Canon Mark Humphriss
As Diocesan Secretary, Mark heads up and is responsible for all diocesan services provided from Church House, including Mission, HR and Safeguarding, Finance, Buildings, Communications and the Secretariat. He is responsible for the leadership and managerial oversight of the staff employed by the Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance (ODBF) and working in Church House and in the episcopal areas.
Mark is responsible to the Bishop of Oxford and Sir Hector Sants, the Chairman of the Board of Finance. He is the principal strategic adviser to Bishop Steven and provides leadership in the management of diocesan relationships and overall governance of the diocese, ensuring that the vision, aspirations and values of the diocese are lived out in all operational activity. He is titular Secretary of the Diocesan Synod and the Bishop’s Council.
Mark joined the diocese in July 2019, having been University Secretary of the University of Bath since 2007. He's worked for the Church of England in a variety of roles previously and has been active in his local church for many years. He was married in the Diocese of Oxford, where his wife Rachel grew up, and has two adult sons. He is a member of the Archbishops’ Council’s Remuneration and Conditions of Service Committee, a member of the National Safeguarding Steering Group, and a trustee of Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust. He is a lay canon of Christ Church, Oxford.
Mark writes to the diocese each month via eNews in a section known as From the DioSec. It’s a chance to hear from Mark about how Church House teams are supporting the mission and ministry of parishes across the diocese. You’ll find a link to each article here, plus links to the Church House Quarterly mailings, which is sent automatically to all churchwardens, PCC secretaries and treasurers.
From the DioSec
- Supporting ministry, March 2025
- Church buildings, February 2025
- Parish Share, December 2024
- Property, November 2024
- Safeguarding, October 2024
- Our engagement with students and pupils, September 2024
- Leading change, July 2024
- Launching the Annual Review, June 2024
- The difference good governance can make, April 2024
- Important developments in safeguarding, March 2024
- Our five focus areas, February 2024
- The Development Fund, January 2024
- Financial aspects of mission and ministry, December 2023
- Our connections with link dioceses and our cathedral, November 2023
- Focus on buildings, October 2023
- Challenges and opportunities as a new academic year begins, September 2023
- Synods and Bishop's Council, July 2023
- Children, young people and schools, June 2023
- The Coronation and its promotion of volunteering, May 2023
- Church buildings, April 2023
- Climate change: one of the biggest issues of our time, March 2023
- An intercultural worshipping community, February 2023
- Placing telling other people about Jesus at the heart of our common life, January 2023
- We owe an enormous amount to our retired clergy, December 2022
- On the Money, November 2022
- Safeguarding and PCR2, October 2022
- The cost-of-living crisis, September 2022
- Annual Review, July 2022
- Clergy Conference: Jars that await filling, June 2022
- Reconnecting, May 2022
- Environmental survey of properties owned by the diocese, April 2022
- Resources for discipleship, March 2022
- The work of the Communications team, February 2022
- Reflecting on safeguarding across the Diocese of Oxford, January 2022
Past editions
- Bishop's Council, tackling Poverty and Inequality, and a Happy Christmas to all! December 2021
- All things environmental, November 2021 As COP26 is in full swing the Dio Sec outlines our commitment to the environment
- Synods and committees, October 2021 Getting involved in the decision-making processes in the Church
- Bishop's Council meeting, July 2021 An onsite meeting at last. The DioSec reflects on our common vision.
- Annual review and missional grants, June 2021
- The work of the Oxford Diocesan School Trust (ODST), May 2021
- The Registry, April 2021 The diocesan legal service.
- An update on the Glebe and Buildings team, March 2021 Responsible asset management in a pandemic.
- Good governance, February 2021 The opportunity to change things for the better.
- Human Resources, January 2021 The wide-ranging work of the HR Department.
- Investment and divestment, December 2020 How the Diocese uses its resources.
- Communications in the diocese, November 2020 How the Communications team support the work of the diocese.
- New congregations, October 2020 Opportunities and resources for new congregations.
- Supporting our church schools, September 2020 Our work with the 281 church schools and academies in our diocese.
- Reflecting on an extraordinary period, July 2020 Working virtually, communicating well and looking at the finances.
- Children and young people, June 2020 Fostering intergenerational congregations and church communities.
- Equality, diversity and inclusion, May 2020 How are we enabling a culture that seeks to remove obstacles to anyone accessing the ministry of our churches?
- Social responsibility, April 2020 Declaring a climate emergency and our strategic partnership with Citizens UK.
- Training resources in the Diocese, March 2020 Providing training for clergy and laity that best supports local ministry and mission.
- Safeguarding, February 2020 Our Past Cases Review, the Independent Safeguarding Panel, safeguarding training and the Safeguarding team.
- Our common vision, January 2020 The outworking of our common vision across the Diocese and the opportunities and resources available.
- The work of the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC), December 2019 The work of the DAC and how we are addressing increasing demand for their expertise and advice.
- Diocesan finances, November 2019 How diocesan finances work; details of income and expenditure; and ways we are resourcing ministry across the diocese.
- The best job in the Church of England? October 2019 The Diocesan Secretary introduces his approach to the new role.