Chair of the Board of Trustees

Use your leadership to support our work caring for people of limited means who have spent all their lives in service.

About Us

Susanna Initiative is the new name for the Methodist Ministers' Housing Society. Founded in 1948, we provide quality housing on charitable terms for Methodist Ministers of limited means, their spouses, widows and widowers. These are people who have followed a calling into the church, have earnt modestly, and spent their lives serving and caring for others. Now we care for them.

Context

This is a time of significant change and immense opportunity for the Susanna Initiative. Our residents’ needs are changing as they are living longer and have more complex health, mobility and accessibility challenges. At the same time, the number of Methodist Ministers and their spouses that need our services has been falling.

In response to this evolving context, we have been developing at a rapid pace. We have expanded our mission beyond housing provision to wellbeing. And we have been divesting properties to develop an endowment which is already £40m and will be £80m by 2030. With support from the Charities Aid Foundation, we have embarked on a grant making programme to use the income generated to give grants to organisations supporting unpaid carers. These unsung heroes, who keep people living independently, typically have very limited support and have a reduced quality of life as a result of the care they give.

The role

The Chair will provide leadership to the Board of Trustees, drawing out their diverse skills and wisdom to ensure excellence in our governance. With our evolving context and with our new work streams still in their infancy, there is much to shape for maximum impact. 

If you have a Christian faith, bring experience at board level, a highly relational approach and enjoy the excitement of working in an organisation that is changing at pace, we would love to hear from you.

For more details please see the application pack attached. Closing date 9 November.