Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committee

Third Church Estates Commissioner from February 2025. Sir Robert enjoys a distinguished career in law and politics. He is a practising barrister at Foundry Chambers, Senior Counsel & Head of Policy at Payne Hicks Beach LLP and a member of the DAC Beachcroft Policy Unit. He is a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School. Robert was a criminal barrister and part-time Crown Court judge prior to his election to Parliament as Conservative MP for South Swindon in 2010.

During his fourteen years in the House of Commons, Robert served in the Conservative Governments of four Prime Ministers, becoming Solicitor General in 2014, Minister of State for Justice in 2019 and then entering the Cabinet as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice from 2019 to 2021.  He returned to Cabinet as Secretary of State for Wales in 2022, and Chaired the Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from 2023-24.

As an influential backbencher, Robert was Secretary of the 1922 Committee from 2012-14 and was Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Autism. He most recently chaired an independent review into autism and employment. Robert has campaigned on disability issues, domestic abuse and criminal law reform, amongst other things. He writes regularly on constitutional law matters, current affairs and political history, collaborating on several books on these issues. He was knighted by His Majesty The King in 2022 for his political and public service.

Member of the Board and Chair of Bishoprics & Cathedrals and Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committees

Commissioner from January 2024. Graduated Durham University with a BA in History. After ordination training at Ridley Hall Cambridge went on to gain a Doctorate at Oxford studying evangelism in the thought and practice of John Calvin. Ordained for over 30 years, spending most of that time in the north and in urban settings.  Served in parish ministry on Teesside, on Tyneside and in the West Midlands, and on the staff of Lichfield Cathedral as a residentiary canon. Spent five years as Dean of Liverpool before becoming Bishop of Sheffield in September 2017. Retains a lively interest in theological education and in formation for ordained ministry, and especially enjoys opportunities to preach and teach the Bible.  Passionate about the Bible as a means of God’s grace.

Member of the Board and Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committee

KC Commissioner from 2019. Practicing barrister, based in London, specialising in planning, local government and environment law. Commissary General of the diocese of Canterbury and the Deputy Chancellor of Southwark, and, on occasions, chairs Clergy Discipline Tribunals. Reader in the Church of England with a keen interest in music, especially choral. Morag is married to a parish priest; they have three children and live in Essex.

Member of the Board and member of Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committee

Penny has served as Archdeacon of Sherborne in the Diocese of Salisbury for the past seven years and, since last year, also as Archdeacon of Dorset.

She served her curacy in a seaside parish in the Diocese of Chichester, followed by an incumbency in Dagenham, East London. She then undertook an area role within the Diocese of Chelmsford, supporting parishes in challenging circumstances, alongside a house-for-duty post serving two village churches.

Penny has a particular passion for social justice and church buildings. She chairs the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education, the Deliverance Team, and the Church Buildings Committee (pending the appointment of a new Bishop of Ramsbury), and is a member of the Diocesan Safeguarding Panel.

She has a large family and enjoys reading, especially detective fiction and poetry.

Member of the Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committee

Amatu was one of the first appointed SSM Vicars in the diocese of London and held the post for over 13 years at St Mary’s Harmondsworth. He is currently Priest in Charge of St Mark’s and St Stephen’s Bush Hill Park in the Enfield Deanery and also the Edmonton Episcopal Area Director of Mission and Racial Justice in the diocese of London.

Prior to ordination, Amatu trained as an Electrical Engineer and attained Chartered Engineer and Chartered Manager status about 10 years ago having worked for 25 years as consultant in the Public Sector, the Oil & Gas sector delivering major change projects, including Crossrail, Network Rail-Great Western Electrification projects, CB&I, Shell oil. He holds MBA with distinction from University of Sunderland and merit in MSC Project Management from University of Salford.

Amatu is married to Princess, a Lay Reader and Chartered Accountant heading the technical finance team at the London Fire Service - They are blessed with five children, three boys and two girls.

On General Synod from 2015, and elected to the Commissioners in 2017. New College, Oxford, and St Stephen's House. Ordained 1995 to a curacy in Wantage, then chaplain to the Bishop of Horsham. Vicar of St Michael's Beckenham for ten years. Vicar of St Alban's Holborn since 2011. Degrees in Music, Theology and Law; called to the Bar 2010. Trustee of the London Diocesan Fund and the London Diocesan Board for Schools. Contributor to an Ashgate/Routledge volume on Religion and Legal Pluralism, and author of a monthly column in the journal New Directions. 

Member of the Board, member of the Assets Committee and member of Mission, Pastoral and Church Property Committee.  

Commissioner from 2024. Ordained Priest in 2020: Priest-in-Charge of St Margaret's Church, Ipswich since April 2023. Trained for ministry with the Eastern Region Ministry Course - title served at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. Previously worked as a qualified and registered Chartered Public Finance Accountant (CIPFA) with experience in local government, the courts' service and schools. First degree in European Economics from the University of Nantes, France. Presently studying for an MA in Theology & Human Culture.

Member of the Board and Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committee

The Reverend Dr Alex Bennett CF was ordained in 1995 and served in parishes in Suffolk and Shropshire for nine years. In 2004 he joined the British Army, commissioning as a Chaplain with an initial posting to 1^st Battalion the Light Infantry in Paderborn, Germany. Over the last twenty three years of ministry in the army he has served with the infantry, engineers, signals and light cavalry units. Padre Bennett deployed to Iraq in 2004, and Afghanistan in 2006, 2010 and 2011/2012. He has led teams of Chaplains in Germany and the UK. Padre Bennett was posted to the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Gloucester for two years, and then appointed the Career Manager for the Royal Army Chaplains Department at the Army Personnel Centre in Glasgow until 2024 when he was assigned to London District, and to lead the Guards’ Chapel. In October 2026 he was appointed Assistant Chaplain-General to the 1^st United Kingdom Armoured Division. He has degrees in Theology from the University of Hull, Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Birmingham University, MTh from Cardiff University and a PhD from the University of Salford. He is an enthusiastic amateur wine taster and drives a classic American car.

Member of the Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committee

Commissioner from 2024. Childhood in Iran as parents were CMS missionaries. Career in Medicine as a Consultant Obstetrician with interests in bereavement care, training, clinical governance and management including as clinical director. After early retirement, volunteered as Sheffield Diocesan Environment Officer in 2020, including gaining a Bronze Eco Diocese award and initial work towards the national Net Zero Carbon by 2030 target. Elected to General Synod in 2021, chair of General Synod Environment Group. Passionate about our calling as Christians to work for climate justice and a holistic approach to the climate and nature crisis. Married to a parish priest, have enjoyed leading music and children’s work with him and developing vicarage gardens for wildlife.

(Board, Mission Pastoral & Church Property Committee and Assets Committee)

Appointed in September 2023, Simon has spent the last ten years working in regeneration and redevelopment and now focuses on the provision and management of specialist housing for older people.  Prior to that Simon worked in Government as a Special Advisor having spent time as a researcher for a Member of Parliament and a Member of the European Parliament.  Practising Member of the Church of England and former Trustee of charity which helped support Christians and internally displaced people in Iraq.

Born in Wiltshire, after graduation Ian qualified as a Chartered Surveyor and worked for Croydon Council and BAA.  He was ordained in 1991 and was curate in Southwark before parish posts in Norwich and Chester Dioceses.  He served as Archdeacon of Macclesfield for 12 years before becoming Bishop of Thetford in 2023.  He went to Oakhill Theological College and also holds and MA in Theology and Ministry from Durham.

He is lead Bishop for Bishop’s Visitors and has a particular interest in how the Church cares for divorced clergy spouses.

He is married to Sue and has three sons, two daughters in law, one grandson and one soon to arrive.  Ian and Sue have a passion for the theatre, their motorhome and the gym.

Prior to ordination, Andy was a partner with audit and consulting firm Deloitte, specialising in corporate taxation. He was ordained in 2013 and served as a parish priest in the Diocese of Worcester until 2023, when he was appointed Diocesan Secretary for Worcester.

Appointed a lay non commissioner member in February 2026, Chris has spent the past seven years in the Higher Education sector and currently serves as Bursar of St John’s College, Durham, of which Cranmer Hall is a constituent part. Prior to this he worked with Network Rail and undertook two periods of missionary service overseas in Peru and India.

Chris has studied History and Law and most recently completed an MA in Theology and Ministry, focusing on how Luther’s articulation of the priesthood of all believers might inform contemporary missional ecclesiology. He and his wife serve as small group pastors in their local parish church, and together with their three children they enjoy exploring the North East by bike.

Member of the Mission, Pastoral & Church Property Committee