Our aim is for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

The creation at the start of 2022 of a new Faith & Public Life (F&PL) department for the National Church Institutions brings together for the first time, a number of outward-facing activities formerly divided between the Archbishops’ Council and the staff of the Archbishops.

Public policy and ethics, Parliamentary support for the Lords Spiritual and Second Church Estates Commissioner, Inter-faith relations, links to the Anglican Communion and Ecumenical relations, along with a number of project teams working on issues as diverse as modern-day slavery, freedom of religion and belief and social impact investment, all come together to form the new team, with opportunities to learn from one another and work effectively across specialisms.

As National Officer for Local Ecumenism, you will promote, sustain and develop the Church of England’s ecumenical relations within England, with a focus on enabling cooperation between churches in mission and evangelism.

The role will involve liaising with national, diocesan and local church officers, administering aspects of the Church of England’s resourcing of local ecumenism, participating in meetings involving representatives from other churches, and playing a part in the Church of England’s involvement in national ecumenical networks such as Churches Together in England (CTE) and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).

You will have good experience of local Anglican church life, theological competence, an interest in developing relationships with other Christian churches, practical experience of administration, and a commitment to furthering the work and mission of the Church of England in cooperation with other churches.

Due to the representative role of this post and the nature of the relationships it involves, there is a Genuine Occupational Requirement that the person appointed be a Communicant member of the Church of England.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Revd Dr Jeremy Morris at jeremy.morris@churchofengland.org

Closing date for applications will be on Friday 23rd December 2022.

Interviews will be held on the week of the 16th of January 2023.

The Church of England is for everyone, and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minority Ethnic Backgrounds.

In return we offer a unique environment with opportunities for continuous learning, generous annual leave for work life balance, season ticket loans and a range of benefits including discounted entry to attractions and what we feel is a market leading package when it comes to our pension scheme.

Role

• Receiving and responding to communications from diocesan, county and other local ecumenical officers and church officers.
• Providing expertise in relation to the possibilities and processes of the Church of England’s engagement with ecumenical partners in the localities.
• As directed, conducting research into local ecumenism.
• Providing practical and theologically informed support for the work of the National Adviser for Ecumenical Relations.
• Attending and supporting, in conjunction with the National Adviser for Ecumenical Relations, national and regional ecumenical instruments such as Churches Together in England (CTE) and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
• Developing and maintaining a strong network of contacts with staff counterparts and ecumenical representatives from other churches, especially those engaged closely with local ecumenism.
• Working with the National Adviser for Ecumenical Relations and other colleagues in the NCIs to promote effective partnership with other churches in mission and evangelism.
• As required, assisting with the servicing of the Council for Christian Unity.
• Maintaining up-to-date records, publications and information relating to local ecumenism.
• Other responsibilities in the broad field of ecumenism as may be delegated from time to time by the National Adviser for Ecumenical Relations.

Other Responsibilities

• Along with the National Adviser for Ecumenical Relations, acting as a point of contact, information and support for Diocesan Ecumenical Officers.
• Participating regularly in meetings of the Faith and Public Life team and relevant subgroups.
• Working closely with other staff in Faith and Public Life (including the inter religious, Parliamentary and Public Policy teams) to contribute an ecumenical dimension when this will add value.

The Requirements

Knowledge/Experience:

• Enthused by the Church of England’s commitment to pursuing the full visible unity of the one church of Jesus Christ.
• A broad understanding of the structures, culture and processes of the Church of England.
• An interest in the theology, and especially ecclesiology, not only of the Church of England itself, but equally with the historic communions of East and West, with the churches deriving from the Reformation, and with Pentecostal, new and independent churches.
• Energy, curiosity and ambition.

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Ability to master information from a range of sources and synthesize it in order to provide clear guidance in response to questions from church officers at various levels, including both senior and local.
• Ability to work quickly, and to keep up to date with the pace of correspondence.
• Attention to detail, including planning for meetings and conferences, practical arrangements, travel, etc.
• Strong interpersonal skills and understanding.
• Competence in IT skills, including Microsoft Word and Outlook.

Education:

• Educated at least to degree level or equivalent and able to demonstrate high levels of literacy and analytical thinking.

Personal Attributes:

• Confidence in building relationship with others, willingness to take direction, yet also creativity and initiative.
• Willingness to work flexibly.
• Willingness to travel within the UK.
• A self-starter who is also a collaborative team player.
• Ability to learn from others.
• Ability to handle sensitive issues with discretion and diplomacy.

Circumstances:

• Willingness and ability to travel within the UK, including some trips involving one or more overnight stays.

Desirable

Knowledge/Experience:

• Experience of ecumenical cooperation at the local level.
• A sound grasp of theological issues, and an ongoing practice of theological and historical reading.
• Acquaintance with the history and life of significant ecumenical partners for the Church of England.

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Skills in using IT for communication, including e.g. desk-top publishing and social media
• Education and training skills.

In the National Church Institutions (NCIs), we support the mission and ministries of the Church of England. We work with parishes, dioceses, schools, chaplaincies and other ministries, and with national and international partners including mission agencies, and other denominations and faith groups.-.

Find out more about working for National Church Institutions

Our emerging values

• We strive for excellence
• We collaborate
• We act with integrity
• We show compassion
• We respect others

We welcome everyone and we accept and value people for who they are and what they contribute, treating others in the way we would wish to be treated ourselves. We actively listen to and include others, encouraging and enabling everyone’s voice to be heard in discussions and decisions. When we disagree, we aim to disagree well with respect and kindness.

• As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.
• We are a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.