Portrait of Mandy Ford

The Church of England is pleased to announce the appointment of the Revd Dr Mandy Ford as Interim Director of Ministry.

Canon Chancellor at Southwark Cathedral and Director of Ministerial Education for the Diocese of Southwark, Dr Ford will take up the post later this month.

She succeeds the Revd Julian Hubbard, who departs after seven years as Director of Ministry.

Brought up in Hong Kong, Dr Ford moved to London as an art student, going on to work as a printmaker and later primary school teacher before answering the call to ordination in 2000.

During her subsequent ministry she has served the Church in Leicester and London. In her current role in the Diocese of Southwark she is responsible for overseeing the training of curates, professional development of the clergy and training and discipleship for lay people.

She has studied theology at Oxford and Nottingham. Her doctoral research focussed on the biblical interpretation and ethics of the theologian and philosopher Paul Ricoeur and she has since researched and written on topics including ministry in cities.

A keen artist and gardener, she also comes from a family of accomplished cooks and was once a semi-finalist on MasterChef.

She takes on the post on secondment from the Diocese of Southwark.

The Rt Revd Martin Seeley, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and the chair of the Church of England’s Ministry Council, said: “I am thrilled that Mandy Ford will serve in this role as we move through a period of significant change and realignment of Ministry Division. 

“Mandy brings experience from her work in Leicester and Southwark Dioceses that will help us build on the Division’s current work to enable and encourage the highest standards and best practice in discernment and formation for the church’s ordained and lay ministers. 

“I am very grateful to the Bishop of Southwark for agreeing to Mandy’s secondment.” 

Dr Ford said: “I am very much looking forward to working with the talented staff in Ministry Division and Church of England dioceses to build on the progress made in increasing the number of ordinands and supporting clergy in their leadership.

“I am also excited about the challenges ahead as we focus on lay people in their leadership and ministry, working in partnership with the Setting God’s People Free programme and sharing initiatives and good practice from around the church.”


Source URL: https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/dr-mandy-ford-lead-church-englands-ministry-division