The Diocese of Leeds is currently inviting expressions of interest for volunteer members for its Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches (DAC) for its new term of appointment.
The DAC is an integral part of enabling the church buildings across the Diocese to thrive as centres of worship and as places for communities to come together. The DAC supports PCCs in caring for around 550 churches across the Diocese, the majority of which are heritage listed, and helps to ensure these much-valued assets are sustainable for continued use for the future.
Each diocese is required to have a DAC to enable the operation of the Faculty system, which is the mechanism for approving changes to church buildings. Under the Ecclesiastical Exemption, this substitutes for Listed Building Consent, so it is vitally important there is a robust and highly skilled DAC to assess applications and give advice. The DAC helps to ensure any proposed change is appropriate and balances modern needs against heritage value. It also advocates best practice in terms of accessibility and environmental sustainability.
The DAC meets every two months to discuss applications, leading either to a recommendation of works or feedback to the applicant PCC to help it develop its proposals. The DAC also makes visits to churches to discuss major proposals to provide pre-application advice to PCCs. As part of its advice, the DAC helps PCCs to navigate the necessary consultation processes – both locally to meet community needs and with the heritage bodies that have a role to play in the Faculty process.
Diocesan Synod representatives:
Expressions of interest are sought from any elected members of Diocesan Synod, lay or clergy. There are no specific knowledge requirements for Synod members but anyone interested in the role may wish to consider what prior experience they have in navigating the Faculty system and whether they have basic knowledge of any the categories set out below.
Specialist members:
Expressions of interest are sought from any member of the public with a professional and/or personal knowledge and interest in church buildings.
Expressions of interest are particularly sought from anyone with:
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Knowledge of environmental matters (particularly technical knowledge of decarbonisation measures and retrofit for historic buildings);
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Knowledge and experience of accessibility matters (personal or professional).
More generally, expressions of interest will also be accepted from anyone with:
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Knowledge of the history, development and use of church buildings;
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Knowledge of Church of England liturgy and worship;
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Knowledge of architecture, archaeology, art history;
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Experience of the care of historic buildings and their contents.
The DAC members are expected to have knowledge and experience as outlined between them; no one member is expected to have comprehensive knowledge and experience of every area.
Time commitment and other notes:
The new term of appointment commences in July 2025 and runs until July 2031. Members are expected to serve for a full term but the constitution allows for resignation mid-term, if unavoidable.
The DAC meets six times a year; the first meeting of the new membership will be Tuesday 15 July. All other dates for 2025 can be found here: Dates and deadlines - Diocese of Leeds
At present, meetings take place in person at Church House in Leeds City Centre but meetings may occasionally take place on line. Meetings commence at 1pm and generally last not longer than three hours. Members are expected to attend all meetings, wherever possible.
Site visits are arranged on an ad hoc basis, according to need. Members are invited to attend visits but this is not a set requirement.
The role is voluntary so is not renumerated. Reasonable travel and other expenses will be reimbursed.
To apply:
Please return a completed expression of interest form by Thursday 24 April. Where an expression of interest cites professional experience, applicants are encouraged to include a CV.
Forms should be sent to the DAC Secretary – Lisa McIntyre: lisa.mcintyre@leeds.anglican.org.
Lisa can also be contacted for an informal conversation on the above email address or by telephone on 0113 3530277.
Our Values
The Diocesan values, Loving, Living, Learning, are vital to the way we encourage equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We aim to:
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Love God, the world and one another.
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Live in the world as it is, but, drawn by a vision of something better, we want to help individuals and communities flourish,
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Learn when we get things wrong, by listening and growing together.
For further information about the Diocese of Leeds and the Church Buildings and Pastoral Reorganisation Team, visit our website: Church Buildings and Pastoral Reorganisation - Diocese of Leeds