The Mission and Ministry Team
Please find below contact details for the Mission and Ministry Team.
General Enquiries
- If you’re unsure who to contact for a query or request or anything else, please note that the team also have a ‘catch-all’ email address which is missionandministry@elydiocese.org
- This is screened daily and your email will be re-routed appropriately to the correct person or people.
Director of Education, Mission & Ministry
- The Mission & Ministry and Education teams of the Diocese of Ely fall under the combined strategic oversight of the Director of Education, Mission and Ministry, Canon Andrew Read.
- This integrated approach indicates that we wish to serve our parishes with churches and schools with a unified missional intent, under the episcopal oversight of the Bishops.
- Operationally, Andrew is shortly to be supported by two deputies to help lead the teams providing day-to-day delivery; The Revd Peter Leech (Mission and Ministry) and Mrs Sarah Conant (Education).
- Contact: andrew.read@elydiocese.org
Deputy Director for Mission and Ministry
- Leading the day-to-day delivery of Mission and Ministry is the Deputy Director for Mission and Ministry, The Revd Peter Leech.
- Peter begins on 19th April 2022.
- He will lead teams structured around ‘four pillars’ of service:
- Leadership Development
- Parish Innovation
- Community Mission
- Administrative Support
- The role is focused on further developing the work of the Diocesan team as an accessible resource that serves the needs of the communities and places across the Diocese, and multiplies good practice.
- Contact: peter.leech@elydiocese.org
Pillar 1: Leadership Development
Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO)
- Our Acting Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO) is The Revd Dr Catherine Wright
- She supports the discernment process for ordinands and their training programmes. This includes co-operating with local theological training providers as well as developing the work according to the selection framework of the Church of England.
- Contact: catherine.wright@elydiocese.org
Initial Ministerial Education (IME2)
- Initial Ministerial Education (IME2) and our curate training scheme is led by The Revd Steve Rothwell as Curate Training Officer.
- Steve also liaises with and co-ordinates development with our team of training incumbents. Steve is also Priest-in-Charge of St James in Cambridge, and Vicar of the Benefice.
- Contact: steve.rothwell@elydiocese.org
Support for Vocations
- Support for Vocations is provided by The Revd David Sheppard who recently joined us to offer formational development from early vocational footsteps into more formal lay or ordained ministerial journeys. David’s substantive role is Priest-in-Charge of St Mary’s Buckden with the Offords.
- Contact: david.sheppard@elydiocese.org
Diocesan Director of Lay Ministry (DDLM)
- Working closely alongside the DDO (above) is our very first Diocesan Director of Lay Ministry (DDLM), The Revd Julie Norris.
- Julie is undertaking this role in an acting capacity in order to help us to further develop our understanding of this new role.
- She is leading the selection, training and development of Licensed (LLM) and Authorised (ALM) Lay Ministry, and thus working with local training providers and national initiatives.
- Contact: julie.norris@elydiocese.org
Warden of Readers
- In support of the DDO and DDLM our Warden of Readers Mr Steve Mashford is an important contributor to the selection, development, training and ministry of Licensed Lay Ministers in the Diocese.
- In doing so he also represents their important voice, and underpins the effective collaborative working relationships between Readers and their incumbents and ministry teams.
- Contact: wardenofreaders@elydiocese.org
- Further information - click here.
Pillar 2: Parish Innovation and Pillar 3: Community Mission
Mission Development Officer
- As Mission Development Officer, The Revd Mark Rodel leads our work to support the new forms of missional activity, including advocacy, oversight, facilitation and accompaniment, supporting new forms of pioneer ministry and the discernment of new mixed models of team ministry.
- Mark also heads up the new Ely Learning Framework (ELF), giving a quality-assured approach for all our blended delivery models of training and development.
- Contact: mark.rodel@elydiocese.org
Mission Lead for Growing Faith in Youth (11-18) & Families
- Heading up our ambition to be younger and more diverse, Mr Mike Kelly joined us in December as Mission Lead for Growing Faith in Youth (11-18) & Families.
- Mike provides advice to parishes and clergy, specialist ALM/LLM accreditation, youth workers network development, church group establishment, and training resource creation.
- Mike is also an important advocate for youth and an advisor on Mental Health First Aid as a qualified practitioner.
- Contact: mike.kelly@elydiocese.org
- Further information - click here
Mission Lead: Growing Faith in Children (0-11) & Families
- Working alongside Mike, Mrs Debbie Hill is Mission Lead: Growing Faith in Children (0-11) & Families.
- Debbie gives advice to parishes and clergy, specialist ALM/LLM accreditation of Children and Families Licensed Lay Ministers and Baptism Authorized Lay Ministers, undertakes children’s worker network development and recruitment, and advises on church group establishment as well as being a children and parent/carer voice.
- Debbie is also helping lead a renewed focus on Chaplaincy, particularly for schools.
- Contact: debbie.hill@elydiocese.org
- Further information - click here
Bishops’ Officer for School Mission
- As part of the important integration of education with Mission and Ministry, The Revd Sue Martin is our Bishops’ Officer for School Mission.
- Sue develops the links between our parish and our schools/academies work, particularly through the Parish-School Covenant, advising and supporting ordained & lay ministry in their support of schools.
- Sue also supports the school chaplaincy programme, and provides resource support for collective worship, and advises on theological support and advice at times of critical incidents in schools.
- Contact: sue.martin@elydiocese.org
Pillar 4: Operational Efficiency and Support
Executive PA to Andrew and Information and Data Manager
- The efficient and anxiety-free running of our many complex diocesan wide systems is a critical part of our diocesan support, and in the context of Education, Mission & Ministry is led by Mrs Sally Batchelder in her dual roles as Executive PA to Andrew and Information and Data Manager for both education and M&M teams.
- Sally leads on data management and analysis, good governance clerking practices, clergy handbook curation and key document management, policies, HR processing & recording, communications, and diary and event management.
- Contact: sally.batchelder@elydiocese.org
Secretary to the DDO
- Mrs Zoe Cutter is the Secretary to the DDO, providing support for the DDO and Deputy DDO, such as process, document management, communications, diary and events, expense submission and training support such as the termly Vocations Course.
- Contact: zoe.cutter@elydiocese.org
Operations Support Team Administrator 
- As Administrative Assistant, Mrs Wendy Ivey provides whole-team administrative support for training coordination including administration, communication, event support (pre-event and on-the-day), alongside database management, and curation of the important and very popular Sunday Morning Resources.
- Contact: wendy.ivey@elydiocese.org
Please note that this is a contact list.
The Team listed here is further supported by a number of other advisors, lay and ordained, who work throughout the Diocese to serve our common mission and ministry.
If you’re unsure who to contact, simply email missionandministry@elydiocese.org and it will find its way to the right person.