The Diocese of London has announced that Oliver Home is to be its next General Secretary and will take up the role in September. Oliver is currently Chair of the Diocesan Secretaries and Chief Executives Network, having previously been in Bristol Diocese, including as Diocesan Secretary for seven years.
The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, said:
“Oliver was the standout candidate from a very strong field of applicants, drawn from within and outside of the Church. This is a key appointment for the Diocese in supporting the mission, ministry and growth of the Church in London and in driving our 2030 Vision. I am very much looking forward to working closely with him, alongside the rest of the senior team.”
Oliver Home said,
“I am hugely excited to be joining the Diocese of London as its next General Secretary. London has so many amazing examples of faithful and creative ministry and mission, enabling the communities of this diverse city to encounter God’s love. I want to serve them and ensure we are meeting the needs of people across the Diocese, harnessing our shared resources to energise our vision. I look forward to working with Bishop Sarah and the College of Bishops, empowering our ambitions to reach every Londoner, and to be a welcoming and safe place for all.”
Previously Diocesan Secretary of Bristol between 2014 and 2021, Oliver is currently the Chair of the Diocesan Secretaries and Chief Executives Network. In this role, he supports leaders in all Church of England dioceses, represents diocesan views at a national level and enables partnership working between dioceses and the national church institutions.
Oliver has served on a range of Church of England bodies including the Triennium Funding Working Group, the Emerging Church of England Steering Group, and the Covid-19 Gold Group. For the last four years, he has been a Lay Canon of Bristol Cathedral and a trustee of the Christian safeguarding charity, thirtyone:eight. He has recently been appointed as a trustee of the investment funds, managed by CCLA, that steward almost £3 billion on behalf of 14,000 Church of England churches, dioceses and cathedrals.
Oliver is a lifelong member of the Church of England. He is married to Sonia, who is ordained, and they have three school aged children.
The General Secretary is the CEO of the London Diocesan Fund (LDF). Alongside the Bishop of London, the Area Bishops and Archdeacons, they are responsible for playing a significant role in developing strategy as well as overseeing operations to ensure that the LDF does everything it can to support the mission and growth of the church in London. A key responsibility is developing the strategy and plans in order to deliver the Vision, which involves ensuring that resources are in place and allocated to support the aims of the 2030 Vision.