Items filtered by date: December 2015

8 January 2026

The Revd Fiona Barber will be licensed as Associate Minister (Assistant Curate) of the benefice of Sinfin Moor, Diocese of Derby, on Saturday 28th February at 3 pm at Sinfin Moor Church by the Bishop of Derby.

Information about the clergy wellbeing survey, including details for how to participate when the survey goes live, will be updated on this page.

Download Clergy Wellbeing Survey Frequently Asked Questions (PDF format)

This is a summary of the monthly Church Leaders' mailing which was sent on Thursday 8 January. The full version can be found here

Looking ahead

• A Mission Action Planning tool is being developed, with the aim of being released in April 2026 to enable churches to complete before the end of this year (and the beginning of our centenary year in 2027)
• The deadline for submitting Statistics for Mission for 2025 is 31 January.
• Please submit the results of your APCM to the Parish Support Team as soon as you can, and no later than Sunday 31 May, so that we can ensure new Deanery Synod members can take part in the General Synod elections
• Please submit your parish finance returns by Sunday 28 June

Mission and ministry

• Sign up to receive the Growing a Younger Church mailing here
• See the latest advice from the Church of England about Net Zero here

Safeguarding

• Reporting Serious Incidents to the Charity Commission: a summary of what a serious incident is and actions that your church may need to take can be found here
• Change to Reminder Process for Safeguarding Training and DBS Renewals: reminders will now be sent to people four months before their safeguarding training or DBS certificate expires. Full details can be found here.

Updated guidance

• Parochial fees: We have updated our guidance document following feedback that some sections needed clearer explanation. This resource outlines who is eligible for fees, how they are calculated and where a fee is applicable. The accompanying form, now updated with 2026 prices and marked with plum boxes, can be found on the fees page of the diocesan website.
• Common fund request letters: We’re aware that some treasurers have experienced difficulties accessing the letter sent out. To make this easier,  we’ve uploaded each parish’s individual letter in PDF format to our website.

External events

These events or services are not organised by the Diocese of Derby and are shared for information only.

• Church Times: Springtime for the Church of England: Where are we seeing growth? - Saturday 31 January, 10am to 5pm, St John’s Waterloo, London - For the full list of speakers and details of how to book tickets visit the Church Times website

• Through the Roof: Communicating with children and young people with additional needs - Monday 9 February, 7pm to 8pm, Online via Zoom - Registration for this event can be done here. All are welcome.

• Council of Christians and Jews: Understanding and countering anti-Jewish hate training - Wednesday 18 February, Derby location to be confirmed - Spaces are limited. To book a place and receive venue details contact Rev Canon Alan Griggs on 07804 735556 or email at alandeut6@gmail.com

Future dates for your diary 

• Growing a Younger Church conference - Saturday 6 June, Location to be confirmed - Details for how to book will follow in future mailings, but for now please save the date in your diaries! 
• Annual Clergy Conference - Monday 12 to Tuesday 13 October 2026, The Hayes Conference Centre - Details for how to book will follow in future mailings, but for now please save the date in your diaries! 

In case you missed it

• Bishop Libby has appointed the Revd Emma Sykes as the next Archdeacon of East Derbyshire

We are seeking a highly organised and proactive Safeguarding Support Officer to join the Safeguarding Team at the Diocese of Derby. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in supporting safeguarding activities across the Diocese, ensuring that our churches and communities remain safe places to live, worship, and work.

The successful candidate will provide high-quality administrative support for safeguarding processes, training, and meetings, including the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP). You will also assist parishes in using the Parish Dashboard and Hubs effectively, helping them maintain compliance and best practice.

 Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate safeguarding training schedules, manage bookings, and maintain accurate records.
• Process DBS applications and maintain secure records.
• Provide support and guidance to Parish Safeguarding Officers, including induction and ongoing assistance.
• Administer meetings and prepare agendas, minutes, and reports for safeguarding panels and groups.
• Maintain and update safeguarding content on the diocesan website and dashboards.
• Assist with data analysis and reporting on safeguarding activities.

About You

We are looking for someone who is:

• Experienced in providing administrative support in a busy environment.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
• Able to communicate clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and comfortable with data management.
• Able to maintain confidentiality and work sensitively with safeguarding issues.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and able to work collaboratively as part of a team.
• Knowledge of Church of England structures is desirable but not essential.

What We Offer

• A supportive and collaborative working environment.
• Hybrid working.
• 30 days annual leave p.a (pro-rata’d for part time workers) plus additional days for spiritual retreat and volunteering.
• A fully funded health cash plan including an employee assistance programme (EAP).
• 10% employer pension contribution
• Free parking
• Opportunities for training and professional development.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Disability Confident Employer – we welcome applications from candidates with disabilities and will make reasonable adjustments as required.

Salary:                        £25,799 per annum
Closing date:              25 January 2026
Interview Date:           6 February 2026

>> Safeguarding Support Officer job description [PDF]

>> Safeguarding Support Officer application form [MS Word]

The Rt Revd Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby, has appointed the Revd Emma Sykes as the next Archdeacon of East Derbyshire.

Emma is currently serving in the Diocese of Birmingham, where she has lived for nearly 30 years. She began her working life in the charity sector working with young people facing homelessness and other challenging issues. As a youth minister at St Michael’s Church in Boldmere, she began to discern a call to ordained ministry. She trained at St John’s College, Nottingham and, in 2008, was ordained at Birmingham Cathedral.

She served her curacy at St Martin in the Bull Ring and became Associate Rector there three years later. In 2014, she took a break from full-time ministry and took a ‘portfolio’ approach, taking on a variety of different roles as a self-supporting minister including being an assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands and a Bishop’s Advisory Panel advisor. She also worked part time for CPAS as a Leadership Specialist with a focus on young vocations and facilitating training for Curates and Incumbents.

In May 2020, she followed God’s call back to fulltime parish ministry, into her current role as Vicar of St Barnabas Erdington and Oversight Minister for the Erdington Area. Emma has been a member of General Synod since June 2024.

Speaking on her appointment, Emma said: “I’m delighted, honoured and a little overwhelmed to be asked to be the next Archdeacon of East Derbyshire. I’m looking forward to getting to know the people in the archdeaconry and supporting them to flourish in mission and ministry.

“Whilst I’m excited, I also carry sadness at leaving Birmingham Diocese and especially the people of St Barnabas whose resilience, generosity and joy has helped shape me as I follow God’s call to step into this new role.”

Bishop Libby said: “I am delighted that Emma has accepted my invitation to serve as Archdeacon of East Derbyshire. Her varied experience, both in parish ministry and other ministry contexts, will be an asset as she takes up this role within our diocese. I am looking forward to working with her as we follow our shared vision of the Kingdom of God as Good News for all, and seeing that come to fruition for the congregations and communities of East Derbyshire and across the Diocese. Please join me in praying for Emma as she prepares to join us next year.”

Further details about Emma’s Installation as Archdeacon will come in the new year.

>> Parochial Fees Table 2026 [PDF]

>> Parochial Fees Guidance 2026 [PDF]

>> PF26 Form PDF format [PDF]

>> PF26 Form Excel format [.xlsx]

At Christmas services, our doors will be open to many people within our communities who may need some additional support or reassurance.

With the support of the Diocese’s Disability Inclusion Action Group (DIAG), a 2-sided checklist has been devised with some easy-to-implement ways to make every church open and inviting this special season.

>> Download the accessible Christmas guide [PDF]

The Christmas guide comes at the end of a very special and successful year for DIAG.

Over the summer, they launched a series of accessible symbols for churches to freely download and use in their publicity. These can be used to highlight the accessibility provisions available so that our churches can become welcome spaces. A website was designed especially for the symbols so that they are available to freely download.

The disability arm of our national church was so supportive during the consultation phase and championed the end result by making them available to all parishes across the Church of England earlier than anticipated.

This was followed by a seminar in November where Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton, the Bishop of Repton, Carl Veal (DIAG Chair) and Lynda Herbert (DIAG representative) presented on the subject of “Enhancing accessibility in parish churches”. A recording of the webinar is available here.

A difference has truly been made in 2025, and we can look forward to what comes next from DIAG in 2026.

Thank you to all who give their time freely to champion this work.

The Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton, Bishop of Repton, has announced his retirement.

Bishop Malcolm’s final day in post will be Thursday, 30 April 2026.

Bishop Malcolm was installed as the Suffragan Bishop of Repton on Sunday, 18 April 2021, following his consecration as bishop at Lambeth Palace on Wednesday, 14 April 2021. He was formerly Chief of Staff to Archbishop John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, and was educated at Queen’s College, Cambridge.

On making the announcement, Bishop Malcolm said,

“It remains a joy and a privilege to me to serve as Suffragan Bishop here in the Diocese of Derby, and I look forward to continuing to share in ministry with Bishop Libby and all my colleagues across the diocese until I retire at the end of April.

I am going then in the hope that I shall have energy for a new pace and focus of life and ministry in Gloucester in retirement, where Pam and I will be moving in May. In the meantime, there is plenty to do, especially in this season of Advent, which reminds me always to look to the future with hope, in lively expectation of Jesus’ coming”.

The Rt Revd Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby, said,

“I thank God for Bishop Malcolm and all he has brought to our Diocese. He is a generous, gentle and gracious colleague whose servant leadership has been transformative for me in my ministry and for our common life.

So many have benefited from his encouragement and care across our parishes, in the Parish Support Team and in the Board of Education. We have been richly blessed that he responded faithfully to the call to serve his episcopal ministry among us.

Malcolm’s ministry spans decades, the breadth of the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion: we owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

We shall enjoy the next few months of continuing ministry and shared life with him, and I ask you to join me in prayer for him and Pam as they prepare for their move and all that God has in store for the future”.

Details are under way for Bishop Malcolm’s farewell service, and this will be announced in early 2026.