Who We Are

The ministry of our Cathedral

We describe the ministry of our cathedral in four parts:

• Our purpose, objects, mission & vision
• Our core challenge
• Responding to change in the world
• Delivering our core ministry

Our purpose

Our core purposes is to be the seat of the Bishop, a centre of worship and mission, and to provide a focus for the life and work of the Church of England in the diocese of Ely.

Our charitable objects

• To advance the Christian religion in accordance with the faith and practice of the Church of England, in particular by furthering the mission of the Church of England;
• To care for and conserve the fabric and structure of the Cathedral Church building; and
• To advance any other charitable purposes which are ancillary to the above objects.

Our mission

To be a sustainable Christian community joyfully proclaiming the love of God in worship, outreach, welcome and care.

Our vision

To be a place where everyone – in all our diversity – may grow into the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Our core challenge

Chapter has identified a central challenge for our ministry over the next few years: To grow and diversify the numbers of our worshipping community and pilgrims against a general trend in UK society of increasing disassociation from Christianity.

Our guiding policy

To provide opportunities for the local community, the parishes of the diocese and all visitors to experience the Cathedral afresh as a living place of worship and Christian
community.

Responding to change in the world

We play our role in addressing climate change by:

• Using the results of energy-efficiency surveys of our buildings to develop plans to reduce carbon emissions to help meet our aim of becoming a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030.
• Completing, by the end of 2023, the replacement of all lighting in the Cathedral church building with energy-efficient alternatives.
• Introducing carbon reporting in our published annual report from 2023 onwards.
• Undertaking a survey of the Cathedral precinct to inform how we can enhance biodiversity on the land under our care.
• Developing how we communicate our commitment to the care of the planet, to encourage others – within and beyond the Church of England.

Delivering our core ministry

We are delivering our core ministry by:

• Maintaining and developing our pattern of worship, pastoral care and teaching
• Conserving and enhancing the Cathedral fabric
• Aiming to be a great place to work and volunteer
• Using our economic and social presence to maintain our place in the ‘public square’

You can read more about the ministry of our cathedral, including action points and planned reforms in the PDF linked below —