10 October 2024
Rev Dr Callan Slipper has been elected as the new Chair of the CTE Trustees. He will also become the convenor of the CTE Enabling Group.
He succeeds Rowena Loverance who has been in these roles for the last six years.
Rev Dr Callan said: “I’m deeply moved by the opportunity to serve CTE as Chair, especially as I shall be following in the footsteps of Rowena Loverance. I’ve had the joy of working with her over the past few years and have admired her dedication, selflessness, and the way she has helped to develop CTE’s governance culture. At the same time I trust in God’s grace as I take up the reins, and so I hope that, with him, I can be an enabling presence for those I work with and, in particular, that together we can inspire an ecumenical vision in the churches in England. As the clouds of division gather across the world, Christians can offer the bright sunshine of the unity God brings—but only if we live it ourselves.”
CTE General Secretary Bishop Mike Royal said: “I’m delighted at the appointment of Rev Dr Callan Slipper as Chair of Trustees for Churches Together in England. Callan has a long-standing commitment to CTE. He brings rich ecumenical experience to the table and a deep desire to see the church of Jesus Christ journey together in building a more meaningful unity. I am excited to be working with him in the days ahead.”
More about Rev Dr Callan Slipper
Callan Slipper (PhD, Lancaster University) has served as a Trustee of Churches Together in England over the past few years and chairs the Society for Ecumenical Studies. For decades he has been engaged in the ecumenical movement at various levels, especially as the National Ecumenical Officer for the Church of England and, prior to that, as both a County and a Diocesan Ecumenical Officer. He is very much concerned with the need for Christians to develop a renewed ecumenical vision and spirituality. He was ordained priest by the Church of England in 1994 and lives in London in a community of the Focolare Movement, where he strives to practise its spirituality of unity. He is a member of the Focolare’s international study centre, the Abba School, and is the author of Five Steps to Living Christian Unity and Enriched by the Other: A Spiritual Guide to Receptive Ecumenism.
Recruiting the CTE Chair
For the recruitment of a new Chair, the CTE Trustees felt it was appropriate to go through a more formal process than in the past. A sub-committee was appointed to do the recruitment. This was led by the CTE Company Secretary Richard Bradbury. He said: “The process the sub-committee went through was rigorous and detailed. We weighed up the applications and presentations of each of the candidates, all of which were of a high calibre, from varying traditions. After some deliberations, we concluded that Callan Slipper is the best of the candidates to take CTE forward. We are delighted with the outcome of this process.”