Church relations officer jobs

The Berkshire and Hampshire Borders (BHB) Methodist Circuit is a network of twenty-five churches across western Berkshire and northern Hampshire, united by a vision to proclaim God's love as a justice-seeking community. Our mission is to be a growing, inclusive, and evangelistic church where faith deepens and communities are transformed. 

As Operations Manager, you'll be the backbone supporting our work. Working with the Leadership Team, you'll coordinate the operational infrastructure that keeps twenty-five autonomous churches running — from property and finance to safeguarding and compliance — empowering churches and outreach staff to deliver high-quality support to church members and vulnerable people.

The Role
You'll provide operational guidance and support to the Circuit Leadership Team and Circuit Meeting (Trustees), attending meetings and preparing reports on governance matters. You'll manage the Circuit Finance Officer, ensuring sound accounting practices, financial controls, and reporting. Across property, you'll oversee 19 houses — coordinating quinquennial inspections, maintenance plans, manse preparation for incoming ministers, externally managed letting of surplus properties, and professional appointments for sales and purchases. You'll also support energy and telecoms contract negotiations.

In safeguarding, you'll co-lead the Circuit Safeguarding Team, coordinate training, and maintain records of DBS checks. For health and safety, you'll guide churches on policies, risk assessments, and fire safety, with professional support as needed. On EDI, you'll maintain awareness of Methodist policy, coordinate training, and promote inclusive practice. You'll line manage the Administration Finance Officer and Administration Officer.

Key Details
Permanent role, £45,000–£55,000, 37.5 hours per week based in Reading, Berkshire with occasional evening or weekend working and travel across the area. 33 days annual leave including public holidays, contributory pension, reasonable expenses reimbursed plus a training funded. Closing date: Friday 17 June. Interviews: early July.

This Job Is For You If…
You have experience in an operational, administrative, or management role coordinating processes, policies, and systems. You've supported multiple stakeholders — staff, volunteers, or committees and have familiarity with safeguarding, health and safety, or compliance. You're organised, an excellent communicator, and can work with sensitivity within a faith-based organisation. You hold a full driving licence with access to a reliable vehicle and are willing to travel. Desirably, you have a relevant qualification, experience with financial administration or property management, and understanding of Methodist Church structures.

Development
You'll have significant training opportunities, including a substantial overlap with the outgoing postholder for thorough knowledge transfer.

Appointment is subject to Enhanced DBS disclosure, satisfactory references, right to work in the UK, and a three-month probationary period. We encourage applications from all sections of the community — you don't need to meet every criterion to apply.

Bible Society believes the Bible is God’s gift for God’s world. We share it because we believe it changes lives for good. We want Christians to be confident in the Bible’s truthfulness and reliability, and we want to change how people talk about it in wider society and invite them to see it as a source of wisdom and joy.

We’re now seeking aHead of Communications, with exceptional PR campaign experience, someone who canlead high-impact multi-channel campaigns that influence opinion and spark conversations. You’ll set and drivea bold, integrated communications strategy at a significant cultural moment for Bible Society. You will ensure we continue to speak clearly and confidently into both the Church and wider public life, helping position the Bible as a source of wisdom and hope. This is a role for a gifted communicator who can navigate complex cultural issues with clarity and grace, while bringing theological sensitivity, cultural intelligence and strategic insight 

You’ll oversee all aspects of our external and internal communications – from media relations,campaign delivery, digital engagement and reputation management to editorial quality, storytelling and internal messaging. Leading a talented multidisciplinary team, you will help shape how Bible Society is understood, trusted and talked about, equipping senior leaders (including our Chief Executive) to communicate with confidence and impact.

If you’re excited by the challenge of creating standout PR campaigns, engaging diverse audiences and championing the credibility and relevance of Scripture today – and you have the legal right to work and remain in the UK – we’d love to hear from you. Please provide your CV and a 250-word statement that sets out your motivation and relevant experience for the job. 

Starting Salary: £35,668 – £39,005 (Pro Rate to 14 Hours)

Contract: Permanent

Location: Home-Based Role (living within or very close to the area covered)

Hours: Part-time (14 hours per week)The area covered comprises the Catholic dioceses of Birmingham and Portsmouth & the post holder must be able to travel widely around the area covered.

Job Profile

CAFOD works with the Catholic community in England and Wales to tackle poverty and injustice.

As a Community Participation Coordinator (Education Focus), you’ll grow engagement across Catholic schools, parishes and communities in the Birmingham and Portsmouth dioceses. You’ll inspire people to give, act and pray, while recruiting and supporting volunteers and building strong relationships with clergy, school leaders and diocesan partners.

Working within CAFOD’s national Education Team, you’ll collaborate locally to increase school participation and strengthen volunteer networks. This role is primarily school-focused, with occasional parish engagement.

This is a home-based role that requires regular travel across the dioceses and occasional visits to CAFOD’s London office. Flexibility is key, with some evening or weekend work and occasional transport of resources (expenses and time off in lieu provided).

Role Responsibilities

Delivering participation plans

• Share accountability for delivery of annual participation plans for the region (a group of dioceses) with a primary focus on one diocese or area, and share in the delivery of fundraising, education, campaigns and media objectives and targets, as delineated by the participation plan for the region. This role will have a focus on schools’ engagement.
• Contribute to the development of activities to achieve objectives in support of and appropriate for local contexts. Through increased numbers and activity of school volunteers, more Catholic schools will be visited by a CAFOD volunteer.
• Maintain regular outreach, promotion and relationship-building with volunteers and key leaders in parish and school communities and Catholic church and education networks.

Managing volunteers

• Be the lead volunteer manager for an identified portfolio of volunteer roles locally and ensure effective coordination and communication.
• Match the offers, skills, experiences and expectations of volunteers with opportunities and needs in relation to CAFOD’s plans for schools.
• Organise and promote volunteer meetings and training opportunities online/offline to either to deliver themselves or by another member of the Education Section.

Managing relationships and promotion

• Represent CAFOD in the diocese and ensure CAFOD retains a diverse range of relationships including with priests, school staff, academy trusts and others within a diocese. 
• Ensure CAFOD is promoted via various diocesan communication channels, working with diocesan communications officers and school communities.

Job-specific competencies

I. A demonstrable commitment to volunteering and understanding of its potential as a force for change.

II. Experience of managing multiple relationships with volunteers and a wide variety of volunteers, including recruitment and retention, and managing volunteer performance.

III. Willingness and ability to travel extensively to all parts of the area covered and to travel to other parts of the region/country as needed. At times, it will be necessary to transport equipment and resources and to be flexible to work evenings and weekends.

IV. A proven ability to work within the Catholic education setting.

CAFOD is a welcoming, supportive workplace committed to a safe, inclusive culture where everyone is respected. CAFOD will make reasonable adjustments at every stage of the recruitment process to ensure candidates with disabilities or individual needs are fully supported.

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults, or has responsibility for people who will do, and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues.  If based in the UK the post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service).  If the post is based outside the UK the post holder will be subject to a different checking process.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.

Please click here for a full list of CAFOD’s Staff Benefits

We are seeking a strong and motivated leader, who is passionate about seeing lives transformed, to become our Head of Services (Programmes). In this strategic senior role, you will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer to provide stable leadership to staff and residents in the delivery of the day-to-day leadership of the organisation and residential addiction recovery / resettlement programmes. As a key member of the senior leadership team, you will help lead and motivate the organisation through transformational change to more effectively and sustainably deliver our mission – to help those affected by addiction to heal, transform, and thrive.

Outstanding communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills are essential. As a Christian charity, we bring our faith to the work we do and the men we work with, so you will be someone with a deep-rooted Christian faith, able to lead and inspire others in their own faith journeys, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all key decisions. Schedule 9, Part 1:3(a) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

Your role, in this committed team of 40+ staff, requires balancing management responsibilities alongside a more hands-on approach, including significant contact with our residents. Seeing them undergo the process of transformation, with all the joys and challenges that entails, is what makes our work worthwhile – a tremendous encouragement.

To apply: Please view the full job description and person specification. When you’re ready to apply, click the ‘Apply now’ button to begin your online application, submitting a covering letter, CV and screening question.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact CEO, Maarten Fontein or Administration Manager, Sue Hedger - contact details on our website, which is currently under development.

Closing date: 23.30 Sunday 14th June 2026