At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead Truro Cathedral with wisdom, humility, and courage while fostering community and spiritual growth.
- Company: Truro Cathedral, a cherished institution in Cornwall with a rich heritage.
- Benefits: Opportunity to make a significant impact in a supportive and collaborative environment.
- Other info: Join a team dedicated to mission, ministry, and the flourishing of the Diocese.
- Why this job: Be part of a vibrant community, guiding spiritual and practical initiatives for the glory of God.
- Qualifications: Strong leadership skills, emotional intelligence, and a passion for Anglican traditions.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 70000 £ per year.
From Bishop David
We are praying for a Dean who will lead with wisdom, humility and courage: someone able to bring together spiritual depth and practical competence; someone who understands that healthy governance and financial sustainability are not ends in themselves but serve the greater calling of the Cathedral to proclaim the Gospel and glorify God.
Above all, I hope the next Dean will be a person of prayer.
As Bishop, my own priorities are simple: prayer, mission and ministry. I hope those priorities will increasingly shape every part of the Cathedral's life.
The next Dean will inherit many strengths.
Our choral tradition is outstanding.
Our staff and volunteers are deeply committed.
The Cathedral enjoys enormous affection throughout Cornwall and far beyond.
The co-location of Cathedral, diocesan and bishops’ offices offers ongoing opportunities for collaboration, while the Cathedral continues to enjoy a national reputation for excellence in music, education, safeguarding and environmental responsibility.
Yet what excites me most is not simply preserving what we have inherited, important though that is. It is discovering what God is calling us to become.
I hope the next Dean will help us cultivate a Cathedral that is deeply rooted in the Anglican tradition while joyfully engaged with contemporary Cornwall; a Cathedral that combines reverence with warmth, excellence with accessibility, confidence with humility, and beauty with faithful mission.
If you sense God may be calling you to this ministry, I hope you will see not simply the challenges before us, but the remarkable opportunities.
This is a Cathedral with an extraordinary inheritance, serving a county that holds it in deep affection.
More importantly, it is a community that belongs to Jesus Christ, and I believe he has wonderful purposes still to fulfil through it.
I look forward to welcoming the person whom God is already preparing to become the next Dean of Truro, and to serving alongside them as together we seek the flourishing of the Cathedral, the Diocese and the people of Cornwall, for the glory of God.
Key dates
Shortlisting will take place w/c 7 September 2026 Interviews will take place 21 & 22 October 2026
Truro Cathedral’s foundation in the late 19th century gave expression to a historically keen sense of Christian and civic identity in Cornwall, where the witness of the missionary saints of the Celtic church is honoured and celebrated.
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (and the two Devon parishes within the Diocese of Truro) are places where people live in towns, most of which are small by national standards, and villages characterised by a keen sense of local identity and by significant variations in personal and societal wealth.
Today, the cathedral witnesses to the distinctiveness of community life in the southwest of England and takes its place as one of the symbols of a very distinctive culture.
Our new Dean will need to be someone with a real strength of character, motivation and charisma who can make their way in this environment, aware of a challenging history, bringing the treasures of Anglican cathedral life into the heart of Cornwall’s being, in parallel with leading financial transformation, while encouraging Cornish life in all its richness to find its expression in the cathedral.
- The fundamental requirements for the new Dean working with the Chapter are to:
- Renew the strategic vision for the cathedral’s mission and ministry, with particular emphasis on the outward-facing aspects of the cathedral's mission and purpose
- Implement the financial recovery plan and establish a secure, ethical and sustainable financial future which also addresses the proper care of the fabric of the cathedral, reflecting the human, physical and financial resources available to the cathedral.
- To continue to improve the culture throughout the cathedral team and community, establishing a culture of openness, respect and mutual accountability.
- To develop, support and establish an effective and efficient leadership and management team.
- Promote the highly valued choral and liturgical tradition of the cathedral and encouragethedevelopmentofpatternsofworshiptoincludea broaderrangeofthepeopleof Cornwall, ofallages.
- Encourage appropriate corporate and individual investment and sponsorship of aspects of the cathedral’s life and work.
- To engage a broader range of audiences with the life of the cathedral.
- Keep under review the cathedral’s governance structures and decision-making processes, paying particular attention to safeguarding and to the identification and management of risks across the spectrum of cathedral activities.
- To recognise, in respect of the appointee’s other role as Rector of the Parish of St Mary, Truro, the need for pastoral concern for the city centre and the life of its parish.
To lead the life and work of Truro Cathedral and to share with the Bishop of Truro and other senior colleagues in the oversight of the Diocese of Truro.
Opportunities of the role
These will include
- Develop a clear strategic vision in the Cathedral community about its Christian mission and purpose.
Reconnect the entire organisation to shared aims and values and a commitment to work together.
- Foster pastoral healing and unity in a fractured community, modelling visible and attentive leadership, promoting genuine reconciliation, restoring trust and developing a culture of generous collaboration and constructive challenge.
- Renew the Cathedral’s identity as “Cornwall’s Cathedral” and as Mother Church to the Diocese.
Drive growth and outreach and actively strengthen external partnerships.
Respect and celebrate Cornwall's unique status and protected language, while staying deeply welcoming to a wide range of Anglican worship styles.
- Work to bring about financial recovery and build long term sustainability through partnerships, income generation and long-term investment whilst preserving the Cathedral’s sacred vocation.
Address acute resource limits by building operational capacity within the clergy, Chapter, staff and volunteer teams.
- Strengthen governance, safeguarding, and organisational capacity: fully resolve outstanding areas of development including governance and risk management.
Maintain the Cathedral's rigorous, newly established safeguarding policies and joint diocesan support structures.
- An experienced, confident leader and pastor who is emotionally intelligent, visible, an effective communicator, unifying, empowering, able to challenge constructively and lead collaboratively.
To cultivate a healthy collegiate culture across the Cathedral.
- An ability to create a shared vision of mission and identity to inform decision making, allocation of resources and develop the Cathedral’s place in Cornwall and contribution to the wider Diocese.
- Possess a well-developed understanding of governance, effective administration, rigorous safeguarding practices and restore proper levels of organisational accountability to a fractured community.
- Has a heart for the Anglican choral tradition, whilst being open to embracing different styles of worship and with cultural sensitivity to the distinctive nature of Cornish culture.
Truro Cathedral occupies a unique place in the life of Cornwall.
It is our mother church, a place of prayer and pilgrimage, of worship and welcome, of civic celebration and personal encounter with God.
For many thousands of people, whether they are lifelong worshippers, occasional visitors, tourists, schoolchildren or those simply seeking a quiet place in the midst of life's pressure, it is, quite simply, their Cathedral.
Theageofindustry, withitsgreatstrengthsintin mining, engineering, and China clay extraction, was powerful at the time of our foundation.
It has given way to thriving tourism, culture and heritage industries alongside technological research and innovation.
The backbone of agriculture, food production and fishing continues to echo the distinctive environment of the Cornish peninsula.
Standing at the heart of our only city, it is also called to stand at the heart of the life of our Diocese.
I long for it to be recognised, not simply as an outstanding building or cultural institution, but as a living Christian community whose worship inspires, whose hospitality embraces, whose prayer sustains and whose witness points people towards Jesus Christ.
Cornwall is a place of extraordinary beauty, rich heritage and deep community spirit.
It is also a place that knows rural isolation, economic inequality and significant social need.
The Cathedral has an important part to play in speaking hope into those realities, serving the common good while remaining unmistakably centred upon the good news of Jesus Christ.
Our diocesan vision is rooted in being One and All, in Cornish Onen hag Oll, a Church united in Christ, serving every community across Cornwall with humility, generosity and hope.
I believe Truro Cathedral has a vital role to play in embodying that vision and helping the whole Diocese flourish.
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Dean of Truro employer: Church of England
Walker Christ Church offers a unique opportunity for a full-time Vicar to engage deeply with a compassionate congregation dedicated to community service and spiritual growth. Located in the vibrant area of Walker, this role provides a supportive environment with experienced colleagues across multiple parishes, fostering collaboration and innovation in mission work. The church prioritises personal development and encourages initiatives that connect with diverse local communities, making it an excellent place for those seeking meaningful and impactful employment.
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We think you need these skills to ace Dean of Truro
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How to prepare for a job interview at Church of England
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