Announcing the New Dean for St. James Cathedral – January 14, 2024

This letter was read at all services on Sunday, October 29, 2023.

Sunday October 29, 2023

To the Clergy and People of the Cathedral Church of St. James,

Grace and Peace be with you.

I am truly grateful for your faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the heart of the city. Your presence and ministry play such a vital role not only in the downtown core, but also throughout the Diocese of Toronto. I am also deeply thankful for the leadership of our clergy in this season of transition, our Vicar, the Rev’d Canon Dr. Stephen Fields and our Associate Priest, the Rev’d Canon Beth Benson.
I am particularly grateful for the guidance, care, and spirit of hope that our Interim Dean, the Very Rev’d Peter Wall has offered to us in this time of change. Thank you, Peter!

Over the last number of months the Cathedral Selection Committee, chaired by Mr. David Crawford, has worked prayerfully and carefully in developing a profile, identifying potential candidates, and conducting interviews. A number of highly gifted people were considered for the role of Dean and Rector. You have been exceptionally well served by your committee and I am most appreciative for their hard work.

I am delighted to report that in consultation with the Cathedral Selection Committee and with their unanimous recommendation, The Very Rev’d Dr. Stephen Hance, currently the National Lead for Evangelism and Witness for the Church of England, has accepted my invitation to become the 14 th Rector of the Cathedral Church of St. James, and the 9th Dean of Toronto. Stephen was previously the Dean of Derby and before that the Canon Missioner of Southwark Cathedral and the Director of Mission and Evangelism in the Diocese of Southwark. He will be installed as Dean of Toronto and Rector of St. James Cathedral on Sunday January 14, 2024, and begin this ministry on January 15, 2024.

Dean Stephen is married to Jacqui and together they have three adult children. Jacqui currently serves as the Evangelism and Witness Priority Coordinator at Lambeth Palace. I ask your prayers for both of them as they prepare to move across the pond. Please welcome them both with warmth and joy as we all begin a new ministry together in this place. May God bless you and keep you in this time of anticipation and joy.

Yours in Christ,

The Right Reverend Andrew J.

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The Very Revd Dr. Stephen Hance
The Very Revd Dr. Stephen Hance is the National Lead for Evangelism and Witness for the Church of England.
He was until 2019 the Dean of Derby. He trained for the ministry at St. John’s Nottingham and was ordained in Portsmouth Diocese where he served his curacy at St. Jude’s Southsea. He then served as Team Vicar of St. Saviour’s Hanley Road (London Diocese) before moving to Southwark Diocese in 1999, where he was Vicar of Ascension Balham Hill and then Director of Mission and Evangelism for the Diocese and Canon Missioner at the Cathedral. He has a BSc in Sociology from Portsmouth University (where he also met his wife Jacqui), a BTh and MA from Nottingham University, a DMin from Asbury Theological Seminary (USA), and is presently finishing an MPA at Birmingham University.

Responsibilities in the wider Church have included being a member of General Synod, a member of the Council of Intercontinental Church Society, a trustee of Just Earth, President of the Alumni Council of Asbury Theological Seminary, and founder/convener of the Cathedrals and Growth Network.

He has written or contributed to books on Fresh Expressions, Mission Action Planning, evangelism, forgiveness, confirmation, parenting, and preaching. Stephen is passionate about the Church, the mission of God in the world, and enabling people to flourish.

He has travelled widely, especially in Africa (where he was born) and the USA. He loves music, can often be found at a concert or listening to music at home (on vinyl, preferably) and is a musician himself. Stephen and Jacqui have three adult children, Natalie, Simeon, and Isaac. They enjoy the theatre, friendship, hospitality, and God’s creation.