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