Here we go! @beckyclark83 giving the @Ecclsoc Twenty-Third Stephen Dykes Bower Memorial Lecture: She begins by outlining where are we now, and what might cathedrals be able to tell us RE how to proceed. Rowan Williams, ‘we are custodians of the long term questions’.

How can we approach threatening piles of rocks, ie pandemic, secularisation...? We can learn from our ancestors to process current challenges.

Cathedrals are for expression and always have been...

Rochester cathedral adventure golf there to open the space to a wide range of visitors and this sacred space was there to welcome—this was mission.

Justin Welby notes the idea of a “safe place to do risky things”—cathedrals offer distinction; endurance and longevity; not short-term-ism.

Norwich’s helter-skelter: why? 10,000 visitors to it and further events to get involved with. Services continued with it in-situ. Engaging people with whole building and service attendees were up!

Such activities—these are liminal spaces: natural extension to the original purpose of the church through which God might be glimpsed.

Innovation leads to criticism (comes with the territory): recognise longevity of cathedrals to make judgements. Real future proofing. Building in flexibility to fabric and mentality. But won’t always get it right.

Notre Dame 2019 fire: not the first conflagration. But was different as happened on our watch and we had to take responsibility. World has no frame of reference for what to do next. Experts new it was a temporary pause. Long-term-ism trumped the sensationalism.

Challenge: what do we want our cathedrals to be for the future?

So many additional challenges today: environment, funding, equality. ‘Challenge is how to serve all people in a complicated world and with so many obstacles in the way.’ Successes might not be beautiful and there will be failures.

Diversifying use is a key part of long term thinking. And keeping buildings open is with strong historical precedent.