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Dean of Candidate Briefing Pack

March 2021

Contents

From the ...... 3 Role profile ...... 4 Background information ...... 7 Useful resources ...... 10 Additional details ...... 10

From the Bishop of Hereford

The next will arrive in the during a time of change and will be one of a number of new members of the Bishop’s Staff Team. Indeed, I am still new to the Diocese myself and I am looking forward to the opportunities of working with the new Dean and other colleagues as we lead the Diocese focussed on our current priority areas of parish revitalisation, planting new congregations, and encouraging the mission and ministry of all the baptised. We are in the midst of a discernment process to discover what God is calling mission and ministry to look like across the diocese in the months and years ahead.

Hereford Cathedral is a jewel in the crown of the Diocese and wider community life. There are many strengths on which our next Dean will be able to build.

The Cathedral offers liturgical choral worship of exceptional quality and this attracts people from across the Diocese and beyond. The next Dean will of course be committed to preserving and developing the liturgical and musical excellence of the choral tradition, and its tradition of inclusive hospitality. But they will also bring creativity and innovation to help us develop new additional forms of worship. This will need to complement rather than replicate what is available in nearby parish churches. The Dean will also need to be a leader in mission, helping the Cathedral Community to grow - particularly younger and more diverse.

The and Mappa Mundi amongst other treasures contribute hugely to the tourism industry of the city. This has of course been impacted significantly by the Coronavirus pandemic, as have the opportunities for fundraising enterprise. The next Dean will have the opportunity to lead the Cathedral Community in reflecting on and planning what the future offering looks like as we emerge from lockdown and restrictions on gatherings.

I am looking forward to working with the next Dean as a key colleague within the Bishop’s Staff Team. Please be assured of my prayers as you discern whether you are being called to be the next .

Rt Revd Bishop of Hereford

Role profile Purpose of the role

To lead the life and work of the Cathedral Church of The Blessed Virgin Mary and St Ethelbert, Hereford and to share with the Diocesan Bishop and other senior colleagues in the oversight of the Diocese of Hereford.

Main responsibilities

These main responsibilities are common to all Deans in the : • As Dean and senior in the Diocese, to share with the Bishop and other senior colleagues in the oversight of the Church’s mission, and to be a member of the Bishop’s Council, the Bishop’s Staff Team and the Diocesan Synod; • As head of the Cathedral foundation and its principal dignitary after the Bishop, to preside over the Cathedral , with it to direct the life and work of the Cathedral, and to take emergency decisions on behalf of the Chapter when circumstances require; • To represent the Church in public life across the diocese and county, to grow partnerships with faith and secular institutions, and to contribute to their intellectual, social and theological capital; • To preside over the College of Canons, working with the Cathedral Council and other statutory bodies, and in collaboration with the Chapter to ensure sound governance across the Cathedral; • To exercise leadership in the Cathedral’s liturgy, preaching and pastoral care, to develop healthy team working, and to be personally committed to its pattern of daily prayer; • To lead the mission and outreach of the Cathedral, including the presentation and interpretation of its heritage; • With the Chapter, to have oversight of the Cathedral’s development and to lead in securing funds for its long term future; • To ensure that the Cathedral’s operations are properly managed, including staff, finance, compliance and the care of the fabric; • To ensure that the constitution and statutes are faithfully observed; • To exercise responsibility for safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, the provision of pastoral care of survivors, and creating a culture in which all will flourish and which is coherent with the safeguarding policies of the Church of England.

Opportunities and challenges for the next Dean of Hereford

The next Dean will have the opportunity to build on all that has been achieved in, by and through the Cathedral community in recent years, and in particular to: • lead the Cathedral in developing a common vision for its ministry in the city and across the diocese in a post-COVID world; • maintain our excellent choral worship and use gifts of creativity and innovation as we look to develop new additional forms of digital and physical worship (both within the Cathedral and as a resource for the diocese); • consider how the Cathedral building, grounds and treasures can be best used as a missional resource and opportunity; • be a pastor of the Cathedral community, equipping and encouraging individuals in their faith and ensuring the provision of pastoral care and discipleship for the cherished and much-loved congregation; • be a leader in mission, encouraging others to share their faith and enabling the Cathedral to grow younger and more diverse congregations; • strengthen and maximise the partnerships with the independent funding bodies and ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the Cathedral through appropriate business planning and fundraising; • develop new partnerships across the civic life of the city and county (e.g. with the new university) and harness the opportunities of existing relationships to speak prophetically into the public square and serve the common good; • ensure new governance arrangements are implemented in line with the Cathedrals Measure, and that safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults is embedded in every aspect of Cathedral life.

Key criteria

The panel are looking to appoint someone who demonstrates these qualities and characteristics: • A person of evident personal faith and deep spirituality, committed to and nourished by the rhythm of daily Cathedral prayers • An engaging and inspiring preacher and communicator • Committed to excellence in worship within the Cathedral’s choral liberal catholic and inclusive theological tradition; • Evidence of successfully navigating complex organisational dynamics and relationships with diplomacy and building partnerships with ecumenical, community and civic leaders; • An experienced inclusive leader who takes a collaborative and encouraging approach, enabling everyone to flourish and able to delegate areas of their own competence and passion whilst being willing to be hands-on and decisive when needed; • Has a vision for the missional role of Cathedrals and shows creativity and entrepreneurism in developing new forms of worship and outreach; • Shows a demonstrable commitment to excellent safeguarding practice and is equipped to ensure that the Cathedral is a safe place for children and vulnerable adults; • Has an understanding of the financial challenges facing cathedrals and is equipped to engage actively in fundraising; • A person with a pastoral heart who enjoys the ministry of hospitality.

Background information This briefing pack is produced by the appointment panel to provide further information about the key themes, opportunities and challenges which the panel have identified for the ministry of the next Dean.

The ministry of the Dean within the Cathedral Chapter have kindly prepared a profile of the Cathedral which provides more detailed information about the worship, organisation and operations of .

There is an understanding that Cathedral life is not necessarily going to return exactly as things were to the first national lockdown in March 2020. Many people and groups contribute to the life of the Cathedral in various ways. It will be important for the Dean to foster relationships with all these key partners in developing a common vision for the mission and ministry of the Cathedral as life emerges from the Coronavirus pandemic.

Whilst the Dean is not and cannot be “The ”, it is important that he or she is someone who is able to equip and encourage others in their faith and who will ensure that pastoral care and discipleship is available for the cherished and much-loved congregation and visitors. The Dean will need to be comfortable working collaboratively with others, encouraging people to use their gifts, skills and experiences so that everyone can flourish in their God-given vocations.

The quality of choral worship at Hereford Cathedral is exceptionally well-regarded and this will be something that the next Dean will be committed to see flourish further. The development of a girls’ choir will hopefully happen within the tenure of the next Dean. The musical life of the Cathedral expands beyond the regular services into the and the Hereford Choral Society. Whilst the Cathedral does not want to replicate what is happening in other churches in the city, there is room for developing new additional forms of worship. We hope that the next Dean will bring experience of liturgical creativity and innovation to help the Cathedral reach and attract people who do not yet regularly worship anywhere.

As we look to grow younger and more diverse, we would hope the next Dean will equip the wider Cathedral Community for mission and build up people’s confidence to talk about their faith with others.

Hereford Cathedral School is an independent school adjacent to the Cathedral which provides education for all the choristers, and students gather in the Cathedral for collective worship.

A new Headteacher and Dean joining at a similar time will give opportunities for developing the partnership between the School and Cathedral. The School buildings are owned by Chapter and leased to the Cathedral School, and Chapter partially fund the school places for the choristers. Because of the financial transactions between the School and Chapter, the Dean does not have a formal role on the governing body in order to avoid conflicts of interest, but instead holds the role of President of the School.

The Dean will need to be alert to the financial challenges facing the Cathedral. The 2019 accounts are the most recent published set of accounts. Whilst the Cathedral broke even at the end of 2020, the rate of recovery to any sense of normality during 2021 is likely to be slow and this will impact upon the financial health of the Cathedral. The Cathedral relies on grants from its main funding partners (the Mappa Mundi Trust, Hereford Cathedral Perpetual Trust and the Friends of Hereford Cathedral) who collectively contributed £1.2m in 2019. It will be important for the new Dean to develop strong and effective relationships with these partners and to work towards the long-term financial sustainability of the Cathedral through appropriate business planning and fundraising.

The new Cathedrals Measure will bring in changes to the governance arrangements for Cathedrals and the Dean will need to work with the Chief Operations Officer (COO) to prepare for the new arrangements including registration with the Charity Commission in due course.

The ministry of the Dean within & South Hereford is one of England’s smaller cities, with a population of 60,000. It is the county town of an extensive but thinly populated county, with an economy based largely on agriculture (95% of its land is defined as rural). A popular area to which to retire, 25% of the county’s population is over 65 and although there is a good degree of wealth in the county, areas of the city rank among the 10% most deprived areas in the UK, with some county market towns among the 20% most deprived. The Cathedral supports the work of Vennture (a local ecumenical charity which runs Street Pastors and other initiatives across the city) and is also involved in other social action work, e.g. providing meals for the homeless.

There are strong ecumenical links with other churches in the city, including Belmont Abbey (a Roman Catholic monastery) and independent evangelical churches. Some leaders of other churches have been appointed as Ecumenical Companions in the Cathedral as a symbol of Christian unity.

The Cathedral building, grounds and treasures attract many people and are an excellent resource to share the Christian story, as well as making the Cathedral a significant tourism

venue. We would like the next Dean to help build on these opportunities for mission and fundraising enterprise.

There will be opportunities for the Dean to get involved within wider community life in the City. The Cathedral is part of the “Team Hereford” group which brings together the council, police, Business Improvement District and representatives of hospitality and tourism organisations. There are also opportunities to develop partnerships with other organisations in the city, perhaps including key educational institutions such as Hereford College of Arts, the Royal National College for the Blind and particularly the new NMITE university.

The ministry of the Dean within the Diocese The Diocese of Hereford covers Herefordshire, south Shropshire and some parishes in , and . The worshipping community is made up of 13,300 people of all ages and backgrounds. Nearly 7,500 people attend a service each Sunday and 12,000 children attend one of our 78 schools and academies. The diocese’s vision is to “inspire each generation to follow Jesus Christ - our families, friends, neighbours, colleagues, the people we meet - so that lives and communities are changed and God’s kingdom grows here in Hereford Diocese, on earth, as in heaven”.

As the seat of the Bishop, the Cathedral has a role to play in the life of the diocese. The geographical distance between the Cathedral and parishes near the edges of the diocese is not inconsiderable and the Dean needs to be willing to take the Cathedral out to parishes as well as welcome them in. The relatively new Bishop’s Staff Team gives the Cathedral and Diocese fresh opportunities to work together, and the Dean will play a key role in the Bishop’s Staff Team, on Bishop’s Council and in the wider life of the Diocese.

Useful resources The following websites may be of interest to people exploring a call to this role: • Hereford Cathedral • Diocese of Hereford • Hereford Cathedral School • Hereford City Council (the Parish Council) • Herefordshire Council (the Unitary Authority) Additional details Stipend, housing and office space The current stipend for Deans is £37,670 per annum. The Dean will live in The , Cathedral Close, Hereford. The role will be offered under Common Tenure.

Eligibility & pre-employment enquiries To be appointed as Dean you need to have been ordained for at least six years. Applicants should have the right to live and work in the United Kingdom. The appointed candidate will need to satisfactorily complete an Enhanced DBS check and pre-appointment occupational health clearance.

Safeguarding Experience of your competence in managing safeguarding forms a key part of the discernment process, as well as enquiries to reassure the appointing panel that you are not a safeguarding risk.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a confidential declaration and your bishop will provide a Clergy Current Status Letter (CCSL), prior to interview, having examined your blue file. We will also ask your referees to comment on your approach to managing safeguarding.

In the event of safeguarding concerns being raised, the Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments will liaise with your bishop, the Chair of the panel and the National Safeguarding Team (NST) for advice and direction on how to proceed. If any issues raised cannot be resolved within the timescales for the appointment process, you may be asked to withdraw.

The appointment process The Dean of Hereford is a Crown Appointment. Lady Susanna McFarlane has been invited by the to chair the panel which has the responsibility to nominate the next Dean of Hereford. The members of the selection panel are:

Voting members Mrs Jo Beavan Bishop’s Council representative Revd Preb Jane Davies College of Canons representative Very Revd Jonathan Greener (the Cathedrals’ representative nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury) Rt Revd Richard Jackson Bishop of Hereford Lady Susanna McFarlane Chair of the Appointment Panel

Non-voting members Mr Brad Cook Appointments and Vocations Adviser Revd Kina Robertshaw Advisory member invited by the Chair Mr Richard Tilbrook Prime Minister’s Appointment Secretary

Induction and Development A transition coach will be available to support the next Dean as s/he takes up this new ministry. The new Dean will also be invited to attend safeguarding training alongside a series of other induction meetings to help them flourish in their new role.

Next steps This briefing pack has been prepared by the appointment panel to help you discern whether you are being called by God to be the next Dean of Hereford. If you have been stirred by what you have read and would like to discuss the role further, you can arrange a conversation with Brad Cook, Appointments & Vocations Adviser by emailing [email protected].

To apply, please complete the online application form via Pathways. You are advised to read the guidance notes before starting your application. The closing date for applications is Wednesday 7 April. Please be aware that the online application system will close at midnight on this day.

As part of the interview process, we make use of psychometric profiling to support appointment and discernment work. Candidates will be invited to complete psychometric questionnaires and discuss the themes from these with an external consultant. If shortlisted, you will ideally need to be available to speak with the consultant on either the afternoon of 20th April or on 21st April.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Liz Dore, Recruitment Co-ordinator, on 020 7898 1768 or email [email protected].

The interviews will take place on Monday 26th & Tuesday 27th April and, subject to Coronavirus restrictions, we hope these will be able to take place in person in Hereford.