A Time of Opportunity and Challenge

Ely Diocese faces a time of opportunity and challenge, and we start from a strong base. Our Diocese has a large endowment and therefore a strong flow of investment income. While perhaps a third of our parishes show signs of financial strain, many are in good shape and, overall, parishes are building financial reserves. We opened in April 2024 a new, purpose-built diocesan office, Etheldreda House, which offers an excellent working environment for our strong team. Ely Diocese is generally a good place to be, with good working relationships between members of the senior team. We experience the same tensions arising from theological differences as in the rest of the Church of England, notably in relation to sex and marriage, but so far have walked that road together in a mutually respectful way.

Building on these foundations, the new Diocesan Secretary will need to work with others in diocesan leadership to:

• Support diocesan strategic planning for growth: helping our growing churches to do more, and resourcing those that struggle to develop a new story.
• Ensure central services are responsive, serving the work of parish churches with their local autonomy and delivery, as well as our mission initiatives and chaplaincies.
• Plan for a church presence in new housing developments, combining partnership with other churches and local engagement to build community in new places.
• Be dedicated to the “priority of priorities”: to grow the number of children, young people and families present in our worshipping communities.
• Support our schools as they serve changing communities in a changing policy environment.
• Help bridge economic and demographic disparities between wealthy and deprived communities across the Diocese.
• Support local churches in maintaining historic church buildings, while supporting places where this will not be possible as they develop a new vision.
• Lead the Diocese to promote equality, diversity and inclusion as core Christian values.
• Maintain high safeguarding standards in a changing policy environment, in order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all who engage with our churches.

Overall, the next Diocesan Secretary must be effective in delivery, a strategic planner, and a collaborative leader. By focusing on financial sustainability, outreach, and inclusivity, the Diocese can strengthen its long-term mission and ensure the Church's presence remains active and relevant in the evolving social and demographic landscape.

Against that overview, we would highlight some issues as being particularly key.

Population growth

The rate of growth presents, overall, a fantastic opportunity. But it also means that our assets may not be in the right place, and we serve communities that are undergoing the stresses that arise from rapid change. 

In particular, we are seeing rapid growth in new housing. We have a good track record of growing churches in new places, and now face many calls on us to fund and support new worshipping communities.

Safeguarding

It is foundational to all we do that our churches are safe places for all. The Diocese is blessed with an effective Safeguarding Team of six staff. They primarily work to ensure good safeguarding practices are embedded in all areas of diocesan life, providing advice, training and support while also overseeing participation in the National Casework Management System. The Diocese is committed to implementing the National Church of England Safeguarding Standards and Quality Assurance Framework, and we are preparing for our INEQE audit which will take place early next year. All of this work is guided and quality-assured by the independent Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP).

Care for creation

We recognise that caring for God’s creation is part of obedience to God’s call on us, and also that effective response on this issue is vital to the credibility of our mission and witness. This is not an abstract global issue for us, because much of the Diocese consists of low-lying land, highly exposed to rising sea-levels.

The Diocese’s work in this area is supported by a Diocesan Environmental Task Group (DETG) which provides advice and support to parishes and the diocesan centre, and guides delivery of a Net Zero Carbon Action Plan. Many parishes are engaging with the Eco-Church scheme, and have won awards. In August 2024, Ely Cathedral became only the third UK Cathedral awarded the Eco Church Gold award. 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

EDI matters to all who care about the Kingdom of God. It is an essential element of our mission that we seek to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

Ely Diocese has long been a strong advocate of women’s ministry and has the highest proportion of female stipendiary clergy in the Church of England. This does not mean tt we have eliminated barriers or unfairness, however, and we maintain an active programme to promote inclusion. The Bishop’s Adviser for Women’s Ministry is a member of the Bishop’s Senior Team.

The Diocese has a programme of work to implement the recommendations of the 2021 national report, “From Lament to Action.” These recommendations cover participation, governance, training, education and young people, and are taken forward by a Racial Justice Action Group. This work is led by a Bishop’s Adviser on Racial Justice who is also a member of the Bishop’s Senior Team.

The Bishop has appointed a Disability Adviser who supports churches in developing their welcome to the large proportion of the population who live with a disability. The Diocese supports a Deaf Church which worships in BSL and with interpretation.