{"id":47146,"date":"2026-06-23T17:49:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T16:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=47146"},"modified":"2026-06-23T17:49:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T16:49:15","slug":"ihbcs-management-cpd-signpost-new-research-explored-at-the-third-national-cathedrals-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=47146","title":{"rendered":"IHBC\u2019s \u2018Management\u2019 CPD Signpost: New research explored at the third National Cathedrals Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/f\/fc\/Exeter_Cathedral_nave_vaulted_ceiling.jpg\/960px-Exeter_Cathedral_nave_vaulted_ceiling.jpg\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

image: Exeter Cathedral nave, DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new report \u2018Living Stones: English Cathedrals as Sacred Spaces in Changing Times\u2019 finds that English cathedrals remain vital civic, cultural, and spiritual institutions in a changing England, while finances remain fragile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Association of English Cathedrals writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new report finds English cathedrals remain vital civic, cultural, and spiritual institutions in a changing England, while finances remain fragile. England\u2019s 42 Anglican cathedrals are among the country\u2019s most significant institutions, serving as places of worship as well as centres of civic life, community outreach, education, music and the arts \u2013 but most of them are in financial crisis, according to a new report examining their social, cultural and spiritual contribution. While worship remains foundational, the research finds cathedrals also provide space for the civic calendar, communal grief and celebration, and unhurried spiritual exploration \u2013 offering \u2018stillness, beauty and wonder\u2019 to visitors, including those who do not identify as Christian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report, \u2018Living Stones: English Cathedrals as Sacred Spaces in Changing Times \u2018examines the role of English Anglican cathedrals today and what pressures they face, both financial and societal. It warns that while the financial picture is stark with three quarters of cathedrals operating in deficit, cathedrals continue to play a vital role holding together worship, heritage, culture and community service, while adapting to a more secular, religiously diverse and ;spiritually curious\u2019 society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undertaken by researchers at the religion and society think tank Theos, the report draws on a nationally representative YouGov poll, a survey of more than 1,300 cathedral visitors, and qualitative fieldwork involving 146 interviewees across six representative cathedrals. In the visitor survey of 1,300 cathedral visitors, just over a third of non-religious people (35%) said that they \u2018experience God\u2019 through the calm and quiet of the cathedral space, while 94% of non-religious respondents agreed that cathedrals were \u2018a hub\u2019 to engage in the life of the wider community. It notes that 77 per cent of English adults have visited a cathedral in the last three years with 37 per cent visiting more than once in the last year \u2013 which if compared to the latest Government statistics, suggests cathedrals attract a comparable share of the public to museums and galleries, and more than those that attend live sporting events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report is a partnership project commissioned by the Association of English Cathedrals and the Church Commissioners for the third National Cathedrals\u2019 Conference (May 18-21) when the findings [were] revealed and discussed by key speakers from a range of disciplines spanning politics, public life, theology and academia, including businessman and philanthropist, Sir Paul Ruddock, who chaired the Government\u2019s First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund, and David Olusuga, OBE, writer, historian and broadcaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Panel discussions and workshops grappled with the role of these sacred spaces in a changed England, and the conference will ask how cathedrals can be sustained in their ongoing service to the nation.The report also charts how cathedrals have changed since an earlier major study also undertaken by Theos in 2012, Spiritual Capital. Changes include more professional management, more diverse income streams, expanded events programmes, stronger digital communications, and deeper partnerships with local institutions. In recent years, cathedrals have navigated the sharp fall in visitor numbers during the pandemic and adapted to changes introduced by the Cathedrals Measure (2021), the report notes. However, the resources needed to sustain this work are increasingly stretched. The report warns that the gap between what cathedrals contribute and the support they need is widening. Further research evidencing the social and economic value of cathedrals has been commissioned by the AEC and the Church Commissioners from State of Life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Watt, Publisher and Government Advisor from State of Life [shared] early findings from five representative cathedrals at the conference and unveil a new estimator tool for cathedrals to use later this year. The Very Revd Jo Kelly-Moore, who chairs the AEC and is the National Cathedrals Conference lead, said: \u2018Cathedrals remain vital community anchors\u2014integral to the diversity of life in the dioceses they serve and essential places of gathering.\u2018 While cathedrals sustain the rhythm of daily worship, at the heart of which is the English Choral Tradition, they also open their doors to pilgrims and visitors of all faiths and none: the spiritually curious, heritage seekers, those with questions, and those who need someone to walk alongside them through grief or celebration.Cathedrals have something to offer everyone who crosses the threshold, providing a place where communities can meet, connect and belong. Conserving these Grade I listed buildings, and keeping them open, safe, warm and welcoming brings constant financial pressure\u2014one we must address together. A demonstration of the urgency is seen in the fact that nearly three quarters of cathedrals are experiencing operational deficits at this time. With no government support\u2014and the fact that the Church Commissioners do not have the ability to fund fabric work\u2014the structural funding gap for repairs and maintenance of these national treasures is becoming an ever-greater burden. Our National Cathedrals Conference is an opportunity to name and explore the extraordinary potential and presence of our cathedrals\u2014and to confront the very real task of funding that ongoing service to the nation.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chine McDonald, director of Theos, said:\u2018 The myth of secularity suggests that people have outgrown spiritual questions. But the continued draw of places like cathedrals tells another story. People are still searching for meaning, transcendence and spaces where they can experience beauty and awe and process grief. The task for cathedrals is not to assume familiarity, but to continue to do more to draw in those pilgrims and visitors that might otherwise consider such a space \u2013 or faith itself \u2013 as \u2018not for them. At a time when our society often prizes individualism and self-optimisation, the Christian faith through the presence of cathedrals has something profoundly counter-cultural to offer \u2013 not only to churchgoers, but to society as a whole: steadiness, presence, and community. Now is the time for cathedrals to recognise the unique space they have in bridging the so-called divide between the sacred and the secular.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Minta, Director of Bishoprics and Cathedrals for the Church Commissioners, said: \u2018This is a detailed and thorough report that goes some way to doing justice to the extraordinary contribution that Cathedrals make to the life of the nation. As the report notes, Cathedrals are amongst the most visited heritage sites in the country and contribute hundreds of millions of pounds to local economies, while mobilising thousands of volunteers and sustaining thousands of jobs\u2018Worship remains at the centre of their life, with the report revealing polling showing that more than three quarters \u2013 77 per cent of the English population \u2013 have visited a Cathedral at least once over the past three years, with the majority of visits made for a religious purpose, from attending services to simply finding space for prayer and reflection. Our Cathedrals make a huge contribution in a range of other ways \u2013 to community cohesion, job creation and training, education, heritage, tourism, music and arts and culture. I would like to pay tribute to the achievements of cathedral staff and clergy, to their resourcefulness and resilience amid the challenges and complexities that they have faced in recent years, including the set back of the pandemic. \u2018The Church Commissioners looks forward to continuing to work with the Cathedrals, in supporting them in meeting the challenges that they face into the future.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n