Diocese of Norwich Diocesan Secretary
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Diocese of Norwich Diocesan Secretary Application pack / March 2021 Introduction from Bishop Graham, the Bishop of Norwich Thank you for your interest in the key role of Diocesan Secretary. The Diocese of Norwich is a wonderful place to serve, with amazing diversity: deeply rural, market towns, coastal towns and urban centres, some with places of urban deprivation and rapidly expanding new housing developments. The city of Norwich with its Cathedral is a vibrant and cultural place which, as a regional hub, attracts inward investment and businesses due to its high quality of living, teaching hospital, two universities and science park. There are Minster churches at King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth serving their wider communities. The Norfolk Broads and coastline attract many visitors each year. That variety is in itself energising, but for me what really makes this such a rewarding, satisfying and fun place to be engaged in God’s mission is the people - parishioners, church workers and clergy - exploring and living out what it means to be transformed by Christ. The Church of England will face both joys and challenges in the coming years as we navigate our way through and beyond the pandemic, and seek to share the Gospel afresh with each generation. I am looking for an exceptional individual, who will bring transparent, caring and collaborative leadership, fresh thinking and some innovative answers and solutions, as the next Diocesan Secretary. That person will be deeply committed to the Christian faith, have the heart of a servant of God’s Church, and want to work with me and other colleagues to see God’s Kingdom come in Norfolk and Waveney. I am keen to hear from anyone with the skills that we are looking for and the passion to be involved 02 / Application Pack / March 2021 Welcome to the Diocese of Norwich In the Diocese of Norwich we look to be transformed by Christ through a prayerful, pastoral and prophetic life together. This is a creative place, with a relatively new diocesan bishop, looking forward with a realistic hope and knowing that God wants to share his precious treasure of Word and Sacrament with more people as we serve them in this region. One of 42 Church of England dioceses, we were founded bring energy and commitment to particular topics. This in around 630. Today the Diocese covers a population of is a diocese where there is emerging innovative thinking 920,000. We have 164 benefices, 553 parishes and 640 amidst communities that might seem fairly traditional, actively used churches. We cover an area of 1,800 square but where there is also a passion to see the future of our miles which includes most of the County of Norfolk as churches thrive and the love of God reach more people. well as the district of Waveney in Suffolk. The Diocese has partnership links with the Lutheran As well as the faithful ministry of parish priests and Diocese of Lulea in Sweden, the Anglican Province of lay ministers, we have developed authorised worship Papua New Guinea and Koblenz. assistants, and many others are finding their way to be involved in acts of Christian service through loving Our life together is more fully described here: their neighbours. We work across 110 schools (with www.DofN.org/OurLifeTogether two diocesan multi academy trusts), many of them small but crucial primary schools serving dispersed In 2019: rural communities, and others serving towns with 16,549 people attended a church service on significant areas of deprivation. Our church planting and an average week revitalisation project is bringing renewed energy and 13,252 attended a church service on an encouragement, together with a team developing sports’ average Sunday ministry. Our environment group is active in its work to There were 16,926 on the electoral roll of reduce our carbon footprint and to celebrate the gift of our churches God’s creation, and there are many other gatherings that 03 / Application Pack / March 2021 Along with many other dioceses, the Diocese of Norwich is facing financial challenges. Parish Share received for the year ended 31 December 2020 totalled £6.160 million (77.28% of the total request). For the year to 31 December 2020 this is a decrease of £926,938 or 13.08% when compared to the actual amount received for 2019 (total receipts for 2019 £7.086 million, 89.54% of the total request). The parish share request for 2020 was £7.971 million, This deficit and future predicted deficits, as we so the shortfall on the requested amount was £1.812 emerge from the pandemic and activities resume, million. We believe circa. £1 million of this is a direct are not sustainable. impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our predicted operating deficit (subject to external audit) is circa. We have moved forward with plans around clergy £660,000. This result is better than feared because deployment (which also includes the deployment of lay of sustainability grant funding from the Church and self-supporting ministries), governance reform, and Commissioners to help with the impact of COVID-19, a review of central support services. Later this year we the utilisation of the Government Job retention will also be looking at a policy for our church buildings Scheme for Diocesan lay staff, reduction in stipendiary and the current stewardship model. clergy numbers, savings from vacancy costs, delayed housing quinquennial inspections, and event and travel cost savings. 04 / Application Pack / March 2021 Map of the Diocese, showing the Archdeaconry and Deanery boundaries 05 / Application Pack / March 2021 Vision and Priorities for our life together Imagining the future Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it We will pastorally model the ministry of the whole abundantly” (John 10.10). We see the ministry of the people of God after Jesus the good shepherd. We whole diocese as being about how we live our life will respond with loving service to the needs of the together for the flourishing of every person in every communities where we live and work, and teach, place. Any vision should help the local church to flourish baptise and nurture new believers. and grow in confidence that we are loved by God. We will prophetically speak out and act, with the fire Jesus also said, “If any want to become my followers, of the Holy Spirit, challenging injustice, confronting let them deny themselves and take up their cross and violence, and working for peace and reconciliation. follow me” (Matthew 16.24). The heart of our mission is We will seek to safeguard the integrity of creation and about being open to, and enabling others to discover, a sustain and renew the life of the earth. life transformed by Christ. Being open to all of this will enable God in Jesus We join in Christ’s mission, conscious of the five marks to accomplish far more than all we can ask of mission of the Anglican Communion, through or imagine (Ephesians 3.20). If we allow the responding to God and the world. Holy Spirit to breathe God’s divine life into our human plans, much more will be made of them, We will prayerfully proclaim the Good News of for God can bring abundance from scarcity. the Kingdom, rooting ourselves in Scripture and the sacraments. We will wait upon God in stillness, We are called to be faithful, as God is always faithful to contemplation and intercession. Our corporate prayer, us. By prayerfully placing the life of the diocese where an ongoing conversation with God, will embrace our sails can best catch the wind of the Holy Spirit, God traditional, fresh expressions, online and evolving will take us where God wills. models of being Church. 06 / Application Pack / March 2021 Transformed by Christ: Prayerful, Pastoral, Prophetic. Various pieces of work emerge from the three priorities within the vision Prayerful Pastoral Prophetic We will deepen our prayer life and We will promote and equip the variety of We will ensure an active priestly or learning and provide a sense of lay and ordained ministries, knowing lay worker/enabler presence in our belonging within worship offered that all are invited to hear God’s call and lowest economic communities in a range of styles for all ages. selflessly respond in loving service. as we seek to address the growing inequalities in our society. We will equip people in evangelism to We will have honest conversations find ways to share their faith during the leading to decisions about the mission We will seek to become a safe Church week and be invitational to others to join potential, viability and ways to ease for all and one that embraces diversity the life of their local Church, recognising the burden of our church buildings, and radical Christian inclusion. the particular need to engage with many of which are treasured places of children, young people and families. holiness, stillness and memory, whilst also We will work to ensure that ecological exploring new possibilities for planting concerns are integral to our life together as We will live a life of generous stewardship and nurturing Christian communities. we care for our single island planet home. in response to God’s gifts to us. We will encourage every church community and church school to be engaged somehow, often in partnership, in loving service to its local, diocesan and world neighbours. 07 / Application Pack / March 2021 Role and Responsibilities The Diocesan Secretary advises the Diocesan Bishop as a member of his senior The role of the Diocesan staff, and ensures that the mission, the financial sustainability and the strategy Secretary is to run the charity, of the Diocese, as determined by the Bishop with his staff, Bishop’s Council and reporting to the Bishop and Diocesan Synod, are served by exemplary financial management, excellent DBF Chair, by combining three administration and people management, and effective governance.