can be read here. This is a high profile and politically complicated piece of work
- Working with partners around the Church as we seek to achieve General Synod’s ambition to reaching carbon net zero, with the stretching target of 2030. The Third Commissioner will have particular focus on ensuring that Church Commissioners’ funding is well-deployed with this aim
The Third Commissioner is appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be expected to work closely with both Archbishops and their team. Occasional meetings will be held with either or both the Archbishops, and more regular contact will be with a senior member of staff in the Office of the Archbishops.
Key responsibilities
- As a trustee of the body entrusted with the Church’s historic £10bn endowment and various administrative and other responsibilities, to play an influential part in setting the Commissioners’ strategic direction and ensuring the best possible service to their various beneficiaries
- To that end, to support the shaping of the agenda of the Church Commissioners, along with the First Church Estates Commissioner, the Deputy Chair of the Board and the Chief Executive
- To chair the Bishoprics and Cathedrals Committee (B&CC), Net Zero Programme Board, and the Mission, Pastoral and Church Property Committee (MPCPC)
- Supporting the ministry of Bishops and Cathedrals, including acting as an advocate for the role of Cathedrals across the national Church and wider society
- Work closely with Lead Bishops for Buildings and Chairs of the Church Buildings Council and Cathedral Fabric Commission for England on matters related to Cathedral and Church Buildings
- To represent the Church Commissioners on General Synod as an ex officio member, including responding to Questions, speaking in debates as necessary and advocacy and relationship-building
- To act as an advocate for the Church Commissioners and the Church of England, particular on areas relating to the Third Commissioner’s brief. In so doing, develop positive relationships with relevant government departments and bodies including Historic England and the Charity Commission (Cathedral co-regulation), including meeting with Ministers and advocating for funding for church buildings
Current projects include
- Playing a leading role in the implementation of those aspects of the Governance Review which relate to the Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committee and Bishoprics & Cathedrals Committee work, ensuring the effective transfer of these functions to CENS and the subsequent winding down of the existing Church Commissioner Committees MPCPC/B&CC (and of the role of Third Church Estates Commissioner itself), the effective delivery of these functions in the transitional period and care for the trustees and staff impacted by the transfer
- Supporting the legislative process for the introduction of the new Mission and Pastoral Measure and the related transformation programme
- Leading the work of the Net Zero Programme Board and Team in implementing the route map to Net Zero 2030 ambition and reporting on its work periodically at General Synod. Leading the work to help make churches, the see house portfolio and cathedrals as sustainable as possible and help church leaders become exemplars of sustainability
- Overseeing the operation of a robust co-regulatory regime for cathedrals under the new Cathedrals Measure
- Making the case, within the Church and with government, for appropriate funding for cathedrals and church buildings
- Working with colleagues in other national leadership roles overseeing the Church of England’s national Vision and Strategy
Main working relationships
The working relationship with the First and Second Church Estates Commissioner is critical. Both the First and Third Estates Commissioners are involved in the development of policy and share oversight of the Church Commissioners, for which the Chief Executive of the Church Commissioners has operational responsibility. Members of the Board of Governors and of the Third Commissioner’s Committees are also key. The Second Commissioner is the key spokesperson for the Church of England within the House of Commons and a significant representative of the work of the Commissioners in the wider public square.
Within the dioceses of the Church of England, the main contacts will be diocesan bishops and cathedral deans. There is an ongoing relationship with the Charity Commission relating to the co-regulation of cathedrals. Chairing the Mission, Pastoral and Church Property Committee will also involve adjudication over issues raised by members of the public in connection with proposals concerning parish re-alignment, clergy deployment, and the closure and re-use of church buildings.
Chairing the Net Zero Programme Board will involve acting as a strong champion and advocate for the urgent action needed to ensure the church, at all levels, is taking steps to tackle climate change and improve resilience to the climate impacts already evident and forecast. The Third Commissioner will also need to develop effective relationships with key external partners including government departments and leaders in relevant public bodies (e.g. heritage and the environment).
The Church of England has a complex governance structure and the ability to work with others progressing issues through different committees and bodies is an important skill. This will include the lead Bishop for the Environment, lead Bishops for Buildings and the Chairs of the Church Buildings Council and Cathedral Fabric Commission for England. Given that participation of church members in decision making is fundamental to the Church’s witness, the ability to chair meetings in which many different views might be held will be essential.