Church Buildings Support Officer (Buildings for Mission)

at  Coventry Diocese

Job description
The Diocese is seeking a Church Building Support Officer to join our team on a fixed-term contract, to work closely with parishes to help secure sustainable futures for some of our most historic and cherished church buildings. You’ll help PCCs to identify and explore complimentary non-worship uses for their buildings, helping them to become vibrant and viable centres of mission and community life. You’ll support them in ensuring the church buildings are fit for the future, fostering greater community engagement, and developing long-term sustainability strategies.
This role offers the opportunity to be part of a developing church buildings strategy, shaping the future approach to church building support within the Diocese. You will work closely with a range of stakeholders to bring these strategies to life, ensuring that churches remain places of worship, community activity, and cultural significance.
This is a new fixed-term post funded by the Church Commissioners of the Church of England through their Buildings for Mission funding. The funding is for an initial period of twenty months, ending in September 2026, unless the funding is extended.

• Work with Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) to develop community action plans that align with local needs.
• Support PCCs in identifying mixed-use opportunities for the church building
• Facilitate the building of strong relationships with local groups, charities, and other partners to promote the wider use of church buildings.
• Help PCCs in maintaining and developing their buildings to accommodate wider uses, and ensure they are kept in good condition
• Foster volunteer engagement, helping churches recruit for new roles and groups to aid long-term sustainability.
• Capture and share key lessons from pilot projects to inform future diocesan strategies.