Worshipper angry at plan for £94k Church role

THE Church in Wales has been criticised after advertising a new role of chief operating officer at a salary of up to £94,562.

Critics have pointed out that the Church already has a chief executive and that employing a COO too will result in a duplication of roles.

John Pockett, a regular worshipper and long-time critic of the Church in Wales who lives in Pontypridd, said: “I find it unbelievable that this is happening.

“I’ve criticised the Church in the past for spending money when they don’t need to – taking all the clergy to Spain, for example.

“The numbers of people attending churches are plummeting, there aren’t enough priests on the ground, but yet they’ve got money to appoint people like this.

“It would be interesting to know how many pen-pushers there are now sitting in the Church in Wales’ offices – ministry area advisers, ministry development officers – and how the number of priests has declined.

“They already have a highly paid chief executive. Why do they need a chief operating officer as well? They’ll now have a double-headed bureaucracy.”

Recruitment firm Gatenby Sanderson, which has offices in London, Birmingham and Leeds, is managing the appointment process for the Church.

The job description states the Church In Wales “is one of the largest charities in Wales with net assets of just over £1bn, annual income – predominantly from investments – of around £20m and a specialist team of around 100 staff...

“As our COO, you will play a key leadership role in the management of the Representative Body (RB). Working closely with a wide range of key stakeholders across our governing body, committees and dioceses, you will also ensure that our resources, decision making processes and staff are aligned to enable effective delivery of our ministry and mission across the nation of Wales.”

The closing date is November 28 with the appointment process expected to be completed on January 16.

A spokeswoman for the Church said: “The Church in Wales is at an exciting juncture with a renewed focus on missional outreach and church growth. It is investing significantly to ensure it thrives to serve generations to come and as part of our growth strategy, we are recruiting a COO for the RB.

“This is a key leadership role focusing firmly on the RB’s core activities.

“The COO will oversee and coordinate the work of the finance, property, secretariat, HR and ICT teams and will report to the chief executive.”