Dean of Exeter

Thank you for considering the possibility that God may be calling you to serve as the next Dean of Exeter. You can be assured of our prayers as you explore and discern your future and how that might align with the mission and ministry of both our Cathedral and Diocese.

The new Dean will have the opportunity to build on the considerable legacy of Dean Jonathan, who has, with his team, done so much to make the Cathedral a place that excels in worship, hospitality and welcome. The recent completion of the development work on the cloister has added a superb dimension to the Cathedral’s outreach, and the improvements to the Quire have enhanced the ambient, aesthetic and worshipful experience of those engaging with the Cathedral.

The Cathedral continues to develop the buildings for worship, hospitality and outreach, not least with planned developments in the nave lighting and sound, substantially supported financially by the dynamic and engaged support of the Friends of Exeter Cathedral. There are challenges with a wider set of buildings across the Cathedral Green (not least following the closure of the Cathedral School) and beyond and coordinating a strategic approach to buildings mindful of both mission and finance will be an important part of the incoming Dean’s role.

I look forward to welcoming the person of God’s choosing for this vital role and working closely with you in the coming years to help more people encounter Jesus and follow Him. It is my sense that we need a Dean who will embrace the magnificent story of the past, be confident and experienced to shape and lead the team in the present and lead the community into the future with joy and expectation, navigating the years ahead with wisdom and clarity and imagination. Please be assured of my prayers and please pray for us, that we may pray, grow and serve the county of Devon with joy.

Key dates

• Shortlisting will take place w/c 27 July 2026
• Interviews will take place 8 & 9 September 2026

Our mission is to:

• Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength
• Love our neighbour as ourselves

Our values are: “to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” Micah 6.8

In our strategic plan for 2025-31 we set out our vision as seeking to:

• Be a community of engaging work and prayer, gracious welcome and transformation (Worship)
• Offer an inclusive invitation to engage with our worship, community, arts, heritage and events (Welcome)
• Enable all who engage with our life to flourish within a healthy safeguarding culture (Wellbeing)

To support this, we seek responsibly to develop our people, buildings, treasures and finances in support of a sustainable future for the Cathedral and God’s creation. We hope that the new Dean will be an enthusiastic driver of progress.

Opportunities of the role

• To challenge carefully the status quo to develop the missional reach of the Cathedral, looking at all areas to consider how best to develop its distinctively Christian character.
• To provide pastoral care and nurture the Cathedral clergy, staff and volunteers, encouraging innovation, diversity and inclusion for growth and development in worship, music and ministry.
• To build and energise the entire Cathedral team with a commonality of purpose and mission.
• Grasping the challenge of developing relationships, structures, communication and organisational effectiveness.
• To develop new partnerships in the city and the whole county, build existing relationships into missional opportunities.
• Passionately to embrace the Cathedral’s role as the Mother Church for the whole of Exeter Diocese, becoming a place of unity, welcome, wellbeing and a respected resource for mission.
• To steer a considered path of fiscal management seeking the right balance of project fundraising, property portfolio strategy implementation and effective, financial day to day responsibility.
• Developing a strong grasp of the current financial challenges and carefully navigating a balance between risk and prudence.

Someone who is:

• A prayerful, relational pastor and teacher prepared to journey closely with people to seek new ways of working, challenge where there is ineffectiveness, address the provision of resources and deliver the Vision and Mission of the Cathedral.
• Theologically wise and exemplifying excellence in preaching and worship.
• An experienced, strategic and visionary leader with the confidence to challenge, the ability to develop others, act collaboratively, listen attentively, engender trust and instil a culture of learning and innovation.
• To release the missional potential of an iconic and much-loved institution, helping it to fulfil its vision to help people encounter God and to grow as missionary disciples.
• A highly skilled and diplomatic ambassador who can engage with a broad diversity of people and organisations, to strengthen and unify community relationships and enable the Cathedral to play its full role in the life of the city, county and the Diocese.
• A financially competent and astute steward, with the wisdom to weigh the competing priorities of significant project work, day to day financial management, governance of a complex organisation and a heritage property portfolio.
• Willing to seek and listen carefully to professional advice thinking carefully about the short-term imperatives and the long‑term legacy of the decisions being made.