Retirement of The Revd Canon Professor James Woodward as Principal of Sarum College

A statement from the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

The Chair of Sarum College Trustees, Bishop Alastair Redfern, announces that James Woodward has indicated to the Trustees his intention to retire from the role of Principal at the end of June 2026, following his 65^th birthday and over 10 years in office.

Bishop Alastair writes: ‘We are deeply appreciative of all that James has given as Principal. He has provided faithful, focused, bold and imaginative leadership together with the care and encouragement to students, staff and the wider community associated with Sarum College. James has established Sarum as a leading UK centre for formation in ministry and enhanced its reputation as a centre of theological learning, spiritual growth and hospitality.’

Following ordination in Durham Cathedral in 1985, James has consistently combined pastoral ministry and leadership with teaching, research and writing for four decades. James has made an outstanding and imaginative contribution towards strategic renewal, recalibrating the work of the college during a period of global pandemic and of serious challenge to theological education and the study of theology itself. The fruitful relationships James has built with dioceses, deaneries, the national church, ecumenical partners, charities and universities, provides a strong basis for Sarum College’s continued flourishing.

The Trustees are working on a plan for the appointment of James’s successor to ensure the continued growth and development of the work of the College.

We will ensure that there are opportunities for us to express our gratitude to James later in the year, but in the meantime please keep him in your prayers as he continues to lead and serve Sarum College.’

James Woodward adds, ‘Choosing the right time to step back is never easy but after many years at the helm of Sarum College I am ready for a change in focus and a new phase of life. I am grateful to trustees, staff and students, and to diocesan, university and charity partners, for all that they have given and shared over these years. Sarum is a unique and special place and will always have a treasured part in my life. I wish it well for this new chapter.

No doubt my plans will take some time to shape as I prepare to enter this new and exciting phase of my life. It will include my ministry as Warden to the Community of the Sisters of the Love of God in Oxford, the work of providing Pastoral Supervision, together with the development of my writing projects. I am also looking forward to some more travel and the expanding of my culinary skills!’