Sheffield Cathedral Canon Precentor Application Pack February 2020 Sheffield Cathedral Church Street Sheffield S1 1HA Thank you for your enquiry about the post of the Canon Precentor of Sheffield Cathedral. We hope that you will find this information pack useful, and that you will consider applying for this senior role leading important areas of the Cathedral’s ministry. The Cathedral Chapter has recently reviewed our music and liturgy. We have renewed our ambition to offer compelling and imaginative worship, the very best of its type, with a quality of music, welcome, and engagement which fits our vision as a modern cathedral in a major City and Diocese. We are looking for someone who has the skills to inspire adults and young people to make this compelling vision a reality under God, who can make a significant contribution to the leadership within the Cathedral team, and who will embrace opportunities for engaging the wider community in our mission through creative partnerships. We hope that you will consider applying even if you do not think that you are a strong singer—or that you cannot sing at all. We have given this matter considerable thought: team leadership, imagination, and a confident ability to work beyond the structures of the Church are much more important for the Precentor here than singing. Applications on the form provided should be submitted by noon on 23 March. Shortlisting will take place on 31 March, and interviews will be held in the Cathedral on 22 and 23 April. If you would like to make an informal visit to Sheffield before applying, or to have an informal conversation with the Dean to discuss the role, please contact Nicola Burgin on [email protected] We will be praying for you as you consider whether God is calling you to serve here with our whole Cathedral community. Peace and joy to you, Peter Keith The Very Reverend Peter Bradley The Reverend Canon Keith Farrow Dean Vice Dean and Canon Missioner 2 | P a g e our bishop and diocese No one has any doubt that in 2029 the Church of England in South Yorkshire will look very different from the way it is now — but equally no one is yet very clear about the shape it will take. Will the whole people of God be mobilised for the whole mission of God? Will attendance figures be in decline or growing? Will there be more stipendiary incumbents or fewer? Will there be more congregations or fewer? How can the Cathedral best relate to the wider Diocese and its diverse parishes, to support and encourage them?’ The Diocese of Sheffield includes former steel-making communities (not least in Sheffield and Rotherham) and former coal-mining communities (not least in the villages around Doncaster). But it is also far greener than people imagine, with Peak District communities (west and north of Sheffield) and farming communities (north and east of Doncaster). It boasts some of the finest hospitals in the country and an inspiring Advanced Manufacturing Park, a noble tradition of horse racing (the St Leger) and other centres of sporting excellence. There are prosperous suburbs and sprawling housing estates, areas of multi- cultural vitality and of stark socio-economic deprivation. These are the communities we seek to serve with the Good News of what God has done for the world in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are looking to appoint a Canon Precentor with a strong sense of vocation, a person of faith and hope and love in God, a person with a sense of adventure, unafraid of failure and reliant on the grace of the Holy Spirit. I assure you of my prayers as you consider whether God is calling you to serve here. With every blessing, The Right Reverend Dr Pete Wilcox The Bishop of Sheffield We enclose an introduction to the Diocese in our application pack, and you can read the Diocesan strategy in full at www.sheffield.anglican.org 3 | P a g e our history The Cathedral building tells the story of Sheffield, from its origins in the early 12th century when William de Lovetot built the first Church on this site, through the town’s development and growth over the centuries, to the vibrant and diverse city it is today. The sanctuary, the most easterly part of the Cathedral, dates to the Norman church that stood here. The chevron stonework of the original church can still be identified on the east wall, although it is thought that the Norman church was destroyed in the 13th century and stone was reused by the stonemasons building the church here in c.1430. The chancel, tower and spire completed the medieval parish Church in the early 15th century, built in the perpendicular style typical of many English churches. The tower and spire of the church has dominated the Sheffield skyline for six hundred years. The chancel houses the beautifully carved canons’ stalls and the cathedra, the seat of the Bishop—this was designed by Sir Charles Nicholson in the 1930s. The roof of the chancel features gilded angels which date from the medieval church, although their wings were added in the 1960s. The church was granted cathedral status in 1914, and we are proud that we still retain our parish, and remain the Parish Church of Sheffield. When we became a cathedral, plans were drawn up to extend the building. In the 1930s the building was extended to the North with the addition of the Crypt Chapel of All Saints, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit and St George’s Chapel (this would have been the Sanctuary of a much larger and re-orientated Nave). This extension also included the addition of the processional corridor and Chapter House. The plans would have seen the extension of the Cathedral out across the Cathedral Square to where the tram stop is now located, however the outbreak of the Second World War halted the plans and they were never resumed. The curious result is that the interior of the Cathedral is, like the Tardis, much larger than it looks from outside, and there are many quirky chapels for visitors to explore. Over the last 15 years there has been further redevelopment to make this ancient building suited for its modern-day purposes. In 2007, the Community Resources Centre (CRC) was opened. The facilities include a suite of meeting rooms, our coffee shop, and a social care centre for the Cathedral Archer Project (see below). This was the first phase of larger plans to re-structure the Cathedral which were completed in 2013. The Gateway Project included the building of a new entrance, the renewal of the Cathedral heating and lighting systems, new flooring and redecoration, and replacing the pews with movable benches. Our new light and flexible interior offers us many new opportunities 4 | P a g e the cathedral today Sheffield Cathedral is before all else the mother Church of the Diocese of Sheffield. The Diocese has a population of 1.4 million, covering most of South Yorkshire and parts of the East Riding of Yorkshire, but centred around the commercial and industrial districts of Sheffield, Rotherham,, Barnsley and Doncaster. The Cathedral sits at the southern-most point of the Diocese and despite the geographic distance, the Cathedral remains connected to parishes across the Diocese. The Cathedral Chapter and congregations understand that our vocation is to be “a place for all people,” echoing the words of Christ (Matthew 21.13, Mark 11.17). We emphasize inclusion and hospitality in all that we do. So, for example, the Cathedral has for many years hosted a large social care project founded by members of the congregation, the Cathedral Archer Project. We are also called, in the words of Jeremiah, “to work for the prosperity of the city where I have sent you” (29.7). Therefore, we emphasize that the particular vocation of an urban cathedral is to look outwards, to engage new people in our worship and life. This has led to our particular emphasis on public engagement in the new Precentor’s role. We receive over 250,000 visitors per year. Around 10% of our visitors come to share in our daily worship, with an average Sunday morning eucharist attendance of 165, and weekday evensong attendance of 32. The Cathedral’s worship reflects the richness of Anglicanism, its sacramental ministry and choral tradition. Around 20% of those who visit come to use our coffee shop and gift shop. The remaining visitors come to experience the heritage of our ancient building, to enjoy the stillness of this sacred space, or to participate in the many activities on offer. The Cathedral is open every day, and in recent years our approach to visitors has been transformed. There are always welcomers and guides on duty to greet visitors and support them as they journey through the Cathedral. Visits are enhanced by regularly changing exhibitions. Our successful shop has a wide range of gifts on sale, and many local products. Our coffee shop has regularly won awards for being the most welcoming coffee shop in the City, and for providing the best coffee. We have a weekly programme of activities, from heritage talks and specialist tours to recitals, concerts and exhibitions. We work closely with Sheffield City Council and Sheffield’s two universities to engage with local festivals such as the Festival of the Mind and Off the Shelf. Recently, we have had a Sheffield University philosopher in residence. The Cathedral Nave is regularly hired for banquets, receptions and other events.