The Director for Cathedral & Church Buildings will be responsible for providing strategic national leadership for the Church of England’s Cathedral and Church Buildings, enabling them to be used to best missional effect and ensuring their protection, enhancement, conservation and appropriate adaptation.
The Director will ensure the delivery of a series of statutory, advisory and grant-giving services to churches and cathedrals to support the effective management of buildings to serve the wider mission of the Church of England.
The vision is to enable parishes and cathedrals to manage their buildings well, to feel supported in statutory processes, and to inspire them to use and celebrate the church’s buildings and architectural inheritance to best effect. The role is focused on effective, efficient stewardship and streamlined processes and legislation that will create savings of time and money across the church. It is a key mission support function to help the local church to flourish, and a valued lay ministry, locally & nationally.
The Director for Cathedral & Church Buildings will lead a staff team of about 20 to deliver the services and support in line with this vision. The team will also support the introduction, allocation and delivery of national funding programmes in 2023-25 and beyond, aimed at church buildings in general (£11million 2023-25) and achieving Net Zero in particular (part of an overall funding programme of £190million across 2023-31).
The Director will work closely with senior stakeholders across the church, in particular the Lead Bishops for Buildings, Third Church Estates Commissioner, and Chairs of the Church Buildings Council (CBC) and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (CFCE), in articulating, communicating and implementing a national strategy to support and enable church buildings to be managed, protected, conserved and used to best missional effect.
The Director will deliver upon this strategy through:
- Leading a team that will work with others across the church, nationally and locally, to support churches, dioceses and cathedrals in caring for and making the best use of their buildings for mission. Provide seamless support on church buildings matters.
- Spreading good practice and support churches and cathedrals in obtaining resources from outside the church for fabric and conservation, and to connect the team’s work to others in the National Church Institutions, supporting complementary aspects of churches’ mission.
- Ensuring effective administrative and governance processes in respect of church planning and heritage matters through the work of the CBC and CFCE. Provide guidance on the application of relevant legislation and propose legislative changes were appropriate.
- Providing national support for the church’s net zero ambition.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- To work closely with senior stakeholders across the church, in particular the Lead Bishops for Buildings, Third Church Estates Commissioner, and Chairs of the CBC and CFCE, in order to articulate, communicate and implement a national strategy for the Church of England to support and enable church buildings to be managed and used to best missional effect.
- Encouraging initiatives and new thinking for making use of churches for mission, ensuring they are equipped to serve congregations now and in the future for worship and to serve the wider community, whilst also respecting and making use of the historic significance and architectural integrity of cathedrals and church buildings (and how that can contribute directly to the church’s mission).
- Provide support to churches, dioceses and cathedrals to help them to manage and maintain their buildings with a view to reducing the time and cost in so doing. Lead the implementation of a new ‘Buildings for Mission’ programme focused on targeted support (via officers, training and advice), new management models to reduce burdens on parishes, and an enhanced digital provision of advice, information and record-keeping, backed by £11 million of national church funding over 2023-25.
- Acting as a champion for the role of cathedrals and the 16,000 church buildings (most of them listed) as a wonderful mission resource, as important centres in their communities and as part of our national heritage.
- Supporting the Chairs of the CBC and the CFCE to increase understanding of the national and international significance of the buildings in their care; ensure the effective operation of the CBC and CFCE regulatory processes. Support recruitment and succession planning for trustee bodies, with a focus on diversity.
- Provide national support for the church’s net zero ambition, including supporting the introduction and effective distribution of £190 million of national church funding (2023-2031).
- Representing the church’s interests with Government and other agencies in relation to legislation, policy and resourcing in relation to places of worship and other buildings, as well as working to secure financial support from Government and other agencies.
- Proactively managing, and responding to, national media interest on church buildings matters.
- Leading, managing and motivating the staff of the national cathedral & church buildings team as a unified, high performing and flexible team that commands the confidence of Churches, Dioceses, Cathedrals, General Synod, Archbishops’ Council, Church Commissioners, Church Buildings Council and Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England. Ensure the team works in an aligned way with other national church teams to provide a seamless service.
- Working in partnership with other NCI senior leaders, facilitate implementation of change plans to help to devise and establish new ways of working, streamline organisation structures and processes and lead culture change across the national church buildings function.
- Support the wider National Church family as a member of the senior leadership group, contributing to the development of the NCIs and working across church bodies.
ACCOUNTABLE TO: Chief Executive of the Church Commissioners with a dotted line to the Secretary General of the Archbishops’ Council.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS:
- Lead Bishops for Buildings.
- Chair of the Church Buildings Council – CBC.
- Chair of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England – CFCE.
- Third Church Estates Commissioner.
- NCI Chief Officers, Senior Leadership Group & other Trustees.
- Wider Church of England stakeholders including Bishops, Diocesan Secretaries, Archdeacons, Cathedral Deans and Cathedral Chief Operating Officers.
- Officials and Ministers at relevant Government departments (particularly the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, Sport and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities).
- Historic England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and a wide range of other bodies concerned with the use of historic buildings.