Church Buildings Support Officers (CBSOs) are specialist advisers and enablers who help parishes manage their church buildings, plan for maintenance and repairs and develop ideas for opening up churches for wider use.
With generous funding from the Church Commissioners, the Archbishops’ Council is currently providing financial support to dioceses and some partner organisations to recruit a number of CBSOs around the country. From the first round of grants offered in 2023, we are pleased to share links to the current job vacancies. Please return to this page over the coming weeks for a fuller statement of grants offered and updated links to job adverts as they appear.
Open Adverts
Dioceses of Carlisle
Closing date: 29 January 2024
Dioceses of Chelmsford
https://www.chelmsford.anglican.org/vacancies/church-buildings-support-officer
Closing date: 31 January 2024
Diocese of Portsmouth
https://pathways.churchofengland.org/job/pathways/4966/church-building-support-officer
Closing date: 29 January 2024
Diocese of Newcastle
https://pathways.churchofengland.org/job/pathways/4994/church-buildings-support-officer
Closing date: 31 January 2024
Closed Adverts
- Dioceses of Blackburn
- Diocese of Bristol
- Diocese of Canterbury
- Diocese of Chichester
- Dioceses of Coventry and Worcester
- Diocese of Derby
- Diocese of Durham
- Diocese of Ely
- Diocese of Exeter
- Diocese of Gloucester
- Diocese of Leeds
- Diocese of Lichfield
- Diocese of Liverpool
- Diocese of Norwich
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Diocese of Southwark
- Diocese of St Albans
- Diocese of Truro
- Diocese of York
What is a Church Buildings Support Officer
Church Buildings Support Officers (CBSOs) are specialist advisers and enablers who provide frontline support to parishes on the management, repair and use of church buildings. They will typically have a focus on built fabric issues and conservation but may also concentrate on community engagement and diversification of use. Either way, given the wealth of historic buildings among Church of England churches, they will have a good knowledge of historic environment management and the potential for church buildings to be a lasting asset for their communities.
The work of CBSOs is additional to a diocese’s statutory duties under the faculty system and the quinquennial inspection regime, but it is complementary. The overall objective is to help parishes keep their churches open and sustainable. The CBSO role is distinct from other building-related functions, such as those for pastoral reorganisation and church closure under the Mission and Pastoral Measure.