Departments and committees

Departments

Church of England Schools and the Education Team

There are 117 Church of England Primary Schools and 1 Secondary school within the diocese. The Diocesan Board of Education Team provides support, training and advice to schools on a range of areas including collective worship, Religious Education, leadership in a Church School, spirituality, SIAMS inspections, governance, admissions and buildings. It is responsible to the Diocesan Board of Education.

For more information visit the schools section of the website.

Mission and Ministry Department

God calls us to share in his work in the world as we follow the way of Jesus together in our daily lives. The department seeks to respond to this call and to serve the life of the Diocese through supporting and equipping all God’s people to share the transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ through mission and ministry. We work with lay people and clergy serving in parish settings, chaplaincies and fresh expressions of church.

The department supports a variety of areas including the development of worship and spirituality; nurturing vocations and the growth of lay and ordained ministries; work with children, young people and families; discipleship and evangelism; and serving the wider world through engaging with issues of social justice and care for the environment.

Further information about the work of the Department can be found under the Ministry and Parish Resources navigation tabs, above, and they can be contacted here.

Finance, Property and Operations

The Board of Finance is a limited company responsible for employing staff at Church House; for managing the finances of the Diocese; and for providing administration and holding property on behalf of Diocesan Synod. It acts in accordance with the policy and directives of the Diocesan Synod. The Finance, Property and Operations teams seek to make best use of available assets for the mission of the Diocese and the outworking of the LIFE vision, including through the ‘OneLife’ and ‘Good and Faithful Servant’ subsidiaries

The Finance part of the department provides information and advice on financial matters to clergy, PCCs and Parish Treasurers; and is responsible for keeping the accounts of various diocesan bodies. For further information visit the Finance pages. or call 01452 835523.

The Property part of the department manages the housing stock of the Diocese. This involves providing high quality housing services for all occupants, obtaining the best value for money for those who fund these services and examining ways of making the most efficient and appropriate use of the Diocese’s property assets. For more information visit the Housing section or call 01452 835529.

The Operations part of the department looks after the smooth running of IT, office management etc.

Church Buildings Team

The Church Buildings Team provides support and advice on maintenance, care, use and alteration of church buildings and churchyards. For more information visit the Church buildings and churchyard section.

The Department of People and Safeguarding

Within this department sits the HR Team and the Safeguarding Team.

The HR Team supports Common Tenure arrangements for clergy, centrally employed diocesan staff and employment matters; and supports the Cathedral with their HR needs.  They are also available to advise incumbents and PCCs on employment and volunteer issues including safer recruitment including DBS processes, people management, and on issues such as GDPR and Health and Safety.

The Safeguarding Team leads on helping to ensure the highest standards of safeguarding across the diocese, through casework, training and training administration, advice and guidance for every PCC and the Cathedral.  Safeguarding work sits within the national Church of England legislative framework, with regulations, and key House of Bishops policy and guidance.

The Church House offices – centrally at Church House, and with 4 College Green, are the offices where all the diocesan centrally employed teams work from: The Diocesan Secretary, the Communications and Engagement Department; the Education Department, The Department for Mission and Ministry; Finance, Property and Development Teams as well as HR, Safeguarding; and the Church Buildings Team.  In addition we have a number of project or other people working from the offices including people from the Sportily leadership team; and the national housing initiative executive.

Senior Glebe, Gloucester Diocesan Trust, and Pastoral Officer

Our officer has a key role leading on the legal, procedural and operational matters involved in managing the diocesan glebe portfolio working with professional advisers and contractors; and managing the often complex Trust land matters.  Working with Archdeacons, Church Commissioners and local communities our officer leads on the legal processes involved in changes in missional (parish, benefice, deanery) structures.

Communications and Engagement Department

The Communication and Engagement Office manages the website, social media platforms, writes diocesan publications and provides a variety of training and resources, both online and in person, for worshipping communities. They act as the Bishop’s press officer and press officer for the diocese. They also lead on partnership work, linking with Christian and non Christian organisations to serve our communities and connecting with social action projects across the diocese. They support parishes with any communication issues or needs and work with every department to ensure that the work of officers is communicated effectively. Please visit the Communications pages to discover more.

 

Committees

Diocesan Meetings and Events 2023

Diocesan Meetings and Events 2024

Diocesan Synod

The Diocesan Synod for the Diocese of Gloucester considers matters sent to it from General Synod and from deaneries. It formulates diocesan policy advice, debates important local and national issues and advises the Bishop as appropriate. Members also agree proposals for the annual budget and approves or disapproves them; and receives the Annual Report and Accounts of the DBF. Elected members serve for three years.

The Gloucester Diocesan Synod is held three times a year, usually in February, July and November and has roughly 130 elected members.
Read more about Diocesan Synod →

General Synod

The General Synod considers and approves legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England, formulates new forms of worship, debates matters of national and international importance, and approves the annual budget for the work of the Church at national level.

Representative Members of General Synod may be contacted through Church House: 01452 410022.

Read more about General Synod →

Bishop’s Council and Standing Committee

The Bishop’s Council is the main policy-making body of the diocese and is the Standing Committee of the Diocesan Synod. The council meets five times a year. Its
main functions are:

1. To initiate proposals for action by the Synod and to advise it on matters of policy
2. Subject to the directions of Synod, to transact the business of the Synod when it is not in session
3. To act as the Board of Directors of the Gloucester Diocesan Board of Finance, a Company Limited by Guarantee
4. To act as Trustees of the Board as a registered charity
5. To examine issues concerned with the Diocese’s finances in detail and to make recommendations
6. To take executive action in financial matters when the Synod is not in session, subject to the directions of Synod
7. Under the Pastoral Measure 1983 to make recommendations to the Bishop in connection with:
   a. clergy deployment
   b. pastoral care
   c. the organisation of benefices and parishes
   d. sharing agreements for churches
   e. redundancy of churches
8. To appoint members of committees or nominate members for election to committees, subject to the directions of the Synod
9. To plan the business of the Synod, to prepare the agenda for its sessions, and to circulate to members information about matters for discussion
10. To advise the diocesan bishop on any matters she may refer to the Council

Board of Education

The Board of Education is constituted under the Diocesan Boards’ of Education Measure 1991 and it provides the overarching strategy for the work of the Education Team.  It is an unincorporated body and its members are also the trustees of the Diocesan Voluntary Schools Fund. This fund is derived from the sale of closed Church of England Schools and must be applied in respect of building grants and the provision of advisory services for Church of England voluntary schools within the diocese.

The Board has two committees – the Education Resources Committee and the Standards and Ethos Committee

The full Board meets four times a year and the committees each meet three times a year.

Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC)

The Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) is a group of formal members and consultants all of whom volunteer their time and professional knowledge to assist parishes in looking after and appreciating their church buildings.  From stained glass and sustainability to lighting, heating, access and landscape every aspect is covered; and there is support, advice and guidance to navigate the faculty systems and processes.  The committee meets roughly every 6 weeks to consider faculty applications and informal proposals, and members regularly attend site visits throughout the diocese.

Diocesan Trust

The Diocesan Trust works with parishes that have responsibility for property to ensure the safeguarding of parish assets. It acts as guardian trustee and its members (Bishop Council Members are Directors) meet once a year.

The Gloucester Diocesan Trust exists to act as a custodian body, holding land and investments on trust for individual Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) and/or incumbents and churchwardens.  As such it is responsible for over £1.5m of investments and over 100 acres of property including over 50 community facilities such as church and parish halls.

The Trust is overseen by a board of trustees, and their details are updated yearly with the Charity Commissioners.  To see details please visit the Charity Commission website, please search for 253017 – Gloucester Diocesan Trust

If you are interested in the day-to-day management of any specific properties, please approach the Parochial Church Council for the parish for which you are interested in.

Gloucester Diocesan Trust is a registered Charity, number 253017, and details of its governing documents and its annual returns are available via the Charity Commissioners.

Resources Committee

This committee reports into Bishop’s Council and oversees delegated financial and housing matters. This includes the preparation of the proposed annual budget for the GDBF, and overseeing the work of the Director of Finance, Property and Giving, the Diocesan Surveyor and other officers. The Committee meets five times a year.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee is concerned with discharging the directors’ (i.e. Bishop’s Council’s) responsibilities for risk management, dealing with the external auditors (including their remuneration and advising on their suitability and independence) and receiving the financial statements. The Committee reports directly to Bishop’s Council and meets at least three times a year.

Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Group (DMPG)

Chaired by the Bishop of Tewksbury this Group report into Bishop’s Council on recommendations following review and wider processes regarding parish and benefice changes; pastoral reorganisation and deanery plans; and on schemes for where communities are exploring churches to be/are closed for public worship and how new uses, and developments can be championed.

Guide to pastoral reorganisation within the Diocese

Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee endeavours to bring greater transparency to the process of appointments to diocesan boards and committees and at the same time to seek a wider range of candidates for nomination to these bodies. The Committee reports directly to Bishop’s Council.
The Committee meets as required to deal with casual vacancies.  At the end of each synodical triennium, there will be a particularly busy period as boards and committees are reappointed.

Glebe Committee

The main purpose of the Glebe Committee is to review management of the Diocese’s portfolio of Glebe land. This includes about 500 acres of agricultural land and about 70 acres of land with possible future development potential. The Glebe Committee meets five times a year.